Chinese classical

Descends into

• Shanghai / Hong Kong new style — 1920s
• Japanese classical / arushiiaru — 1929
• Korean traditional — 104 tiles, no bamboo
• Babcock rules — 1920, the little red book

Cross-comparison

corroborated — two or more independent sources agree on the facts that define this variant

• [1] ~19 special hands
• [2] minimum 0, maximum 500
• [3] the oldest surviving variety, and the version introduced to America in the 1920s under various names; all players score and it is possible to score higher than the winner
• [4] sets out the point-and-double sequence in full and states that the Babcock system is derived from Chinese Classical scoring, which independently supports the chart's descent of Babcock rules from this node

Reading it

Four sources agree on the scoring structure and on all players scoring, and Sloperama's detail that a non-winner can outscore the winner is confirmed by Wikipedia. Wikipedia also independently derives the Babcock system from Chinese Classical, which supports the chart's placement of Babcock rules as a child of this node. The 136-versus-144 tile difference between sources is definitional: 136 is the wall, 144 the boxed set with flowers and seasons.

Sources

1. Sloper, Tom. "FAQ 2b: Identifying a Mah-Jongg Variant." Sloperama. cross-check checked 2026-09-18

   Tile counts, hand sizes, flower handling and scoring for roughly 50 named variants. Primary source for most leaf nodes in this chart.

   https://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/mjfaq02b.html

   Also cited on: Chinese archaic, Chinese pre-classical, Shanghai / Hong Kong new style, Hong Kong old style, Modern HKOS, Taiwanese style and 43 more · bibliography #1

2. Mahjong Wiki. "Chinese Classical Overview." mahjong.wikidot.com. canonical checked 2026-09-18

   Cited as the source for individual nodes in the chart's node table. Carries no bibliography or per-claim citations of its own; see the appendix on tracing the wiki.

   http://mahjong.wikidot.com/rules:chinese-classical-overview

   Only cited here · bibliography #39

3. Wikipedia. "Mahjong." cross-check checked 2026-09-18

   The main article's regional-variations section, which describes most branches of this tree independently of the chart's own sources.

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong

   Also cited on: Hong Kong old style, Taiwanese style, Singapore style, Filipino style, Vietnamese classical, Vietnamese modern and 6 more · bibliography #54

4. Wikipedia. "Scoring in Mahjong." cross-check checked 2026-09-18

   Comparative scoring across Hong Kong, Chinese Classical and Taiwanese systems, including the range of minimum-point conventions and the Mandarin and Cantonese terms for a scoreless hand.

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoring_in_Mahjong

   Also cited on: Modern HKOS, Taiwanese style, Zung Jung, Tui Dao Hu · bibliography #55

5. Mahjong Wiki. "Family Tree and Timeline." mahjong.wikidot.com. supporting

   The decade-by-decade timeline and the branch structure this chart follows, including the caveat that each variant's evolution has been cross-cultural.

   http://mahjong.wikidot.com/

   Also cited on: Shanghai / Hong Kong new style, Nanyang variants, Mainland regionals, Korean traditional · bibliography #7

6. Sloper, Tom. "FAQ 11: History of Mah-Jongg." Sloperama. supporting

   Regional branching in the 1930s and 40s; Racster 1924 on Shanghai versus Hong Kong base scores; the author's own note that the tree illustration predates later findings.

   https://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/mjfaq11f.html

   Also cited on: Proto-mahjong, Shanghai / Hong Kong new style · bibliography #3