• Play with
a goal to meet the world.
• Understanding
the game and learning to play it, and more!
This EasyPlay
introduces the mahjong game called International Mahjong that is developed
based on the game play of Cantonese Mahjong. INTERNATIONAL MAHJONG® and its
short form IMJ® are both registered trademarks and should therefore always be capitalized.
Unlike most other variants, International Mahjong comes with a comprehensive
set of game rules and the set is properly maintained and managed. All aspects
of the game rules can be precisely described and players around the world can
communicate and play with one another in mutual understanding. This EasyPlay
will introduce, and is based on, the International
Mahjong Rules ("IMJ Rules")
only; therefore, all rule articles referred to in this EasyPlay are of the IMJ
Rules. In addition, this EasyPlay should be used together with the IMJ Rules
where most moves and steps of play are described in details. You can view and
download the full version of the IMJ Rules via the IMJ Infoweb, located at iMahjong.com.
This EasyPlay is written with the new comers in
mind. It will introduce the general, but essential, information you would need to
know about the game. With this EasyPlay and the IMJ Rules, you should be able
to achieve a thorough understanding of the game and be able to play with others
with confidence! If you are new to mahjong, read through this EasyPlay several
times and from time to time, and you'll be able to get yourself familiarized
with the basic knowledge and will soon be a skillful player!
1.
General introduction – This EasyPlay assumes you
are new to the game of mahjong; or at least new to IMJ. Generally speaking, the
"contents" of the game mahjong are quite simple and straight forward.
It shouldn't be difficult to learn the contents of the game and to start playing
it with confidence - It is the goal of this EasyPlay to teach you just that. However,
playing with skill and high level of strategies would require lots of practice
and, therefore, is not the scope of this EasyPlay.
a. Brief
introduction to terminology: As deviated as the game itself, mahjong terminology
is also different from books to books, variants to variants. This situation is
not uncommon given the fact that mahjong has been evolved and developed without
control for several hundreds of years! Some people insist that a "widely
accepted" set of terminology in English already exists; but no one could
ever locate such a set. In May 2006 the writer posted a proposed set of World Unified Mahjong Terminology ("WUMT") on the IMJ Infoweb and
via the mahjong newsgroup (rec.games.mahjong) for discussions. This terminology
set is the first of its kind and will certainly continue to develop. As a
reference, this EasyPlay adopts terms and phrases recommended in the WUMT Table.
b. Brief
introduction to game: Mahjong is a game played by four players. The playing
pieces can be plastic tiles or paper cards - in IMJ they all are called PAIS.
A game is a short playing process.
Understandably, in an event or a
gathering, many games will be played. To start a game, every player is dealt with a hand of pais: one player is dealt with fourteen pais while all
other three players each gets thirteen. The purpose of the game is that each
player shall, by means of certain allowed moves, arrange his hand of pais to
reach certain predefined combinations, which will then be called a winning hand.
The player who has a winning hand is then said to have won the game and is
entitled to receiving scores from other players. And, as you read through this
EasyPlay further, the "predefined combinations" mentioned above are
more precisely called "structures" and "patterns",
respectively. In this EasyPlay, section 5 contains introduction to the "winning hand structures"
and sections 7 and 8 have more details about "patterns" that may
contribute scores or values to a winning hand.
c. Brief
introduction to rules: Mahjong is a game originated in China but
no written rules of the origin of the
game have ever been found. Over time mahjong has been evolved and developed
into many variants. In the future you shall not be surprised to see that
mahjong can be played by so many rule sets. However, most variants have similar
details in the playing process. The major differences between variants are in
the combinations of pais of winning hands and how the hands are scored. Among
the variants, Cantonese Mahjong (also known as Hong Kong Style), Taiwanese
Mahjong, Chinese Classical, American Mahjong, International Mahjong ("IMJ")
and the Chinese Mahjong Competition Rules ("CMCR", published in 1998
by the Chinese government agency for sports), are among the most known game
types.
d. Brief
introduction to IMJ: International Mahjong is a mahjong game that is uniquely
designed based on Cantonese Mahjong, but further developed from it. Cantonese
Mahjong, also known as "Hong Kong Mahjong", is widely played by
people in Hong Kong, China and
in most parts of the world where the game mahjong is of interest. In addition
to the traditional Cantonese Mahjong scoring patterns, IMJ increases the total
number of valid patterns to 55 so as to add playability to the game. Score
values to the patterns are also carefully adjusted so as to achieve a batter
balance between the skill and luck factors of the game. More importantly, a
comprehensive rule set is available in writing so that introduction of the game
will no longer rely solely on physical practice with trained players, and that
the rules of the game will not be deviated while being propagated. You can
learn more information about International Mahjong at the IMJ Infoweb.
2.
Instrument – A mahjong set shall comprise of 144 pais
that are divided into several groups. Each pai can be distinguished by its unique
symbolic designs as outlined in the following paragraphs. It is recommended
that new comers spend a little more time to recognize and understand these
designs and characteristics that come with it.
a. Serials:
Serials are categorized into three suits. Each suit has 9 titles and each title
has 4 identical pais, thus making a total of 108 pieces.
