Gail Latimer
Several SBR residents who have been to Mah Jongg (MJ) tournaments thought it would be fun to have one here at the Ranch—just for residents of SaddleBrooke Ranch. So, we have started to plan. Our first SBR MJ tournament, sponsored by the MJ club, will be held on Thursday, November 8 at the Hacienda Club. The exciting thing about tournament play is that it is faster than our typical casual play, we follow tournament rules and play for points. Are you curious but unfamiliar with the rules and scoring? Not to worry! We have scheduled two practice sessions for interested people to learn and play with the rules, to keep score and to experience faster play. These sessions will be held on September 27 and October 11 during the regular MJ club play. We will simply ask those who want to learn the rules and practice for tournament play to sit on one side of the room allowing everyone else to continue with typical club play on the other side of the room. Gale Hall will teach these practice sessions.
The November 8 tournament will open at 9:30 a.m. with a review of the rules and then begin at 10:00 a.m. Gail Latimer will be the tournament monitor. She will keep time, tabulate scores and resolve any questions that may come up during the event. We will have three one-hour rounds of play and then break for lunch. We are working with Chef Jose to have a buffet style luncheon. After lunch we will play two more one-hour rounds of play. Prizes will be awarded for the highest scores. The top prize will be a dinner for two at our new clubhouse restaurant!
We are limited to 40 people in our space at The Hacienda Club. We will begin tournament registration in late September. The registration fee will include lunch, snacks and prizes and will be determined this summer. So, mark your calendars and save the date! We will have more details for you soon.
Your MJ tournament team: Janelle Authur, Bonnie Goldman, Gale Hall and Gail Latimer.