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ID91-The Game Begins and Direction of Picking Tiles
Question: What marks the beginning of a Mah Jongg game and what direction do we pick tiles from the wall?
Answer: The game of Mah Jongg officially begins when East discards their fourteenth tile. After East discards, players to the right of East pick and discard in a counterclockwise manner.
Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy 2024, page 14, bullet #9