(1)
The Tans – Titled 1 through 9. See further introduction
at "The Wans".
(2)
The Soks – Titled 1 through 9. See further introduction
at "The Wans".
(3)
The Wans – Titled 1 through 9. We call this group
of pais by the number plus the suit name (same for the Tans and the
Soks), as in the following examples: 1 Tan, 3 Tan, 8 Sok, a pair of 7 Sok, 345
Wan (three pais of Wan in the sequence of 3, 4 and 5), 5678 Sok (a group of 5,
6, 7, and 8 Sok). Note that when used with the title number (i.e., 1 through 9)
the name of the suit shall always be
in singular form. The plural form is used only when you mean to refer to the
suit generally (e.g., the Tans, the Soks and the Wans).
The Serials |
The Tans - Images are displayed in the sort order of 1 Tan through 9 Tan. Memorizing hints: The number of the "dots"; how those dots are arranged; 123 Tan are obvious; 4 Tan looks like 4 dots forming a small "square"; the 7 Tan looks like an open lid (formed by 3 green dots) of a small box (formed by 4 red dots); 8 Tan is in all blue; and lastly, the 9 Tan is bold and is occupying the surface fully. (Hover the cursor over an image to display the title of the pai.) |
The Soks - Images are displayed in the sort order of 1 Sok through 9 Sok. Memorizing hints: The number of the "sticks"; how those sticks are arranged; 1 Sok looks like a bird; 234 Sok seem "roomy" while 6789 Sok are very "congested"; titles 23468 are all green; also each image of 6789 Sok is quite distinctive. (Hover the cursor over an image to display the title of the pai.) |
The Wans - Images are displayed in the sort order of 1 Wan through 9 Wan. Memorizing hints: The bottom part of the symbols are all the same (the Chinese word for 10,000); upper part is the "number" in Chinese. The memorizing effort is to distinguish the difference in the shape of the numbers and, however, you have to memorize them one on one. (Hover the cursor over an image to display the title of the pai.) |
|
b. Honours:
Honours are categorized into two groups, a total of 28 pieces.
(1)
The Winds: Titled East, South, West and North,
each has 4 identical pais, thus making a total of 16 pieces. The Wind pais
always have a relation with the sitting sequence of the four players and may
affect the scoring of a winning hand. More information on this relation will be
explained in section 7.f. There shall be no plural form for individual titles
(e.g., A pair of South, three West, two North, four East).
(2)
The Dragons: Titled Red Dragon, Green Dragon and
White Dragon, each has 4 identical pais, thus making a total of 12 pieces. (These
Dragons are also called Red Centre, Green Fortune and White Board,
respectively.) Extra scores may be assigned if a winning hand contains Dragon
pais – refer to section 7.g for more information. Again, plural form is not used for
individual titles (e.g., A pair of Red, two Green Dragon, three White).
The Honours |
The Winds - Images are displayed in the order of East, South, West and North. Memorizing hints: The East (Chinese word) looks slim and tall; while the South looks fat and short (a little bit of your imagination is required). The West looks like a small box (square) and the North seems to have lots of horizontal and vertical lines. (Hover the cursor over an image to display the title of the pai.) |
The Dragons - Images are displayed in the order of Red Dragon, Green Dragon and White Dragon. Memorizing hints: The names and the colours tell it all! (Hover the cursor over an image to display the title of the pai.) |
|
c. Flowers:
Flowers are categorized into two groups, a total of 8 pieces.
(1)
Blue Flowers: Titled 1 through 4, each has 1 pai,
thus making a total of 4 pieces. These Flowers are normally called Blue 1, Blue
3, etc.
(2)
Red Flowers: Titled 1 through 4, each has 1 pai,
thus making a total of 4 pieces. These Flowers are normally called Red 2, Red
4, etc.
The Flowers |
Blue Flowers - Images are displayed in the order of Blue 1, Blue 2, Blue 3 and Blue 4. Memorizing hints: The Flowers are quite readily distinctive from pais of other groups. The title numbers (1 through 4) and its colour on the symbol will tell its name. (Hover the cursor over an image to display the title of the pai.) |
Red Flowers - Images are displayed in the order of Red 1, Red 2, Red 3 and Red 4. Memorizing hints: See Blue Flowers above. (Hover the cursor over an image to display the title of the pai.) |
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3.
Accessories – Accessories include the following
commonly used items: dice, start indicator, jong indicator and chips. Depending
on your situations, the following items may also be included to help make your
games more comfortable and enjoyable: game table, table lamp, tile rack, score
record sheets, etc. You will easily get familiarized with these items once you've
started playing.
a. Dice:
Three dices are cast whenever there is a need to determine which player shall
have the privilege for certain moves.
b. Start
indicator: An instrument, usually a small plastic pad marked "START",
that is used to identify the player who has started the four rounds of games.
The start indicator shall remain in its place throughout the four rounds
period.
c. Jong
indicator: Usually a small plastic block, which is used to identify a player as
the JONGA of the current game (jonga, similar to "dealer" found in
most card games, is the player who has the duty to lead the process of a game).
