Getting started
What is the Play tab?
The Play tab (some people call it the Play hub) is your home base for a league. Open a league and four league tabs join Home along the bottom: Play, Roster, Standings and Settings. Play is where you run the season. It shows what needs doing next as a stack of cards, and each card has its own button. When a card is finished, it folds down to a short summary of what you did, so the next thing to do is always the biggest thing on screen. If you archive a league, its Play tab just says it's archived.
How do I get a new league ready?
Before a league opens, the Play tab walks you through setup one card at a time:
- Set the schedule. A league needs a schedule before it can open.
- Create the league roster. Tap Add players.
- Prepare RSVP links. This one shows up if you have Mahjboard Pro, and never on a sample league.
- Confirm league settings.
- Assign skill levels. This one only shows up if your league seats by skill.
When the cards are done, tap Open League.
Do my participants need the app?
No. Players never download anything or create an account. They scan your QR code or tap your share link to view the live leaderboard and look up their own standing in a regular web browser. That's it.
League night
What are the steps on league night?
The Play tab lays the night out in order:
- Check attendance. See who's coming and sit anyone out.
- Seat the tables. Build the night's tables.
- Set the playing pace. Tell Mahjboard how long the night runs and how many games you're aiming for. It splits the time evenly and runs a countdown in the app and on your lock screen. You can set this days ahead.
- Score the night. Open the scores sheet and tap each player to enter their score.
- Celebrate the winners. Share the night's results.
Each card carries its own action, so there's nothing to hunt for.
How do I mark someone as not coming?
Tap Check attendance on the Play tab to open the Attendance sheet. Players who are coming show under playing, and anyone who's sitting out shows under not coming. Tap the ✕ beside a player to sit them out, and tap the + to put them back. When you're done, tap the checkmark at the top of the sheet. Players who aren't coming are left out of seating automatically.
With Mahjboard Pro and RSVPs turned on, players who replied "Sorry, I can't make it." show RSVP'd no, and your own marks show You marked out. Your choice always wins over their RSVP.
What happens when the night's done?
The Celebrate the winners card stays locked until every score is in. Then it names the night's winner. Tap Share results to open that night's highlights, standings and shareable Reel, Story and Post cards. When you're ready, tap Next session (or End season after the last one) to move the Play tab on to the next night. It doesn't advance by itself, so you can take your time.
What if a session didn't happen?
If a scheduled night passes with nothing entered, the Play tab asks whether that night happened. Tap Enter scores if it did, or Move or skip if it didn't. You can also do this any time from Settings > Schedule. Tap a session there, then choose Move this session or Skip this week.
Skipping cancels that session and removes it from the season. Every other session keeps its date. A session that already has scores, attendance or hands can't be skipped, and neither can one with a player's score submission waiting for you (approve or reject it first). A skipped week can't be restored. To make up a night, add weeks to the end of the season from the Schedule screen (the Runs for setting).
Seating
How does table seating work?
On the Play tab, tap Seat the tables and Mahjboard builds the night's tables in one tap. It remembers who's already played together and mixes each session's pairings for variety, or groups tables by skill level if you'd rather keep similar players together. From there you're free to move anyone between tables, sit a player out, or tap the shuffle button (VoiceOver calls it Mix it up) to reshuffle. To seat players as they arrive instead, tap the sliders button (VoiceOver calls it Seating options) and choose Clear All Tables. You get blank tables and a Not Seated Yet list. Tap a player's row there to open a Seat sheet with that player's name. It lists each table with its open seats (like "2 Open") or Full, plus New Table. Tap a table to seat them. To sit someone out for tonight, tap Mark absent on the same sheet and they move to Sitting Out. You can undo it. You build seating fresh each session, so it fits whoever shows up that week.
How does Mahjboard decide who sits together?
By default it spreads players out so the same pairings don't repeat week after week. The Seat by menu on the seating sheet has two other choices. Matching skill levels seats similar skill levels together. Leaderboard rank seats the standings leaders together, then the next group, and so on down the standings. When a session mixes full tables with a smaller one, it rotates who takes the smaller table so it isn't always the same players seated a seat short. And when your table sizes leave room to rotate, it also varies which numbered table each group takes from session to session, so groups aren't parked at one table all season. (Seating by leaderboard rank skips both rotations: table 1 is always the top group, and any smaller table goes to the bottom of the standings.)
