Westporter Raises World’s Mah Jong IQ

Last week’ “06880” story on mah jong generated plenty of interest — among Westport’s many established players, and those whose curiosity in the Chinese game was piqued.

Robin Moyer Chung’s piece listed local resources, including teachers. And — this being 2026 — there’s an app for that too. Robin reports:

Mah jong has always been a part of Tara DiPippa’s life.

Her mother was an avid player. Tara learned to play in 2015, before moving to Westport.

For several years she did not meet any players. But then she and some friends hired instructor Debbie Solomon, and was back into the game.

Tara DiPippa

Tara owns a marketing consultancy. She is always looking for market gaps, or “pain points” for consumers, and tries to develop products as solutions.

A few years ago, when maj jong was beginning to get more popular, she thought about launching a line of accessories, like bags, tablecloths, candles and clothes.

The financials did not make sense. But she knew there had to be a place for her in the mah jong world.

Tara noticed that the hardest part is not learning to play — it’s applying knowledge in an actual game.

“Every one is a new challenge,” she explains. “You get 13 tiles. You look at a card with over 70 options for hands, and you have to match your tiles with the best hand to get mah jong. That is very overwhelming — especially for newer players.”

Tara thought there must be a way to show, mathematically and strategically, which hands make the most sense to focus on.

She’s not a software developer or coder, so that was that. But she kept playing. And she never forgot her idea.

Mah jong tiles can be overwhelming for beginners.

Now, with artificial intelligence, technology has rendered coding skills less important. Rather than waiting for someone else to develop her mah jong idea, Tara tackled it head on.

She spent many hours feeding hands to software. She fed it mah jong rules and strategies, and developed a prototype.

A user tells the app your 13 tiles. The algorithm figures out:

• the top 3 hands to focus on, the rationale why and the strategy behind the recommendation
• the 3 next best options
• some hands to keep an eye on in case you start pulling certain tiles
• tiles to discard, since they are not valuable to you.

Tara gave her prototype to friends of varying skill levels. They found bugs in the logic, and shared ideas on how to improve the app.

After many refinements, Tara says “Maj Jong IQ” is ready.

“The app does not teach you how to play,” she notes. “It’s a tool to make you a better player.”

The first thing a visitor to her website sees is: “You already know how to play.  Now play to win.”

Mah Jong IQ “makes you a sharper player. You should use it alone, and start to train your brain on how to approach the game.

“Mah jong is basically about pattern recognition that combines strategy with luck. I can’t help you with luck. But I can help you with the strategy.”

The app helps show which hands are realistically achievable; when flexibility matters more than commitment; why some hands are harder than they appear, and how experienced players identify strong directions quickly.

Tara recommends using it with friends, as they learn together. (To keep things fair, everyone at the table should have access to it.)

“Mah jong is such an amazing way to connect with friends,” Tara says.

“You get so focused that all of the noise in your head and constant to-do lists fade away, which is so critical for people these days.”

Her app “helps that even more. It trains your brain to set your strategy early, which allows you to focus on enjoying yourself and having fun — not stressing about which hand to pick.”

Tara is a great marketer, for sure. Users get 3 analyses for free. If they like it — and she’s sure they will — unlimited access is just $14.99. “One time, no subscription,” the website says.

Game on!

(“06880” regularly reports on Westport life — and the people here who make it so interesting. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work.”)

“Mah Jong IQ” screenshot.