The jong indicator is placed on the left hand corner of the player so long as
he remains as the jonga. If the jonga loses his hand, he'll pass the jong
indicator together with the three dice to the player to his right (called his NEXTA),
who shall become the jonga of the new game. The jong indicator shall usually
have some small parts that can be switched from time to time to display a Wind
name representing the current round of play (i.e., the round of East, South,
West or North). When the jong indicator returns and meets the start indicator
again, the player who originally started the four rounds of play shall advance
the Wind of round on the jong indicator.
d. Chips: Chips are used to represent the scores, and may be in different colours or may bear various markings to represent different score values. During the game, score values are settled between players by exchanging chips among them. At the beginning of an event, each player shall be assigned 20,000 mados (short for "mahjong dollars", unit used to represent the scores). IMJ recommends that each player shall have a complete set of chips as follows:
Green 5x (2 mados each) + Blue 9x (10 mados each) + Red 9x (100 mados each) + Yellow 4x (1000 mados each) + Purple 3x (5000 mados each)
= 10 + 90 + 900 + 4000 + 15000 = 20,000 mados.
Accessories |
a. Dice - (no additional comment) |
b. Start indicator - Picture shows start indicator and jong indicator placed side by side. It is recommended that the start indicator be in a square or rectangular shape, printed with the "score table" on its surface for handy reference. |
c. Jong indicator - Picture shows two jong indicators - One has the dice removed to show how the Wind of the round is changed. |
d. Chips - The actual colours and quantity of chips is not important, but each player shall have a total of 20,000 mados before the start of an event. |
|
4.
Combinations of pais – A
hand of pais (or "a hand") means all pais in a player's possession.
In the beginning of a game each player shall have thirteen pais while the jonga
(the player who leads the game) shall have fourteen. Your original hand shall,
naturally, comprise of pais that are randomly mixed. Your goal is to arrange
all pais into certain recognized combinations (explained below) by means of
exchanging your pais through certain "moves" of play. Details of all allowed
moves are found at section 6 of this EasyPlay. With certain allowed moves you are
also required to disclose the combination you have arranged and display it at your
left hand corner. Pais of your hand that have not been disclosed is called your
CONCEALED HAND (see also section 7.b(6) of this EasyPlay). Below are the brief descriptions
of various forms of recognized combination of pais:
a. CHOW: A
chow means three pais that are of the same Serial suit, and are in consecutive
sequence. Examples: 123 Sok, 678 Tan, 789 Wan. Note that the following
combinations are not chows: 891 Wan, 912 Tan. (See samples below.)
b. PUNG: A
pung means three pais that are identical: 777 Sok, 3 Red Dragon, 3 South. (See samples below.)
c. KONG: A
kong means four pais that are identical: 9999 Wan, 4 Green Dragon, 4 North. (See samples below.)
d. EYES:
Eyes (a set of) are defined as two identical pais of any kind in a winning hand
that are independent of other combination of pais in the hand. (See samples below.)
e. PAIR:
A pair means two identical pais of any kind, unless specified otherwise.
Combinations Of Pais |
a. CHOWS - Images above are samples of four chows: chow of 123 Sok, chow of 678 Tan, chow of 789 Wan and chow of 987 Wan. Note, however, that you don't normally call a chow in a reverse sequence (e.g., "987 Wan"). By nature you can only make chows from the Serials. |
These are NOT chows - Note that NONE of the samples above are chows, because chows, by definition, must be pais (a) of the same suite, and (b) in consecutive sequence. |
b. PUNGS - Samples of pungs: 7 Sok, Red Dragon and South. |
c. KONGS - Samples of kongs: kong of 9 Wan, kong of Green Dragon and kong of North. You can make pungs and kongs from any pais other than Flowers. |
d. EYES - Assuming the above is a WINNING HAND (containing typically 14 pais in total), the pair of East is called the EYES (one eye, a pair of eyes, a set of eyes, etc.). The eyes can be made of any pais. |
e. PAIRS - The above is a sample of winning hand in the structures of SEVEN PAIRS. It is made up of seven pairs - totaling 14 pais in the hand. (Can you tell the names of these pais in the pairs?) |
|
5.
Winning hand – A winning hand is a hand of pais
having been arranged in a predefined "structure" recognized as a
winning hand. Having a good understanding of the recognized structures (detailed
in the following paragraphs) could help you plan to build a winning hand more
effectively and efficiently. In International Mahjong, winning hands can be in
any of the following structures:
a. Basic structures:
All basic structures of winning hand may comprise of either four sets and a
pair; or seven pairs only. For the purposes herein, a "set" can be a
chow, a pung or a kong, but not a pair. The required "four sets" can
be in any combination of chow, pung and kong. There are four basic structures
of winning hand as described below (refer also to article 19.1 of the IMJ
Rules):
(1)
ALL CHOWS: A basic structure that contains a pair
of eyes and four sets of chows only.
Note the emphasis of "chows ONLY". Among the four basic winning hand structures,
All Chows will give you the MEDIUM grade of value.
