Karen Gooen

Bubbe Fischer is the consummate mah jongg player, a wise counselor who knows all the skills of the game. She is accessible, answering any and all questions from new players. She has a great sense of humor and a realistic attitude, that you certainly can't expect to win every single game-but you can always learn something!

I began writing about mah-jongg over fifteen years ago. I had been scouring the internet and local bookstores, hoping to find a book to help me improve and get some insight into strategy and tournament play. At the time there was nothing available that met my needs, so I decided I would write the book I wanted to read.

While working out the title, I thought, "I'm searching for the ultimate mah jongg mentor, a grandmotherly figure..." I recalled Fred Waitzkin's 1988 book about parenting a chess prodigy (okay, I recalled Joe Mantegna in the 1993 film adaptation!) -"Searching for Bobby Fischer"-and the rest is history.