a3geffen's Hints and Pointers – Time

There are quite a number of manuals on the basics of how to play a game of mahjong. The amount on strategy and tactics however is limited. Mahjong Time has asked Adrie van Geffen (a3geffen) to share his views in that territory. In the year 2011 he will publish a series of articles with hints and pointers having to do with strategy of mahjong in the different styles (except American): Hong Kong (HK); European Classic (EC); Mahjong Competition Rules (MCR); Riichi Competition Rules (RCR); Taiwanese (TW). Below part 10 – Time.

A complete game of mahjong consists of a certain amount of hands to be played. In RCR two rounds (East and South) are played, thus a minimum of 8 hands. Other styles have a minimum of 16 hands (in MCR that amount is fixed). Playing tournaments IRL with sufficient time to play full games resulted in a long waiting time for those players that were fast and had no extra hands to play after wins by East. Organizers of tournaments weighed the pro’s and con’s and nowadays rounds usually have a set time, mostly not enough to complete a full game.

Mahjong Time has fixed time schedules in tournaments as well. A good thing for all kinds of reasons, like very big scores that cannot be beaten anymore; drop out players substituted by Jerry; temporary absence for physical needs; etcetera. These are also reasons why few tables are set up to complete a full game. By setting these time limits a new element is introduced which can lead to some annoyance at the table: the clock.

Keeping an eye on the clock, which is not very difficult for the screen tells you how much time is left, can be used in several ways. An obnoxious one is stalling. A player can wait out the full time he has available, and even more when extra time has been bought. This will soon lead to understandable and just complains. That doesn’t only happens on line but in live tournaments as well. Stalling by a Chinese player, very fast all the time but suddenly at the end, with him in the lead, ‘thinking’ for over 40 seconds to move, lead to some bickering at the table at the World Championship MCR 2010. No need to speak the same vocal language to make clear this was not appropriate behavior. And it’s not the right way to use the clock.

A better one to use the clock is, when in the lead, not to mind your own hand but discard only safe tiles. It may be completely against your natural striving for making a good winning hand, but you have to mind the bigger picture: win the game. Your fellow players won’t notice it immediately and you stay well within what is allowed. Checking the archives may reveal you defensive play but there are no ground for complaints. You have to practice for this kind of play against your gut feelings, but it may prevent you from discarding the winning tile in the last minute and lose the game with a waiting hand that just didn’t make it.

Written by
Adrie van Geffen

homepage: http://homepages.ipact.nl/~geffen

a3geffen's Hints and Pointers – Big Hands

There are quite a number of manuals on the basics of how to play a game of mahjong. The amount on strategy and tactics however is limited. Mahjong Time has asked Adrie van Geffen (a3geffen) to share his views in that territory. In the year 2011 he will publish a series of articles with hints and pointers having to do with strategy of mahjong in the different styles (except American): Hong Kong (HK); European Classic (EC); Mahjong Competition Rules (MCR); Riichi Competition Rules (RCR); Taiwanese (TW). Below part 9 – Big hands.

Some players will play mahjong at the same level they have learned it and will never progress. Intrigued by the high scoring patterns like Four Winds or Thirteen Orphans they will go for it every time and never tire of it. Once in a while they make it and their day is made. Talk of the town for several days, mostly by themselves and pretty frustrating for the advanced player who is working hard to get some points, especially when sitting with three opponents of the like. Not seldom a game with two or three players striving for an obvious special hand will end in a draw. And when it ends successful it’s a knockout: over and done with, no fun. The curse of the Winds and Dragons.

With lots of patterns to go for, trying to get Thirteen Orphans in MCR is actually quite a good starting point. Depending on what you draw from the wall it is easy to downgrade to Knitted Tiles or All Terminals and Honors. Mostly you will end up with an All Types hand with a pung of Dragons, Seat Wind or Prevalent Wind to obtain the necessary 8 points minimum.

The downfall of the game however is, especially with HK, that discards of Winds and Dragons is saved for last. Either late pungs are made or the game ends in a draw when players realize that discarding fresh Dragons and Winds in the end may be costly and they suddenly get in the defense mode. Also TW style games may suffer from this kind of strategy too.

