More than 40 variations are played around the world today, although the core tiles and the way the tiles are shuffled and stacked to begin the game remain the same. Alex Wong/Getty Images A ...

A new Hallmark movie, "All’s Fair in Love & Mahjong," is bringing the classic tile game to a wider audience. Mahjong is a tile-based game of strategy and luck that originated in 19th-century China.

WITH ITS neon lights and mirrored ceilings, 886, a Taiwanese restaurant in New York’s East Village, has the vibe of a nightclub. But on a recent Wednesday night, you could hear shouts of “Pong!” and ...