A nine-week season, four matches a quarter.
Everything below is the v1 format. The league is small and local; the rules are deliberately straightforward.
Nine weeks, four seasons a year
The Scramble runs four seasons per year, roughly aligned to the quarters. Each season is nine weeks long. There's a registration window before each season opens, and the fee is $75 — same for every season, every skill level.
A season runs the National Mah Jongg League card current at its start. If the league publishes a new card mid-season, the existing card stays in play through that season's end and the new one governs the next season's matches.
Four players, four games, in person
A match seats exactly four players and runs four full games of NMJL mahjong. Each match has a date, a time, a location, and a type — Social or Focused. Social matches lean conversational; Focused matches lean tournament-paced. Either way, four players, four games.
Any registered player can propose a match. Anyone else can join an open one. When the fourth seat fills, the match is locked and all four players get a confirmation. Cancellations before the lock are fine; after the lock, please don't unless it's an actual emergency.
Submit after, leaderboards update live
Scores submit through the portal at the end of each match. The interface follows NMJL scoring math — hand value, doubles, and the standard adjustments. Any player at the match can enter the scores; all four review and confirm.
Two leaderboards run in parallel through the season:
- By Score (Cumulative): the sum of your top two match scores each calendar week. Rewards big weeks. All registered players qualify.
- By Average: the season average of every match you've played. Rewards consistency. Minimum six matches to qualify.
Both leaderboards refresh as scores come in, so you can see where you stand week to week. The Members directory shows everyone in the current season; the portal's Profile page tracks your personal stats across all the seasons you've played.
Self-selected, visible at the table
When you register, you pick a skill level — Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced — and that's the one that shows next to your username on the upcoming-matches board. The level is yours to edit any time during the season.
The levels are honest signals, not gates. Anyone can join any match. A Beginner can join a Focused match with two Advanced players and a Beginner; an Advanced player can join a Social match with three Beginners. The badges exist so people can find the kind of game they want, not to keep anyone out.
The full descriptions of each level live on the Skill levels page.
Web-based, works on your phone
Everything happens in the portal — proposing matches, joining, submitting scores, viewing leaderboards, browsing the member directory. It's a web app, not a native one, but it installs to your home screen on both iOS and Android if you prefer it that way.
Email notifications go out when a match locks (all four players get one) and when scores are entered for a match you played. Other notifications are off by default and configurable in your profile.