Basic Structure - All Chows |
Sample 1 - A sample hand in the basic structure of All Chows: comprising of four chows and a set of eyes. |
Sample 2 - This All Chows has White Dragon as the eyes. |
Sample 3 - Another sample hand of All Chows. Note the differences between the three sample hands: Sample 2 contains only one Serial suite and the Honours while Sample 3 contains one Serial suite only! |
|
(2)
ALL PUNGS: A basic structure that contains a pair
of eyes and four sets of pungs only.
Note the emphasis of "pungs ONLY". Among the four basic winning hand structures,
All Pungs will give you the HIGHEST grade of value. (Note: Generally, if a rule
covers pung, it is also valid with kong, but not vice versa - See art. 24.2 of
the IMJ Rules. Therefore, in the "pungs only" stipulation above, a kong
is also valid.)
Basic Structure - All Pungs |
Sample 1 - A sample hand in the structure of All Pungs. Note that there is a kong in the hand and it is still called the All Pungs hand. |
Sample 2 - This hand has four kongs in the hand. Since "kong" is also valid in a definition involving "pung", this hand is still qualified for All Pungs. |
|
(3)
THE COWARD: A basic structure that contains a pair
of eyes, and four sets of chows and pungs
in random combination. Note the emphasis of "chow AND pung". Among
the four basic winning hand structures, The Coward will give you the LOWEST
grade of value but it is a structure considered the easiest to achieve. (Note:
The "kong is also valid" rule also applies here.)
Basic Structure - The Coward |
Sample 1 - A sample hand of The Coward, which contains both chow(s) and pung(s) ("kong" is valid as a "pung"). |
Sample 2 - Another Coward hand, but contains only one Serial suite. |
|
(4)
SEVEN PAIRS: A basic structure that contains seven pairs only. Note the emphasis is
on "the form of SEVEN PAIRS ONLY". Among the four basic winning hand structures,
Seven Pairs will give you the MEDIUM grade of value.
Basic Structure - Seven Pairs |
Sample 1 - A sample hand of Seven Pairs. Note that in a Seven Pairs hand, four identical pais cannot be called a "kong", because the Seven Pairs structure defines that all sets are in pair. |
Sample 2 - This sample hand of Seven Pairs contains only one Searial suite and the Honours. |
Sample 3 - This Seven Pairs hand also contains a special feature: All pais are Unios (the mix of 1s and 9s of the Terminals and the Honours). |
|
b. Special
winning hands: Winning hands that meet certain predefined criteria. A special
winning hand can be in a form of any of the four basic structures, or in any of
the forms specified by the rules (refer to article 25 of the IMJ Rules).
6.
Actual play, moves and basic rules
a. How to
start an event: When four players are in front of the game table and are ready
to start, there are several steps to follow in order that a game can actual
start. To many new comers these steps could seem complicated. However, these
steps are well laid in Chapter Three and Chapter Four of the IMJ Rules - Please
refer to these chapters as details will not be repeated here. In summary these
chapters cover the following topics in details (article numbers quoted are
those of the IMJ Rules):
(1)
determination of the "prerequisite settings"
that should remain valid throughout the whole event of play (art. 7);
(2)
the "choosing seats" procedures that
determine the sitting positions of players for a four-round period (art. 8);
(3)
how pais are being stacked up as "walls"
(art. 10.2);
(4)
how the first jonga is determined (art. 10.3(1));
and
(5)
how players are actually dealt with their first
hands of pais (art. 10.4).
b. How
the play should proceed: At the beginning of a game the jonga is dealt with a
hand of fourteen pais while each of the other three players shall have thirteen
pais in hand. The purpose of the game is that each player shall arrange his
hand of pais to become a winning hand. When the winning status is reached a
hand shall normally have fourteen pais. Basically, when you have fourteen pais
in hand (like the jonga does in the beginning of a game), you must present a
winning hand, or you must discard a pai from your concealed hand (any pai of
your choice), so that your hand reduces to thirteen pais. On the other hand, if
you have thirteen pais in hand you will need to get the 14th pai to your hand
in order to arrange the hand into a winning hand. You can obtain the 14th pai
through various moves which include: WIN, PUNG, KONG, CHOW or DRAW. Only one
move can be executed at a time and each move has a specified level of priority
for execution. Once a player has discarded a pai, all other three players shall
compete to exercise the only one move
allowed. To exercise a move, other than to draw, one must declare it verbally and
only the player whose move carries the higher priority is allowed to execute
the move. The following sections list those moves in the order of its priority.
More details about exercising these moves may be found in article 21 of the IMJ
Rules.
(1)
DISCARD: "Discard" may be considered as
the "signal" for the qualified players to compete for a turn to perform a move or a series of moves, as well
as the "end" of a previous player's turn. In a new game it all starts
with the jonga. That is, in the beginning of a game the jonga is dealt with a
hand of fourteen pais. If he does not declare win he must end his turn of
move(s) by making the first discard of the game. In other part of the game,
discard must be exercised by a player who has fourteen pais on hand but does
not declare a winning hand status.
(2)
WIN: If a player finds all pais, disclosed or
concealed, of his hand together with the pai already discarded can meet the
requirements of a winning hand, he can declare WIN. To win, a player must
declare "WIN" verbally and disclose all pais of his hand for
examination by other players and for determination of rank, and to receive
scores from other player(s), and the game is then completed. Win has the
highest priority of all moves.