Looking further than the big scores with special hands, in MCR and RCR high scores can be achieved in other ways than that. In MCR the combination of patterns can be vast and build up to quite large numbers. In RCR a hand of chows of all simples, with Riichi declaration, may easily pass the 10,000 points. The chance of getting one of those is vastly larger than trying for the single wait for a tile everyone knows you need. Instead of showing skill such a player trusts on luck. Sometimes it will work, most times not. And when it does, don’t count on a ‘wd’ from me for I don’t think it is an achievement. (Sideline for some players having addressed me about this: some think that ‘wd’ (well done) is a mandatory remark. Not for me. When a hand is accomplished by sheer luck, especially self drawn single waits, I will go no further than ‘nh’ (nice hand) or ‘gj’ (good job). I hardly ever compliment someone with a ‘wd’ and certainly not in the blind. I check if there is some merit to it or not. In live games btw such a remark is hardly ever heard.)

In the end going for big hands alone will not pay off. Initially the discards will reveal such ambitions. Later on a mentally note will be made that you’re doing it. I’ve got several names in my head and when possible I will avoid them. Or, like in tournaments when unavoidable, I will either crush them or curse them loudly at my computer screen. Or both.

Written by
Adrie van Geffen

homepage: http://homepages.ipact.nl/~geffen

a3geffen's Hints and Pointers – to kong or not to kong

There are quite a number of manuals on the basics of how to play a game of mahjong. The amount on strategy and tactics however is limited. Mahjong Time has asked Adrie van Geffen (a3geffen) to share his views in that territory. In the year 2011 he will publish a series of articles with hints and pointers having to do with strategy of mahjong in the different styles (except American): Hong Kong (HK); European Classic (EC); Mahjong Competition Rules (MCR); Riichi Competition Rules (RCR); Taiwanese (TW). Below part 8 – To kong or not to kong

All too often I sit at a table and hear 'Kong' and all too often I wonder: 'Why?'. This is especially the case is the pung isn't exposed yet.
It seems that a lot of players underestimate the amount of information that is revealed to the other players when a set is melded. Claiming a tile to 'promote' a concealed pung to kong is in most instances just a show off and not helping. Apart from EC, where you get double points compared to pungs, in no other style the points weigh out the information revealed. Color, all pungs, tile no longer available for players: too much to risk. A consideration both IRL as on MJT is to hamper a player calling 'chow' which one can overrule with a kong. Otherwise it's hardly of any use.

What is more is that a lot of times neighboring tiles are the ones to be discarded after the kong is claimed. Those tiles often prove to be on the list of tiles to discard next for other players too: you are the one that knows that the discarded and adjacent tile is no longer available but to you which gives you opportunity to use the pung you have for three chows with them. If not then you still have got a concealed pung worth something. And when things get tougher and you manage to make only one chow you have either a closing pair available or possibly two safe tiles to discard.

Another way of playing should be taken into consideration. If you have adjacent tiles to you pung in hand you'd do well to think about making a pung when the fourth is discarded for you to claim. You stay in color and the chances that you can make a chow, using that fourth tile you already have, could be profitable. If necessary you can always promote your melded pung to a kong. Of course beware if you have punged while another player claimed a chow on that tile. That's something you should keep in mind as well as having a close check on the discards of that player. You don't want to lose by having your kong robbed.

As usual RCR makes making kongs even more dangerous. Or profitable. Another dora indicator tile will be turned and you should be quite convinced of your own victory to do such a thing. You should have a chance to make mahjong on the replacement tile after making the kong (which goes for more styles) but also you have to consider if the dora indicator could be profitable for you. Are lower adjacent tiles to you own still available to be turned up?

Personally I'm not much of a konger. As said: hardly of any use. Unless of course in RCR and there are already the game shows 3 kongs already. Usually I will be happy to make the fourth kong to end the nightmare immediately.

Written by
Adrie van Geffen

homepage: http://homepages.ipact.nl/~geffen

a3geffen's Hints and Pointers – first discard

There are quite a number of manuals on the basics of how to play a game of mahjong. The amount on strategy and tactics however is limited. Mahjong Time has asked Adrie van Geffen (a3geffen) to share his views in that territory. In the year 2011 he will publish a series of articles with hints and pointers having to do with strategy of mahjong in the different styles (except American): Hong Kong (HK); European Classic (EC); Mahjong Competition Rules (MCR); Riichi Competition Rules (RCR); Taiwanese (TW). Below part 7 – first discard

You are (sitting) at East and you have fourteen tiles. The question has been put to me: which should be discarded? The one sentence obvious answer to this is of course: ‘That depends’.
Logical subsequent question: ‘On what?’

