17, 2023, 5: 06 a.m.ET My mother never wanted me to learn how to play mahjong, fearing it might foster a propensity for gambling.... As dusk settled, I was lured from my bedroom to the table by the shuffling of ivory tiles and clattering of chips after someone yelled, “ Kong!... Her sister acquiesced.In time, my mother taught me the rudiments: a trio of suits, with tiles numbered one through nine, four of each; a quartet of capricious winds( east, south, west, north), four of each; and the tri