Bright pinks, bold greens and vibrant blues color Ashley Gomez and Linda Casey’s mahjong tiles as players gather for an afternoon of friendship and conversation.
For Moss Haven and Preston Hollow residents Gomez and Casey, founders of the Dallas Mahj Club, the game has become much more than a simple pastime. What began as a small interest group among women in the Lake Highlands Women’s League has since evolved into a thriving club with 180 members and a waitlist of more than 400.
Photography by Amy Robinson
Maybe it was timing or maybe it was Crazy Rich Asians, but mahjong was suddenly everywhere. In the years following the 2018 film’s release, interest in the centuries-old game surged across the country, fueled by social media, cute tile designs and a growing desire for face-to-face connection. In northern Dallas, Gomez and Casey found an opportunity to grow that interest into community.
“People were trying to play at each other’s homes, but it was too unorganized,” Casey says. “And we just said, ‘Hey, there is a community out there,’ and we decided to go in together.”
For both women, mahjong arrived during a period of transition. Casey, a former Richardson ISD executive director, found the game shortly after retirement, while Gomez turned to mahjong after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor.
“When I woke up from surgery, I got my phone and played one game of mahjong because I had memorized about 30 lines,” she explains.
The Dallas Mahj Club operates on a year-long membership model with annual reapplication and dues. Applications open in October and notices of admission are sent out Jan. 1. Once members, players meet at the Royal Oaks Country Club for weekly games, as well as private homes and restaurants. The club also travels and hosts special events.
Recently, members gathered at the historic Clint Murchison estate — once connected to the founding of the Dallas Cowboys — and hosted an evening of mahjong.
Today, the club has taught more than 3,000 women and around 100 men. Casey attributes this growth to the club’s atmosphere that reminds her of the social culture of the 1950s, when dinner parties and gatherings were more frequent.
“It’s very social,” Casey says. “We’re a social club. We’re not a competitive, walk-in-and-keep-your-score-type of group.”
Debbie Johnson, a member of the Dallas Mahj Club since its founding and one of Casey’s closest friends, began playing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What first started as a way to learn a new game became an enjoyable challenge that has brought me lasting friendships, plenty of laughter and endless opportunities to learn,” she says.
Gomez and Casey also helped establish the rules for “blanks,” a newer variation of mahjong that lacked standardized guidelines. Their rules are now documented and published nationally on the International Mahjong Card.
“About 90% of the club chooses to play with blanks, and some play all the ways,” Casey explains.
But beyond modernizing the game, the two stay busy with pickleball, needlepoint, sewing, reading and travel. Even outside mahjong, they say the game continues to shape much of their social lives.
“I don’t care if it’s with youngs. I don’t care if it’s with olds,” Gomez says. “I just want to play.”
