Fine Print & Code of Conduct

All players are expected to treat fellow participants, instructors, Mahj Atelier team members, venue staff, and guests with courtesy and respect.

Mahjong is a social game, and players will naturally have different personalities, playing styles, speeds, and levels of experience. Patience and grace are expected. Correcting, criticizing, embarrassing, belittling, intimidating, or speaking disrespectfully to another player is not acceptable.

A more experienced player should never make another player feel that they do not belong at the table.

Mahj Atelier is committed to creating an environment where people feel welcome and comfortable participating regardless of age, background, identity, experience level, or skill.

Exclusionary behavior, bullying, harassment, discrimination, personal attacks, intentionally making another participant feel unwelcome, or creating a hostile or uncomfortable environment will not be tolerated.

You do not have to become friends with everyone at your table. You do have to treat everyone with respect.

Mahj Atelier follows current National Mah Jongg League rules and standards for American Mahjong unless a program specifically states otherwise.

Questions and differences in rule interpretation should be directed to a Mahj Atelier instructor or team member. Players should not argue, raise their voices, repeatedly challenge another player, or allow a disagreement about gameplay to become personal.

When a Mahj Atelier instructor or team member is asked to resolve a gameplay question during one of our programs, their determination will govern play for that session so that the game can continue.

Mistakes happen. They are part of playing Mahjong. They should be addressed with courtesy, and then the table should move forward.

Open Play includes players with varying levels of experience. While Open Play requires the ability to play independently, independent does not mean expert.

Players may take different amounts of time to choose a hand, make decisions, complete the Charleston, or recognize a call. Reasonable differences in pace and ability are part of community play.

Players seeking a particular level or pace of play may communicate that preference to Mahj Atelier, and we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate requests when possible. However, registration does not guarantee placement with specific players, friends, skill levels, or tables.

Mahj Atelier reserves the right to determine and modify table assignments based upon attendance, experience levels, group dynamics, late arrivals, cancellations, and the overall needs of the program.

Participants may request to play with particular people or at a particular skill level, and we will accommodate requests when reasonably possible. However, no participant has the authority to determine who may or may not sit at a Mahj Atelier table.

Mahj Atelier may move or reassign players when we believe doing so will create a more comfortable, equitable, or enjoyable experience for the group.

Celebrate the Mahjongs. Enjoy the competition. Cheer each other on.

Winning and strategy are part of the fun, but the experience of the people sitting around the table matters more than the outcome of any hand.

Poor sportsmanship, repeated complaining, hostile reactions to losing, gloating at another player's expense, intentionally disrupting play, or behavior that consistently diminishes the experience of the table is inconsistent with our community standards.

Mahj Atelier instructors and team members are there to facilitate the experience, answer questions, organize tables, and maintain consistency across our programs.

Participants are expected to respect staff directions regarding gameplay, seating, timing, venue procedures, safety, and community conduct.

Concerns about another participant, instructor, or Mahj Atelier decision should be brought privately to a Mahj Atelier team member, rather than confronted publicly at the table or discussed in a manner that disrupts the group.

Our tables are naturally social, and friendships often develop through our community. Participants should nevertheless respect the personal boundaries and privacy of others.

Contact information, photographs, personal circumstances, private communications, or conversations learned through Mahj Atelier should not be shared or used inappropriately.

Mahj Atelier is committed to addressing concerns directly, respectfully, and privately. If a participant has a concern regarding another player, an instructor, a Mahj Atelier team member, a venue, table assignment, program decision, or their overall experience, we ask that the matter be brought directly to Mahj Atelier so that we have a fair opportunity to understand and address it.

Participants are expected not to use Mahj Atelier programs, community relationships, participant information, or private disputes as a means of publicly targeting, harassing, disparaging, or encouraging others to target Mahj Atelier, its team members, venues, or fellow participants, including through social media, community groups, online forums, group texts, or other public or semi-public channels.

Private disagreements should remain private. Participants may not share another participant's personal information, private communications, photographs, or details of a confidential complaint or internal matter without appropriate permission.

Nothing in this Code of Conduct is intended to prevent anyone from expressing a truthful opinion, sharing an honest personal experience, reporting unlawful conduct, communicating with appropriate authorities, or exercising any other right protected by law. Rather, we ask that concerns arising within our community first be brought directly to Mahj Atelier whenever reasonably possible so that they can be addressed thoughtfully, fairly, and with respect for everyone involved.

Retaliation, online harassment, threats, knowingly false statements, coordinated public targeting, or continued conduct intended to intimidate or harm another member of the community may result in suspension or removal from Mahj Atelier programming.

Mahj Atelier reserves the right to address conduct that, in our reasonable judgment, interferes with the safety, comfort, dignity, or enjoyment of another participant or the community as a whole.

Depending upon the circumstances, Mahj Atelier may speak privately with a participant, provide a warning, change a table assignment, ask a participant to leave a session, or suspend or revoke participation in future Mahj Atelier programs.

Serious misconduct may result in immediate removal without a prior warning.

When a participant is removed from a program because of a violation of this Code of Conduct, registration fees may be forfeited and no refund or credit will be required.