(3)
PUNG or KONG: If a player can form a pung or a
kong by combining the discarded pai and corresponding pais in his concealed hand,
he can declare PUNG (or KONG). The priority of pung (or kong) is just below win.
He must then display the set of pung (or kong) so formed at his left hand
corner. If he forms a kong, he can subsequently draw a supplement pai from the tail
of the wall. After the pung (or kong) and if he does not declare a winning hand
status, he must discard a pai from his concealed hand.
(4)
CHOW: Only the nexta of the player who has just
discarded a pai can exercise this move, which carries the lowest priority of
all moves. If a player wishing to form a chow of the discarded pai and
corresponding pais in his concealed hand, he can display the set of chow so
formed at his left hand corner. He performs this move only if he so wishes and
no verbal declaration is required. After the chow and if he does not declare a
winning hand status, he must discard a pai from his concealed hand.
(5)
DRAW: If none of the moves of win, pung (or kong)
and chow is exercised, the nexta of the player who has just discarded a pai
must draw a pai from the wall. After having drawn a pai from the wall, he may
arrange the pai so drawn together with other pais inside his concealed hand to
make sets of chow, pung or kong without disclosing them, or set up a
"special kong" (refer to article 22 of the IMJ Rules), or declare win
if situation allows. If, however, he eventually does not declare win he must
discard a pai, and the pai so discarded may not necessarily be the one just
drawn in.
c. Move
at will or move that is mandatory: If you review the previous section carefully
you'll see that some moves are mandatory (e.g., discard and draw where
applicable) while other moves can be exercised at will. In other word, if you
can win, pung, kong or chow, you can either declare it (so as to trigger the
competing process), or do nothing by keeping silent. With this
freedom, you'll have the opportunity to selectively exercise a move only when
it is in your favour, so as to build the better "contents" to
your hand (see also section 7.a of this EasyPlay). On the other hand, moves may be
restricted by other stipulations, for more details please refer to article 23
and Chapter Eight of the IMJ Rules.
d. Arranging
the pais of a hand: Through the execution of the moves mentioned above a player
can arrange his hand of pais into various recognized combinations and therefore
advance his hand towards the winning hand status. The competing process among
players for a move continues every time a pai is discarded until a winning hand
is achieved or until there is no more pai on the wall to be drawn. You are
encouraged to go through Chapter Five of the IMJ Rules to learn more details
about the moves and about certain restrictions governing the moves.
e. The
winning of a hand and receiving of scores: When your hand reaches a winning
hand status you must declare it verbally in order to actually win. There are
rules and restrictions governing how a hand can be declared as a winning hand and
how scores are to be paid and received among players. Articles 19, 21.1, 29, 30
of the IMJ Rules cover details that apply to all winning hands and winning
situations. For new players it could be difficult to assess the correct scores
of a winning hand. At the early stage of a learning process players could apply
an easy way to bypass this difficulty by assigning a fixed score for every
winning hand (regardless of its contents) - players just play for practising
purposes. Section 8 of this EasyPlay has more details about scoring of a
winning hand.
f. To
remain as jonga or jonga retirement: The jonga status of a player will change
if the jonga loses his hand in a game or if the game is ended involving paying
and receiving of scores. Have a brief review of articles 12, 13 and 23.10 of
the IMJ Rules regarding changing of the jonga status. If you are the jonga in
the current game, it is always beneficial if you keep your jonga status for as
many games as possible. You can plan this strategy at the beginning of your
hand - If you think you could achieve a quick win (probably not of high value),
then win quick, and become jonga again in the next game! In contrast, if you
are not the jonga of the current game, you could also apply this "win
quick" strategy to force the current jonga retire fast!
g. End of
a game and end of an event: If a game is ended because no more pai is left to
be drawn and there is no winning hand, a new game shall start all over again
without the change of jonga. This rule can be used as another strategy to last
a jonga status; in fact it is used very often by experienced players! If a game
is ended with a winning hand, score shall be awarded and paid according to
stipulations of Chapter Seven of the IMJ Rules. When the whole event is ended,
players shall compare their scores on hand and determine the winning players of
the event.
7.
Patterns, scoring and related characteristics –
"Patterns" are various forms of combination of pais, which may
contribute scores or values to a winning hand. The size of a pattern could be
as small as just one pai (e.g., a Flower), or a set of pung or kong, or as
large as the whole hand. You build up various patterns gradually during play
while you are also advancing the hand towards the winning hand status. One of
the objectives of the game is to win a game and, obviously, to achieve the
highest possible scores. A winning hand may be ranked differently (hence the
total scores of the hand may vary) based on the patterns the hand could
demonstrate. The following paragraphs introduce some general features and
characters that come with various patterns. A good understanding of these
features and characters could help you plan better in building the patterns of
your hand during play, thus could help you achieve the highest possible score
of your hand.
a. Building
up patterns and planning ahead: As you obtain new pais to your hand by claiming
discards of other players and by drawing pais from the wall, you are gradually
building up sets of chow, pung or kong to your hand. This is how patterns are
built. You can, and should, always plan ahead what patterns should be built.