Can I add a description to a table?
Yes. Each table number can carry a short note that shows under the table number every session. It's a handy way to tie a table number to something physical, like a specific tile set or a spot in the room. Where your table sizes let Mahjboard rotate players across the numbered tables, they'll tend to see a mix of tables and sets over the season rather than the same one every week.
Will Mahjboard remind me to set the seating?
Yes, in most cases. When Mahjboard knows when a session starts (the session has a date, and your league has a start time and time zone), players can find their table on the public leaderboard starting 24 hours before it begins. If any of those is missing, they see it as soon as you save it. If you've saved seating for earlier nights, the next session's start is known, and it has no seating chart when that 24-hour mark arrives, Mahjboard sends a push notification to your phone. It reads like "Session 4 starts tomorrow at 7 PM. Seating isn't set yet. Save it and players can find their table." Tap it to open that session's seating step on the Play tab. You get it at most once per session.
Both depend on Show table seating on the public board, which is on unless you've turned it off in the organizer web app (your league's Settings > Leaderboard and Seating). With it off, players don't see tables on the leaderboard and the reminder doesn't come.
Can I email players their table assignments?
Yes, if you use the email-reminder program. Once you've set tables for a session, you can send each seated player a short email with their table number, the session's date and place, and the display names of the others at their table. It's optional, needs no app or login on their end, and every email carries a one-click unsubscribe link.
Scores & standings
How do I enter scores on league night?
Tap Score the night on the Play tab to open the scores sheet (grouped by table once you've seated the night). Tap a player to open the keypad, type their score, and tap Next. It saves and jumps to the next player who still needs a score. There's a +/- key for negative scores and a Clear key if you need to start over. Every player gets one score per session.
Played on paper? Scroll to the bottom of the scores sheet and tap Scan a paper scoresheet. Point your camera at the sheet (on a device without a camera, you can pick a photo instead). Mahjboard reads the names and scores right on your phone, then shows them on a Review scores screen. Nothing is saved until you tap the save button at the bottom (it reads like Save 3 scores). A scan fills empty cells only. Any cell that already has a score, an absent mark, winning hands, a sub or a score waiting for your approval is left alone, so edit those by hand.
Can I print a blank score sheet for each table?
Yes. In the app, open Account > Branding and scroll to the bottom to find Printable score sheet. Tap Letter or 5×7 to download a blank, branded sheet for one table. It has your logo, four game columns and a How to Score panel. Print a copy for each table you're running. The section shows up once you have an active league of your own (the sample league doesn't count). Players write their totals on the sheet, and you enter them in Mahjboard afterwards.
Can players enter their own scores?
Yes, if you turn on Enable score entry by players in your league's Settings. Players can then submit their score (or that they didn't attend) from the public leaderboard. It works for the session you're currently playing, not past weeks. With a shared league passcode, one submission can cover the whole table. If you turn on Require a personal code per player, each player submits only their own score. Nothing counts until you approve it. Submitted scores show up as pending in the scores sheet with Approve and Reject buttons. Player submissions can't mark a sub. You do that yourself.
Can someone else enter scores for me?
Yes, with Mahjboard Pro. On the Score the night card, tap Scorekeeper link to hand a helper a link. It lets them enter that one session's scores from any browser, with no account. The link shows how long it works, and it stops working once every score for that session is in.
How do I edit a score from a previous week?
You can correct any week, no matter how long ago, even after you've moved on to the next session.
- Open your league and go to the Standings tab.
- Tap the week's number in the row of week chips at the top. (The chips appear once two or more weeks have results. With only one week played, skip this step: the Recap card is already showing that week.)
- In the Recap card, tap Edit scores.
- The Scores sheet opens for just that week. Tap a player, change the number, or switch between Played, Sub and Absent.
- Tap the checkmark to finish.
Standings and your public leaderboard update on their own. Changes you make in the app are recorded in that device's Activity Log (Settings > History > Activity Log). To reverse a change, just edit the score back.
Fixing just one player? Open the Roster tab, tap the player, and press and hold a week in their session scores. Tap Edit Score, type the new score (negatives are fine) and tap Save. This way sets a score only. To mark someone absent or as a sub, use the Scores sheet above.
