Walking into Z’otz on Oak Street on a Friday night, one might assume that the tables would be populated with Tulane or Loyola university students or others diligently studying or working on a project. Look at little closer, though, and you realize that the many of the tables are not glowing with laptops, but with topped board games, cards or other types of games. These somewhat ad hoc meet-ups — quite a few of these games are set up via Discord — are a Z’otz tradition on this night and gather a diverse crowd who not only welcome those experienced in the games, but beginners as well.
“We’ve been regularly getting between 12 to 18 people for Friday game night, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less,” says Greg Yeager, who works at Z’otz. Yeager, himself, says he likes a number of games, depending on the situation, and is presently a “pretty consistent fan of Magic: The Gathering,” as he noted in a Discord conversation.
Games and Health
“People come here seeking community and space, as much as seeking coffee,” says Yeager. Studies have shown that playing board games reduces general and social anxiety, enhancing mental well-being. Psychologists at Edge Hill University surveyed 1,603 board-gamers for a study in Simulation and Gaming Journal and found that many people who play them regularly do so to ease anxiety.
The same study cited scholars who suggested that society is in a period of board game revival and is in a golden age of board gaming — a trend that has grown even more since the COVID-19 pandemic, as the world has looked for other forms of entertainment.
Other studies have shown that playing game such as board, card, mahjong, chess and others “significantly improved mental functions — including memory, attention and concentration — in older adults at risk for or already experiencing dementia,” stated a Washington Post article, adding that chess players reported improved quality of life, while mahjong was linked to reduced depressive symptoms.
A study in Nature Aging, showed that the more socializing in middle age and older, the greater the chance the risk of dementia is lowered by 30 to 50 per cent, according to an article in The Times. The Times went on to say that “It’s not just that chatting boosts our mood; social interaction has been shown to strengthen neural pathways and to stimulate attention and memory.”
These studies and reports collectively suggest that board games, Mahjong and similar tabletop activities offer meaningful benefits for cognitive health, emotional balance, social connection and mental resilience across different life stages.
And, they are just plain fun.
Mahjong, Mah-jongg, Mah Jongg, Oh My!
Despite the multiple ways to spell mahjong, two things are certain about it in New Orleans: 1. It has taken off in the past few years as the game to play, mainly among women, and 2. More than likely than not, aficionados learned at the Jewish Community Center Uptown with Renee Zack as the teacher.
“It’s the perfect mix of tradition, skill, strategy, and socializing,” says JCC Interim Executive Director Rebecca Friedman. “The JCC had mahjong before it was mainstream, and we have loved seeing its resurgence and the fact that we have such a respected program that’s been able to meet the needs of new players.”
Mahjong is a Chinese tile-based game that blends skill and luck, usually played by four people. The goal is to draw and discard tiles in order to assemble a winning hand made up of sets and a pair. Originating in the mid-19th century, the game is played with 144 tiles featuring suits with dots, bamboo, characters, flowers, jokes and seasons, as well as honor tiles representing winds and dragons. There are more than 40 variants of the game, including Chinese, Hong Kong, Sichuan, Taiwan and Japanese Riichi.
What is taught at the JCC is American mahjong, which was first created in the 1920s, after the game was introduced to the U.S. by Joseph Babcock, who published a simplified rulebook called “The Red Book.” In 1937, the National Mah Jongg League was founded. Each year, it designs new mahjong hands and distributes cards featuring them to its members.
There are other places to learn mahjong, including the Jefferson Parish Library Rosedale branch, which teaches Hong Kong style on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, with one Saturday for open play. This is one doesn’t need a card, but like its American cousin, has certain rules.
Why has mahjong taken off so much?
“I think it is the socializing, visiting and laughing,” says Elizabeth Cordes, who has been playing for almost 10 years. They “talk about recipes, movies, what you are streaming on TV, books you read,” she says, in addition to playing the game. In the beginning, the group started with about 12 women and has increased to 20 to 30 people playing once a week and is coordinated by Cordes via a text chain. The age range is around 50s to 80s, mainly “empty nesters,” says Cordes.