For instant, if your original hand contains many pairs, you might wish to build
up patterns of or related to pungs or kongs. As your skill and experience
grows, you'll find planning ahead is getting easier. However, skills and
strategies require lots of practice to reach its higher levels. So, play often
and over time you could become an expert in mahjong!
b. Various
conditions of pais: During play pais can be in various conditions that may
restrict your ability to access them or make changes to or about them. Below is
a summary explaining various such conditions:
(1)
The wall, the head and the tail: The
"wall" is where you can draw a new pai to your hand in your turn of
move, and only in your turn of move. You normally draw the pai from the HEAD of
the wall. However, when you set up a kong or replace a Flower, you shall draw a
pai from the TAIL instead. Refer to articles 10 and 16 (including sub-articles)
of the IMJ Rules for more descriptions about the wall, the head and the tail.
(2)
Discarded: When your hand has 14 pais but you do
not present a winning hand, you must get rid of a pai by "discarding"
it to the centre of the game table (where it is called the FLOOR). Your turn of
move ends immediately when you discard a pai. That means, you are not allowed
to make any change or do anything, but to let go the discarded pai. You are
even not allowed to make correction if you've displayed a set in error - see
section (4) below. So, discard wisely and carefully! Your
"discarded pai" may then be claimed by other players for the purposes
of "winning a hand", "setting up a pung or a kong", or
"setting up a chow". Discarded pai that is not claimed immediately by
other players shall remain on the floor, and cannot be claimed any more
throughout the game.
(3)
Concealed: Pais in a player's hand shall be kept
"concealed" at all times unless they are to form a set of chow, pung
or kong by claiming a discarded pai. You have the best flexibility with the pais
in your concealed hand as you can make sets of or make changes to them anytime
you want.
(4)
Displayed: Sets (chows, pungs and kongs) that are
formed by claiming a discarded pai must be disclosed and "displayed"
on the left hand corner of a player. Displayed pais are part of a player's hand
but players are not allowed to make change to the displayed sets. This includes
where a set is displayed in error. For example, you've claimed a discarded 3 Sok
to form a chow. Instead of disclosing a 4 Sok and a 5 Sok from your concealed
hand, you have picked a 6 Sok and a 5 Sok to display a set of 365 Sok without
knowing the mistake. After you have discarded a pai, you will not be allowed to
correct the mistake any more. However, if such error happens to you, you have
no obligation to tell other players about the error. Keep silent as some
players may not discover the error and may continue to play defensively which
will be to your benefit. (Note: you can always correct the mistake if you find
out immediately, but only BEFORE you have discarded a pai.)
(5)
Exposed: When you disclose one pai from your
concealed hand to set up a "melded kong", or disclose four pais at
the same time to set up a "concealed kong", you are disclosing a pai
that is fresh to other players. It is
similar to, although not the same as, discarding a pai. Other players can claim
your disclosed pai to win (this is called "robbing a kong" - refer to
article 23.7 of the IMJ Rules). In IMJ Rules, disclosing a pai for the purpose
of setting up a melded kong or concealed kong, and discarding a pai to the
floor, are summarized as "exposing" a pai. In both scenarios, you are
exposing a pai from your concealed hand and the exposed pai can be claimed by
other players for the purpose of winning a hand (article 23.6 of the IMJ Rules).
So, expose cautiously!
(6)
A hand: A hand of pais of a player is defined as
all pais in the possession of the player, including pais disclosed but kept in
his display line and pais kept in his concealed hand, as well as pai obtainable
in his turn of move. "Obtainable in his turn of move" includes
claiming a discarded pai to set up a pung, a kong or a chow, or to win. If you do
not declare win while you have fourteen pais in hand, you must discard a pai
(any pai in your concealed hand) so that your hand reduces to thirteen pais. For
the purpose of calculation under this rule, disclosed Flowers are not counted,
any disclosed kong (four pais) is to be counted three pais only and all other
pais are counted in unit of pai. This rule may be found in article 18 of the
IMJ Rules.
(7)
Counting of pais: Remember that each title of pai,
other than Flowers, has four identical pieces only (see section 2). If you are waiting for a particular pai to win a
hand, be sure to look up how many of this particular pai have been disclosed
(on the floor or on the display lines of all players). If you see that all four
pieces of this particular pai are disclosed, you will have to change to wait
for another pai for your winning hand.
c. Pure
or Mixed: "Pure" (or "All") and "Mixed" refer to
the overall contents of a hand. If a hand is so described, it is worth some
extra value. For instant, if the hand contains only one suit of the Serials
(the Tans, the Soks, or the Wans), or only the Honours, the hand may be
described as "Pure". If the hand contains Honours, plus any one suite of the Serials, it may be
described as "Mixed". "Pure" carries more value than
"Mixed". If a hand contains Honours and more than one suite of the Serials, it is not worth any extra
value.