How do I mark someone absent?
Open that week's Scores sheet, tap the player, and choose Absent under Attendance on the keypad. They'll show a dash, and that week is left out of their total. To mark everyone who's still missing a score in one go, tap Mark remaining players absent and confirm.
One thing to know: a session only counts as fully scored once every player has a score or is marked Absent. A blank isn't the same as absent. And a player's RSVP of "can't make it" doesn't mark them absent in the scores, so you still mark them yourself. Clear only empties a cell back to blank. If Hide in-progress scores is on (it is by default, in Settings > Scoring), a week with a blank drops off the public leaderboard until every player has a score or a dash again. So if you clear a score in a finished week, enter a number or mark them Absent to finish it.
How do subs work?
When one of your regular players sends someone to play in their place, name the sub in Attendance. Tap the sub button (the two-arrows icon) beside that player and type who's playing in their place. Tap one of the Recent subs to reuse a name, then tap Save. To undo it, open the same button and tap Remove sub. Seating and scoring then show the sub's name, with a small Sub for line naming your regular player.
The sub's name stays with that one week. It isn't added to your roster, and it doesn't show on the public leaderboard. Whether the sub's score counts for your regular player is your call, see "Does a sub's score count?" below.
You can also mark a sub from the score itself. Open that player's score, choose Sub on the keypad, and enter the score the sub earned. Subbed weeks show a swap icon on the player's attendance dots, in the app and on the public leaderboard (where it's labeled "by substitute").
A sub doesn't get their own spot on the roster or the standings. If someone subs often and you'd like them ranked in their own right, add them as a regular player on the Roster tab instead. Then their scores count for them. If your league tracks winning hands, subs can only record hands when Subs can record hands is turned on in Settings > Hand Tracking. It's off by default.
Whether a sub's score counts is answered under "Does a sub's score count?"
Does a sub's score count?
That's up to you, league by league. In Settings > Scoring, the Sub scores count toward the player's total switch decides it. It starts on: a week marked Sub adds to the regular player's total and rank. Turn it off and every sub week is left out of the regular player's total and rank instead, past weeks included.
You can also decide one week at a time. On the keypad, with Sub selected, the Counts toward the player's total switch starts at your league setting. Flip it to count or not count just that week. The line under the sub's name tells you which it is, "Sub score counts for" or "Sub score for … not counted". Set the switch back to your league setting and that week follows the league again.
Either way, a sub week still counts as a week the regular player attended, and the sub's number stays in the score sheet. A sub week that doesn't count is treated like a missed week for Drop lowest scores, and on the public leaderboard it shows the sub icon without a number.
To leave the week out entirely, mark the regular player Absent instead of Sub. They'll show a dash, and that week isn't counted as attended. If you use Drop lowest scores, it counts as one of their drops, like any missed week.
How do standings handle a missed week?
A player marked Absent shows a dash, and that week is left out of their total. A player who hasn't played yet still shows on the standings, below everyone who has. If you use Drop lowest scores (in Settings > Scoring), Mahjboard leaves out each player's lowest sessions when it adds up their total, and a missed week counts as one of those drops.
Players & roster
What happens to a player who joins mid-season?
Add them on the Roster tab. Tap +, then choose Add Player Manually, or choose Import… to paste names or bring in a CSV. They join from the next unplayed session, so you're never asked to backfill earlier weeks, and Mark remaining players absent skips them for weeks before they joined. Weeks before they joined never count against them, and never use up a dropped score.
How do I remove a player?
On the Roster tab, press and hold the player and choose Remove Player. Be careful if they have scores. Removing a player also deletes their scores for every session, and that can't be reversed.
What are skill levels and tags for?
You can set an optional skill level and add your own tags to any player from their profile in the app. Both are there to help Mahjboard seat tables. Skill levels drive skill-based grouping, and tags let you group your players however you like. You can change either one at any time, and players never see the skill level or tags you set for them.
Widgets & Siri
How do I add a Mahjboard widget?
Mahjboard has two Home Screen widgets, each in a small and a medium size:
- League Card shows one league in its own colors. The small size shows the leader, and the medium size shows the top three.
- Next Step shows what's next on the Play tab, from attendance counts to the winner's name.