She also plays duplicate bridge — for about 34 years — saying it is a “totally different animal than mahjong.” “It’s hard. I have had a million lessons,” she says.
Cordes says she is in the same group of about five to six women, rotating houses, playing on Wednesdays.
“It is more competitive, and I do like the intellectual part of it,” she says. “You also have a partner, so you are accountable, versus mahjong when if you mess up, it’s on you.”
Bridge is a card game of skill, strategy and partnership, typically played by four players in two teams. The game involves bidding to declare a contract, followed by playing tricks to fulfill that contract, with points awarded based on the outcome. The main types of bridge are contract, duplicate, rubber, Chicago (or Four-Deal) and online or digital variants. If looking for a game, the Louisiana Bridge Association in Metairie, founded in 1941, is where you can go.
Chess and New Orleans
Chess has deep roots in the city, says The Chess Cave’s Baylee Badawy. Badawy, who started the Chess Cave, located at 521 St. Philip Street, recently spoke at the Western Hemisphere Conference by Chess Collectors International, about chess and New Orleans.
She shared that the first official world chess world championship took place in New Orleans (as well as other cities) in 1886. She also talked about number of chess legends, including two with ties to New Orleans: Paul Morphy and Jude Acers.
Born in 1837 in New Orleans, Morphy was a chess child prodigy who was considered one of the chess greats of his time. He founded the Chess Club of New Orleans around 1857, and at some point lived in the building that is now Brennan’s restaurant, where the Morphy room is an homage to his legacy.
Acers, born in Long Beach, California, arrived in New Orleans as a teenager, escaping a turbulent family life to become a chess prodigy, obtaining the rank of master by the U.S. Chess Federation by age 17. Acers is familiar to people in the French Quarter for his red hat and the sidewalk games he plays.
The Chess Cave offers classes and opportunities for children and adults to learn and enjoy this game.
Back at Z’otz
Michael Truran, the Health Sciences Librarian at Loyola University, is busy explaining a game of Pax Penning by Matilda Simonsson with three other players — all of whom, including Truran, are learning it for the first time. It’s complicated, but his fellow players are up for the challenge.
“Pax Penning is an intersection of a lot of different things I like in games,” says Truran. “It’s play is aimed at exploring a particular historical event in a way that’s more complicated than just being another market or worker placement game.”
Truran, who comes almost every Friday night, brought the game, among others to choose from. Players often buy and bring their own, and Z’otz has an extensive collection of games that happens to include a mahjong set.
Over in another part of Z’otz, there is a table of about 10 people playing Cockroach poker, a bluffing game, and while not as complicated at Pax Penning, still includes strategy and a talent to bluff well.
And if you miss the Friday night games, on Saturday the Rook Cafe on Freret Street is the hot spot in the afternoon.
What draws all of these people around the city to play games, whether it be chess, board or mahjong? While fun, it seems like a sense of community and belonging is what keeps them coming back, as well as the distinct possibly winning the game.
Feeling Competitive?
While playing board games or other games can match whatever your level of effort or need, some people like to test their skills — and that’s where competitions come into play.
On Nov. 8, the inaugural New Orleans Mahjong Classic will take place at the Hotel Monteleone. The brainchild of Trinity Loaves & Fishes Executive Director Aaron Taylor, it is not only a competition, but also raises funds for this organization that serves the hungry and food-insecure across New Orleans, having prepared around 55,000 meals annually. The event sold out quickly, but there is a waitlist: trinitynola.com/mahjong.
And you may want to mark your calendar for Jan. 25, 2026, for the Harriet W. Kugler Memorial Mah Jongg Tournament at the Jewish Community Center Uptown.
More interested in chess? The Historic New Orleans Collection Chess Club is hosting Chess Fest on Nov. 1 (hnoc.org/events/chess-fest-2025). It also has a Chess Club for all ages. And there are chess clubs through the city.
For all events and activities, check ahead of time to make sure it hasn’t been canceled or the date has moved.