PURE or MIXED |
Sample 1 - A structure of The Coward (comprised of the mix of chows and pungs/kongs), with the feature of containing one Serial suite only - PURE. |
Sample 2 - A structure of All Chows (comprised of sets of chows alone), containing the Soks only - PURE. |
Sample 3 - This sample is in the structure of All Pungs (comprised of sets of pungs or kongs only), and containing just the Tans - PURE. |
Sample 4 - This hand is in the structure of Seven Pairs, and containing Honours only - PURE. From the illustrations of samples 1 through 4 above, you can see that the feature of PURE: (a) can be associated to any of the four basic structures, and (b) can be formed by any of the three Serial suites or by the Honours. |
Sample 5 - A hand in the structure of The Coward, containing both Honours and the Tans - MIXED. |
Sample 6 - An All Pungs hand, containing one Serial suite and the Honours - MIXED. Note this hand has more unique features to mention: containing Unios only, all of the three Dragons are present! You'll learn more about grade elements in section 8 of this EasyPlay. |
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d. Big or
Little: "Big" and "Little" refer to the completeness of a
specific group of pais named in a statement. For example, pattern "Big
Four Winds" means all four titles of the Winds are present and in the form
of "pung" or "kong" - Obviously you must have four complete sets (each being pung or
kong) to be qualified as "Big". "Little Four Winds" refers
to the scenario where one of the Winds is in the form of the "eyes".
This description applies also to the Dragons (comprising Red, Green and White
Dragon). A pattern called "Big" or "Little" carries a
substantially high value and "Big" has more value than "Little".
BIG or LITTLE |
Sample 1 - In the above winning hand, all four titles of the Winds are present and in the form of either "pung" or "kong". The grade element covering the Winds is considered BIG (this element is actually called "Big Four Winds"). |
Sample 2 - In the above winning hand, three out of the four titles of the Winds are in the form of either "pung" or "kong" while one title forms the eyes. The grade element covering the Winds is considered LITTLE (this element is actually called "Little Four Winds"). |
Sample 3 - The above winning hand contains all three titles of the Dragons in the form of either "pung" or "kong". The grade element covering the Dragons is considered BIG (this element is actually called "Big Three Dragons"). |
Sample 4 - In the above winning hand one of the three Dragons is in the form of "eyes". The grade element covering the Dragons is call LITTLE (this element is actually called "Little Three Dragons"). |
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e. Jumping and Stepping: "Jumping" is used to describe pungs that are in consecutive order and "Stepping" is to describe chows that are in consecutive order. Of the sets in sequence, they could be either "PURE" (all sets are in one Serial suit) or "MIXED" (all three Serial suits are present). The "Jumping" or "Stepping" combinations may add small to medium amount of value to a winning hand.
Jumping & Stepping sets |
a. Jumping Pungs Sample 1 - Illustrated are four jumping pungs in one Serial suite (also qualified for "PURE"). |
b. Jumping Pungs Sample 2 - Illustrated are three jumping pungs in one Serial suite (also qualified for "PURE"). |
c. Jumping Pungs Sample 3 - Illustrated are three jumping pungs in three Serial suites (also qualified for "MIXED"). |
d. Stepping Chows Sample 1- Displayed are four stepping chows in one Serial suite (also qualified for "PURE"). |
e. Stepping Chows Sample 2- Displayed are four stepping chows in one Serial suite (also qualified for "PURE"). |
f. Stepping Chows Sample 3- Displayed are three stepping chows in three Serial suites (also qualified for "MIXED"). |
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f. Sitting
sequence
(related to the Winds and the Flowers): A player's "sitting
sequence" (also called "seat number") refers to his sitting
position with respect to the jonga of the game in progress. The "sitting
sequence" starts from the jonga as 1, and counts anti-clockwise. On the other hand, each of the Winds (East, South,
West and North) and the Flowers (title numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4) is assigned a
"sequential number" of 1, 2, 3 or 4, respectively. If a player's seat
number coincides with the sequential number of a Wind or a Flower in a winning
hand, extra value will be added to the hand if it contains pais of the specific
Wind and/or Flower. Example: If you sit on the right of the jonga, your seat
number is 2 in that particular game. If you win the game and if you have a pung
of South and a Blue 2 (Flower), you'll get extra value because of the pung of
South and the Blue 2. Learn more details in IMJ Rules by referring to articles
15, 27.3(6) and (7), and 28.5(2). As you study a little bit further, you'll see
that one out of the four Winds and two out of the eight Flowers would get you
extra value if you win a hand - With this knowledge in mind it will help you
better plan your hand during play.
Sitting Sequence - The Winds and Flowers |
Sitting sequence - The sitting sequences of the four players shall start with the jonga as 1. The sequence of the Winds shall start with the East as 1. The sequence of the Flowers are as numbered. |
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g. The
Dragons: A pung (or kong) of any of the Dragons will bring you extra value.
Refer to articles 27.3(3), (4) and (5) of the IMJ Rules for more details.
Again, keep this knowledge in mind and plan a better hand during play!
Pungs of Dragon |
Pung Of Dragon - Illustrated is a winning hand containing two sets of pung or kong of Dragons. Since not all of the Dragons are present the element is not qualified for "BIG" or "LITTLE" - See section 7(d) above. |
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8.
