Our Team

My path to teaching Mahjong came in an unexpected way- I moved to Colorado from Texas, and needed a way to meet people because I didn’t know a single person in Denver and it was challenging to meet people in 2021. I posted on the message board of my condo building, and asked if anyone would like to start a Mahjong group, offering to teach people that didn’t know how to play…even though I knew NOTHING about the game! I received over 20 messages the first day from interested people, but no one had ever played Mahjong. My professional background is educating surgeons on how to perform new medical procedures, so I figured learning & teaching a game couldn’t be that hard (spoiler alert- learning Mahjong on your own is very challenging). I decided to commit- I set a lesson date for the next week, bought a set of tiles, read a book on Mahjong, taught myself to play, and 5 days later taught 20 people to play Mahjong.

That first class quickly turned into invitations from people to teach Mahjong lessons across the country. Since 2022, I have taught over 3,100 students how to play, and in 2024 I placed 2nd at the Mahjong World Championship…quite a feat for a neophyte & self-taught player. I love playing and teaching Mahjong, and cherish the incredible community I’ve built around the game. My favorite line on the 2024 NMJL card is “Quints, Line 2”, but I love winning on “Singles & Pairs, Line 7”!

In my limited free time, I play with & manage my pickleball team “The Denver Dinkers”, run a golf league “Birdies & Bogeys”, volunteer as a guide for blind athletes during marathons & triathlons, cross country ski, volunteer with Denver Trout Unlimited, bird watch, read clinical studies, fly fish, curl (as in the winter sport), and spend time with my 4 year old niece & 8 year old dog.

Originally from Texas, Claudia and her husband moved to Denver in 2023. New to the city and determined to make new friends, she needed a way to find & build her community. Claudia had been wanting to learn how to play Mahjong and after many frustrating & failed attempts of trying to teach herself, she found Rocky Mountain Mahjong. She quickly booked a lesson and has been hooked ever since! If she’s not playing Mahjong with her weekly group, you can find Claudia on the tennis court, volunteering at Foothills Animal Shelter or spending time with her husband and their puppy Chloe. Her favorite line on the 2024 NMJL card is Winds & Dragons, Line 5 (both part A & B).

If you would like to schedule a private lesson, take a class, or join one of our weekly Mahjong groups, please contact us below. We currently have a few openings left in 2025 for Mahjong workshops, private lessons, tournaments, and corporate events, please drop us a line to hold your date.