To add one, touch and hold an empty spot on your Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, and choose Mahjboard. To pick which league it shows, touch and hold the widget and tap Edit Widget. Tap a widget to open that league's Play tab.
What can I ask Siri?
Siri can answer questions about your league and handle a few league-night jobs without you opening the app. Include the word Mahjboard so Siri knows where to look. These are the phrases Mahjboard registers:
- "Who's leading Mahjboard?" or "Show me the Mahjboard standings." Add a league's name, like "Who's leading Tuesday Night in Mahjboard?", if you run more than one.
- "Who isn't playing tonight in Mahjboard?", "Who's out for the next Mahjboard session?" or "Who RSVP'd no for the next Mahjboard session?"
- "Who hasn't turned in a score in Mahjboard?"
- "How did Mahjboard go tonight?"
- "What's a player's attendance in Mahjboard?" Siri asks which player.
- "Where is Linda sitting in Mahjboard?" or "Which table is Linda sitting at in Mahjboard?"
- "Who's sitting at Table 2 in Mahjboard?" Siri knows tables 1 through 16.
- "Log a score for Linda in Mahjboard." Say "Log a score in Mahjboard" and Siri asks which player.
- "Mark Linda absent in Mahjboard."
- "Start the Mahjboard timer."
Swap in your own players' names. Siri learns your leagues and players when you open Mahjboard.
Siri confirms before it saves a score. It reads the score back and asks whether to save it, and if that player already has a score for the night, it tells you the old one and asks before replacing it. Marking a player absent sits them out of the current session in Attendance, and it doesn't change any scores. You can put them back from Attendance. Siri needs your iPhone unlocked for any of these.
Organizer web app
Can I run my league from a computer?
Yes. Go to mahjboard.com/app and sign in with Apple, using the same Apple account you use in the app. Your leagues are already there. Billing stays with the App Store, so you start and manage your plan on your iPhone. Players still never need an account.
What can I do on the web?
- Create a league. On the leagues list, click the + button (New league). The form asks for the same things the app does: name, start date, venue, city, the days you meet, start time, how many weeks it runs, time zone and an optional card color.
- Run a session night. Each session has three pages: Attendance, Seating and Scores. On Attendance, sit a player out, name a sub and see who RSVP'd no. On Seating, move players between tables and give each table a name. Scores are grouped by table.
- Print a score sheet. It's at the bottom of Branding, just like in the app, once you have an active league of your own.
- Delete a league or your account. Both ask you to type a confirmation first. See "How do I delete my data?" below.
With Mahjboard Pro, a league's header also has a text button for messaging your players who have opted in.
Branding & account
How do I change my branding?
Open Mahjboard, go to your branding settings, and upload your logo and pick your primary and secondary colors. Mahjboard applies your branding across every league you run and every public leaderboard automatically. Set it once, and you're done.
Once you've uploaded a logo, a Logo background setting appears right under it. It controls the tile behind your logo on the public board, RSVP page, score sheet and share cards. Auto is the default. Mahjboard looks at your logo and decides whether it needs a tile. Choose None to never show a tile, or Color to pick a Background color of your own. The Minimal leaderboard style draws its own crest, so on a Minimal board and its share cards the logo keeps that look whatever you choose here.
How do I cancel my subscription?
Subscriptions are billed through the App Store, so you manage them on your device: iOS Settings > your Apple ID > Subscriptions > Mahjboard, then choose to cancel. If you cancel during your 14-day free trial, you won't be charged.
How do I delete my data?
You can delete an individual league, in the app or on the web, which takes down its leaderboard and removes its participant display names and scores. In either place, open the league's Settings > Management and choose Delete League. The web asks you to type the league's name to confirm.
To delete your entire account, open the Account screen in the app and tap Delete Account. On the web, open Account, scroll to the Danger Zone, choose Delete Account and type DELETE to confirm. Either way, this permanently removes your account and all associated data (every league, player, and score). If you prefer, you can also email hello@mahjboard.com from the address on your account and we'll take care of it. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Still need help?
Email us at hello@mahjboard.com and tell us what's going on. The more detail you share (what you tried, what you expected, your device and the league involved), the faster we can sort it out. We typically reply within 1–2 business days.
Looking for more? Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service have the full details.