Do I have to use the Coach to play?

No. A game needs three things from you: pass three tiles in the Charleston, throw a tile on your turn, and say whether you want a tile somebody else threw. Everything else on the table is help you can use when you want it.

How do I ask the Coach what to throw?

Tap Suggest a throw in the row under your tiles, or tap the Coach button over the table, or press Space. The Coach lifts the tile it would throw and says why in its box. During the Charleston the question is Suggest a pass, and when you can take a thrown tile it is Should I take it?

Can I watch the Coach play my game?

Yes. Open More, under your tiles, and press Let the Coach play. It plays your seat one move at a time, says why it made each move, and Back to my game hands the seat back to you.

A guide to our table

Our table has a lot on it, and you need very little of it to play. This page shows what every part does, so you know where to find help when you want it.

Show the card (1). Your tiles (2) and the row under them (3). The Coach (4). The settings (5).

What a game needs from you

Three things. Everything after this section is help you can use or leave alone.

Pass three tiles. At the start of a game you pass tiles you do not want to the other players. Tap three tiles, then press Pass these three.
Throw a tile. On your turn you draw a tile. Tap the one you want to get rid of. It lifts, with Throw it on it. Press Throw it.
Take a tile or let it go. When another player throws a tile you could use, the table asks. Press Take it or Let it go.

Your rack (1) and the Pass these three button (2), with the three chosen tiles in the slots — Passing: tap three tiles on your rack (1), then press Pass these three (2).

Your rack with one tile lifted and the Throw it button on it — Throwing: tap a tile and it lifts, with Throw it on it. Press it to throw.

Another player threw a tile you could use: Take it, Let it go, and Should I take it? — Taking: when someone throws a tile you could use, you choose Take it or Let it go.

The middle of the table always says what it is waiting for. During the Charleston it says where your three tiles go, like "Pass 3 tiles right", with an arrow. The player who gets them has their name shown in blue.

The middle of the table saying Pass 3 tiles right with an arrow, and the name of the player on the right in blue — Where the pass goes: the words and arrow in the middle, and the name lit in blue.

If the table cannot do what you asked, a note floats over the top of the table and says why.

The row under your tiles

Your tiles come first. Under them is one row:

Your nameplate. It says You. Tap it to type your name instead.
East. A gold East mark sits on the nameplate of the player who deals this game. East throws first.
The Coach's question. Suggest a pass, Suggest a throw or Should I take it?, whichever fits the moment.
More. Everything else. See More below.

The row under your tiles: your nameplate (1), the Coach's question (2) and More (3) — Your nameplate (1), the Coach's question (2) and More (3).

A player's nameplate with the gold East mark on it — The East mark, on the nameplate of the player who deals.

Tiles that make the line you are closest to glow green. Keep those.

Ask the Coach

The Coach is the strongest player we have trained. It sees only what you see, your tiles and the table, and it never looks at anyone else's rack.

The Coach is the round button labelled Coach that floats over the table. Tap it to open its box. Drag it to move it anywhere on the table. Its box answers three questions:

Suggest a pass during the Charleston. The Coach puts the three tiles it would pass in the slots and says why.
Suggest a throw on your turn. The Coach lifts the tile it would throw and says why.
Should I take it? when another player throws a tile you could use.

You can ask from the Coach's box or from the row under your tiles. The answer always appears in the Coach's box. Under the answer, the box says which line the glowing tiles make, and what the stripes on your tiles mean. You still press the button that makes the move, so you can take the advice or not.

The Coach button (1) and its box open (2), offering Suggest a pass — The Coach button (1) and its box (2).

The Coach's suggested pass: its reason in the Coach's box, and the three tiles in the slots — Suggest a pass: the reason is in the Coach's box, and its three tiles go in the slots.

The Coach's suggested throw: its reason in the Coach's box, and the tile lifted on your rack with Throw it on it — Suggest a throw: the Coach lifts the tile it would throw and says why.

The Coach's answer to Should I take it? — Should I take it? The Coach says whether the tile helps your hand.

The card

The card starts closed, so the table is not crowded. Tap Show the card, the gold button at the top left, to open it beside your tiles. Hide the card closes it again. In a lesson the card opens by itself.

The lines nearest to your tiles come first, with how many tiles away each one is. Under each line, "still needs" shows the tiles you are missing. Each line is named the way people say it, like "Singles and Pairs, line 4": the heading on the card and the line's number under that heading.

The card open: the nearest line first, how many tiles away, and the tiles it still needs — The nearest line is at the top. It updates every time your tiles change.

You can show the card three ways. Tiles draws every line as tiles. It is printed shows the lines the way the printed card does, in colors. Words spells each line out.

The card shown as it is printed — It is printed

To play a different card, press the card's name at the top of the table.

Tap More, at the end of the row under your tiles, for the rest:

The numbers: the facts behind your tiles, without advice. See The log and the numbers.
Deal again: gives up this game and deals a new one, with the same players and nobody paying. It is there for practice, when a game is not worth playing out.
Let the Coach play: the Coach takes your seat. See Let the Coach play.
The log: every move of the game.
Speed: how fast the other players move, from Slow to All at once. Like people lets each player take their own time, the way people at a real table do.
Sorted tiles: your tiles are kept in order by suit and number. Turn it off to arrange them yourself.
Zoom my tiles: shows your tiles large, which helps on a small screen.
A colour for each player: gives each player a colour, on their name and on the tiles they throw. Turn it off for plain names.
The keys: the list of keyboard keys.
Your name: the same as tapping your nameplate.