There are several aspects to take into account: your chances to make mahjong; near sets; scoring chances; flexibility; defense; variant (or style). And perhaps some more.
When you are playing EC then everything goes. But you will take into account that winds and dragons score more heavily than other sets. Therefore you will discard a loose tile, one not
immediately to be used in a pung or chow. In HK you will have to take other
things in consideration. Playing for half flush is popular if not necessary.
Discarding a color gives information to your opponents. Besides that players
tend to copy discards which will mean that in the end everyone is on the same
color and using valuable winds and dragons to complete the half flush hand.
Chances on how you will get your 3 fan are becoming important. So you will have
to check the distribution of flowers immediately. Next thing is the check on
your winds and dragons: are you going for a hand with a pung of them or not. If
so, then choose your color. Is it a hand with lots of doubles then go for all
pungs or 7 pairs. The loose tile is the one to discard, preferably a colored
tile between 2 and 8. When the player next chows, that will be valuable
information (half flush, all chows with flowers or self drawn). Playing TW you
have the same problem and the same solution, albeit that in TW the chances that
a discard will be chowed are a little higher. More tiles to make sets with and
only 3 points required in the hand to make mahjong (other 3 points are
automatically available for making mahjong and having none or one flower).

RCR and MCR hang on patterns. But RCR gives the opportunity to make the demanded yaku by getting a pung of seat wind, prevalent wind or a dragon. Usually one or more players are waiting for that chance, although the score will be low most of the time. (As a note:
the one who can use this wind or dragon may be wise not to do so immediately but
wait for the last one to be discarded; besides that the pair could be used as
closing eyes or even as safe discards further on in the game). In MCR the number
of combinations with winds and dragons is limited and pungs of them certainly
limit the flexibility. Also from defensive point of view – showing your
opponents which way you are going – the early discards will be dragons and
winds, both in RCR and MCR. If another player claims them then you at least you
know you haven’t waited for a next one in vain, you have information about what
your opponents are up to and you haven’t discarded it to find out it was the
winning tile. So whenever in doubt what to throw first: lose the dragons and
winds, especially those that will give less (MCR) or no (RCR)
score.

a3geffen's Hints and Pointers - exclusion rule MCR

There are quite a number of manuals on the basics of how to play a game of mahjong. The amount on strategy and tactics however is limited. Mahjong Time has asked Adrie van Geffen (a3geffen) to share his views in that territory. In the year 2011 he will publish a series of articles with hints and pointers having to do with strategy of mahjong in the different styles (except American): Hong Kong (HK); European Classic (EC); Mahjong Competition Rules (MCR); Riichi Competition Rules (RCR); Taiwanese (TW). Below part 6 – exclusion rule MCR

Although it is basic what has become to know as the exclusion rule in MCR, it appears to be difficult for some to understand and for some instructors hard to explain. Some players think they should have one point more than they calculated themselves. The chat room of Mahjong Time does not suffice for explanation and not every player is able to give it. It’s quite an important rule for it could mean that you make a false mahjong being one point short for reaching the minimum of eight.

An example: B123 C456 D789 B789 EE

There is a combination making a mixed straight worth 8 points. Then you have B789 which combines with D789 for a mixed double chow and with B123 for terminal chows. You may however only make one combination count for 1 point. It’s your choice which combination, but still only one.

The trick is that you have to be able to put the sets in one row and connect them when scoring. This is one-dimensional: one straight row and a dash (‘-‘) between the scoring elements and each connection (or dash) can only be used once for counting. No overlapping or long lines. The hand above could be represented as: B123-C456-D789-B789. No link between B123 and B789. If you want that, then you get D789-C456-B123-B789, but then of course there is no link anymore between D789 and B789.

Now consider a hand like: B123 C234 D345 B456 EE.

You can form mixed shifted chows in two ways. But then you would use the link between C234-D345 twice, which is not allowed. The right ways of representing this hand is either B456-B123-C234-D345 EE or C234-D345-B456-B123 EE. Six points for mixed shifted chows and one point for short straight.

Check out the next representations of hands and see what you can make of them:

C456-B456-C123-D789 EE

B345-B345-C345 777 EE

Written by Adrie van Geffen
homepage: http://homepages.ipact.nl/~geffen