Grade elements – A winning hand will earn scores
for the winning player based on the "patterns" the hand could
demonstrate. These patterns are called GRADE ELEMENTS. Chapter Six of the IMJ
Rules contains detailed scoring definitions of a total of 55 valid grade
elements. In addition, there is a "Grade
Elements Table" posted on the IMJ Infoweb. The table provides detailed
illustrations of grade elements in various sample winning hands. You don't need
to memorize all elements right away but going through Chapter Six and the Grade
Elements Table every now and then will definitely help you memorize the details
and improve your skills in achieving higher scores.
a. Elements are grouped by categories. In most
cases only one element out of a group can be added to the scoring of a winning
hand (e.g., a winning hand may qualify to claim three grade elements but they might
need to be from three different groups). Understanding the general
characteristics of each group would help you better manage memorizing the
elements and making use of them during play. The following is a brief summary
of the groups of grade elements:
(1)
Groups 25.1 and 25.2 cover all special winning
hands. Note that each element is considered complete on its own and the grade
value awarded is final. Have a clear understanding of the definitions and
you'll have better advantages over other players who don't.
(2)
Group 26 covers grade elements that are based on
the "basic structure" of a winning hand. Note that in the scoring
process, you must identify a basic structure of your hand and stick to that
structure.
(3)
Groups 27.1 through 27.4 cover grade elements that
are based on the "combination of pais". Group 27.1 covers the pure or
mixed series; Group 27.2 involves the Honours series. Group 27.3 involves the
pung series of the Serials while Group 27.4 involves the chow series.
(4)
Groups 28.1 through 28.5 cover grade elements
related to "how" - How the winning pai is obtained (groups 28.1
through 28.3) and how the general status of other pais is at the time of
winning (groups 28.4 and 28.5). Although the value of these elements are
relatively small, most circumstances in which these elements are about to form
are all under your control, or may be taken advantages of at your own discretion!
For example, if your win is only one pai away, and if your chance of getting
that pai by self draw is high, you can pass any discard and wait for your self
draw to win (winning by self draw gives you 1 fan more, plus you receive scores
from ALL players instead of just one) - This is something you can control on
your own to potentially increase the value of your hand. Another example: If
you have two Chance Flowers on hand you have already secured 2 fans, and if
other players seem to be very close to a win, you might wish to win on any pai
available to you (discard or self draw) and get rid of the danger - Again, this
is something you can decide on your own. So make best use of these elements!
b. Counting
the elements of a winning hand: You would need to have a good memory of all
valid grade elements in order for you to effectively build good contents of
your hand during play, and to correctly identify all elements a winning hand
could produce. On the other hand, whether you have reached this high level of
experience, it is always a good practice to assess, i.e., to count the elements
of, a winning hand by applying the following steps:
(1)
Identify the basic winning hand structure of the
hand (The Coward, All Chows, All Pungs, or Seven Pairs). Where applicable, the
hand might fall within the "special winning hands" category.
(2)
Check if any elements related to "Pure"
or "Mixed" exist.
(3)
Check if there are elements involving
"Honours only", the "Pung Series" or the "Chow Series".
(4)
Add all other elements with smaller value as you
could find in groups 28.1 through 28.5 (art. 28 of the IMJ Rules).
9.
Settlement of a winning hand – In International
Mahjong, a winning hand is first assessed its grade ranking by counting the
total grade elements achieved of the hand. The ranking is represented by the
total number of FANS those grade elements could produce. We then refer to the Standard Scoring Chart of the Rules and
convert the total number of fans into SCORES. Other players (or could be just
one other player) then pay the appropriate scores to the winning player.
Details of the scoring of winning hands and settlement between players may be
found at Chapter Seven of the IMJ Rules. Below is a brief
summary of Chapter Seven:
a. Only
one player can win in each game. Article 29 has detailed stipulations in case more
than one player have declared win because of an exposed pai.
b. The
winning player may receive scores from just one player or from all three
players, depending on how the pai enabling the win is obtained. Refer to
article 30.3 for the detailed stipulations.
c. After
settlement of scores, a new game may start if the event is not at an end.
10. Notes beyond just playing – We hope this EasyPlay, together with the International Mahjong Rules ("IMJ Rules"), will bring you to the full understanding of International Mahjong! To help you explore further about International Mahjong, we have established a website called iMahjong Infoweb (iMahjong.com) where you can find lots of information about International Mahjong and other related topics. Feel free to tell friends about this online resource and refer the documentation to your readers in any of your discussions or communications about mahjong.
a. IMJ Online Resources: On the iMahjong Infoweb there is an Online Resources section where you can find useful information related to International Mahjong. In particular, you'll find full set of the International Mahjong Rules, this EasyPlay and the Grade Elements Table that are available for online viewing and download.
b. You have the questions, we have the answers: As mentioned earlier in this EasyPlay, IMJ Rules is properly maintained and managed, and is comprehensive in coverage of all steps of play. If you have any questions about IMJ Rules we are ready to answer them! Please refer to the online copy of the IMJ Rules for answers to your questions; or send us your questions via our "Contact Info" section.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTT: Images of mahjong pais were modified from the original images of the Wikipedia® website. July 1, 2006.
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