When you can undo your last move, Take that back is in the list too. It works once a game.

The More list open: The numbers, Deal again, Let the Coach play, The log, Speed, Sorted tiles, Zoom my tiles, A colour for each player, The keys and Your name — The More list.

The speed buttons: Slow, Steady, Quick, All at once, and Like people — The other players' speed.

Your tiles shown large — Zoom my tiles shows your tiles large.

Which tiles are safe to throw

Once play starts, each tile on your rack has a colored stripe along its top. Green is safe to throw. Yellow means take care. Red means the tile could finish another player's hand. The Coach's box says what the colours mean during play.

Your rack during play, each tile with a colored stripe along its top, and the Coach's box saying what the stripes mean — The stripes come from what the other players have thrown and shown.

When you ask for a throw and one of your tiles is risky, the Coach warns you in its box. It names the player the tile could finish and says how many sets that player has face up. Sometimes the risky tile is still the best throw, and the Coach says that too.

The keys

On a computer you can play from the keyboard.

Space asks the Coach. Press Space again to do what the Coach said.
Esc says no thanks: it closes the Coach so you choose yourself.
Left and right choose a tile to throw. Enter presses the main button.
Plus and minus make the other players faster or slower.
? shows this list at the table. It is also under More, as The keys.

The list of keys at the table — The keys, as the table lists them.

Let the Coach play

Open More and press Let the Coach play. The Coach takes your seat. It plays one move at a time and says why it made each one, so you can watch how a strong player handles the same tiles. Step plays one move. Play runs the moves on their own, at the speed you pick. Tick "Let me guess the Coach's throw first" to choose before it does and see if you match. Take my seat back gives you the seat from that point, and Back to my game returns you to your game as you left it.

The log and the numbers

The log lists everything that has happened in the game: every pass, every throw, every call, and the Coach's notes, newest first. Tap a line to light its tiles. Open it from More, or from The log tab next to The card when the card is open. Use it when you look away and want to know what you missed.

The log: the hand so far, move by move, with The numbers at the top — The log, with The numbers at the top.

The numbers, under More, shows the facts behind your tiles without any advice: your closest line, the line worth the most, the tiles it still needs, the tiles you could throw without hurting it, and how many tiles are left in the wall. They appear at the top of the log.

The numbers: closest line, best bet, the tiles still needed, tiles free to throw, and tiles left in the wall — The numbers, laid out.

The thrown tiles and the wall

Thrown tiles collect in the middle of the table. Press the magnifying glass on the pile to see them large. You can lay them out in the order they were thrown, by player, or by tile, which makes it easy to count how many of a tile are gone.

The thrown tiles in the middle of the table — The thrown tiles, in the middle of the table.

The thrown tiles zoomed in, each with the name of the player who threw it, and buttons to show them in order, by player or by tile — Zoomed in: every thrown tile, with who threw it.

The small square in the top corner is the wall, with the number of tiles left to draw. Press it to see the whole wall, where the next tile will come from, and which stacks are held back to the end.

The wall drawn large: the tiles left, the next draw outlined, and a close-up of the stacks — The wall, with the next tile to be drawn outlined.

The end of a game

When a game ends, the middle of the table says who won and shows their tiles, with the hand's name, like "Quints, line 1". One sentence says what it costs you. If the wall runs out first, nobody pays. Press Play another game to go on. See my report card, in the row under your tiles, shows how you played the game.

The bar at the top

The card's name shows which card you are playing. Press it to choose another. New game starts over with a new deal. End this game stops the game you are in. It asks you to press twice, so a slip does not end it. The gear opens the table settings, and the square corners make the table fill the screen.

Table settings

The gear opens the settings. They take effect from the next game you deal.

The next game: the card, who sits on your left, across and on your right (each player shows how strong they are), and how fast the others move.
How much the table works out for you: Full ranks the card's lines and shows what each still needs. Card only shows the card as printed and leaves the reading to you. No card hides it, the way you would play from memory.
House rules: play the way your group does at home.
The look: tile size, the tile faces, the cloth, the backs, dark screen, high contrast and sound.
Saved sets: with an account, save the whole setup under a name, like "Tuesday club", and pick it again next time.

The table settings: saved sets, the next hand (the card and the three opponents), how much the table works out for you, house rules, and the look — Table settings.

Questions

Do I have to use the Coach to play?: No. A game needs three things from you: pass three tiles in the Charleston, throw a tile on your turn, and say whether you want a tile somebody else threw. Everything else on the table is help you can use when you want it.
How do I ask the Coach what to throw?: Tap Suggest a throw in the row under your tiles, or tap the Coach button over the table, or press Space. The Coach lifts the tile it would throw and says why in its box. During the Charleston the question is Suggest a pass, and when you can take a thrown tile it is Should I take it?
Can I watch the Coach play my game?: Yes. Open More, under your tiles, and press Let the Coach play. It plays your seat one move at a time, says why it made each move, and Back to my game hands the seat back to you.

Try it at the table

Deal a game and try the parts you want. If American Mah Jongg is new to you, start with the lessons.

Deal me a game Lessons