MahjongTime

Thursday, March 10, 2011

a3geffen's Hints and Pointers - 1-4-7 rule

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
write something 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 5 – 1-4-7 rule

In RCR the 1-4-7 rule is called a rule but is really just an indication of a rule. For the other variations it’s a rule of thumb with an extra as reminder in MCR. Just get the name 1-4-7 in your head and don’t lose it.

The name of the rule derives from the possibilities of making mahjong on 2-3-4-5-6 in your hand. Three ways to go: 1, 4 or 7. A choice had to be made and it became 1-4-7, but the same applies to 2-5-8 and 3-6-9. Just a shift of one position. The 1-4-7 rule is part of getting a no win hand in RCR and being furiten. If you are waiting for a chow with 2-3 and you have already discarde the 1 yourself, you are not allowed to claim the 4 for a winning hand. If you have the combination of five with a three way waiting hand you are also not allowed to claim the 7 for a win. Perhaps better to give that ‘furiten’ a full page in the future…

For now it suffices to get the term in your head. Time is limited to make your move and this mind sticker can be very helpful. Earlier I suggested you to wait with chowing and punging and watch de development in your hand just by taking tiles from the wall. Although it doesn’t generate many points in EC, a style where mostly anything goes, it may pay off in the end. And that is because waiting will give you more opportunities to go out. Getting a sequence as 3-4-5-6-7 gives you a waiting hand (when the rest is formed) for 3 different tiles (2-5-8) of which ideally there are still 11 available. But it is also important for your flexibility and not losing turns by claiming a tile you later pick up yourself. The sequence of five tiles could be very useful to get a larger target for a closing pair if you are still looking for it. Four ways to get the eyes and if you pick the five you will have two full chows. Something to treasure.

In MCR there is a weird combination that scores quite some points: knitted tiles. In three different colours you need all (for a straight) or most in combinations 1-4-7, 2-5-8 and 3-6-9. As a personal note: I played this one during the 2nd Chinese Open in Hong Kong and the Chinese players were baffled. That was back in 2004 when the rules were played but not everyone was fully accustomed to them. Nowadays it is more common as a target to aim for. For me it is the first thing to look at when I turn my hand at the start. An initial looking-like-junk hand could well be just two or three tiles from victory.

For those wondering why many players simply discard Dragons and Winds early on: you have the most chances to make mahjong with a chow hand than otherwise. Better to save a the 4 or 7 when you have 4-5-6-7 than to save a single Dragon or Wind hoping to get more to make a pung. The pattern builders in RCR and MCR will discard them happily while the point collectors in TW, HK and EC will sit on them like hens on eggs. Adapting strategy from one style to another is something to to be cautious about. When three players at my table use HK strategy in MCR (pung, pung, pung), well then you have me. And I will curse them. Because then 1-4-7 in my mind has no use. Or…last tile, robbing a kong? Beware: 1-4-7 is powerful!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

a3geffen's Hints and Pointers - Flower power

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
write something 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 4 – Flower power.

A normal mahjong set contains 144 tiles to play with. Some styles however don’t use all of them. When you go to play Sichuan style all dragons, winds and flowers are left out. Watch out when buying a mahjong set in that area for the style is so popular that most of the sets for sale there don’t even contain these tiles, which makes the set a lot cheaper. But otherwise the odd ones out are the flower tiles. EC and RCR are played without them.

In other styles flowers play a more or less important part. In HK you have to be aware. Tournaments are played on MJT with a minimum of 8 points, being 3 fan. You must be able to distinct the flowers and seasons for only those belonging to your seat gives you a fan. When you play for all chows (1 fan) and you get a flower tile not your own, you are in trouble. To prevent picking an unwanted flower from the wall the common strategy is to chow always, even if you already have the tile: claim it and discard the one you have. Of course only when not all flowers are on the table yet. Then why play for all chows then? This of course has to do with chances. The chances to pick up the right tile when you are waiting double sided for the finishing chow has 8 possible tiles. When playing with pungs you only have 4 tiles available. And all this makes going for half flush very popular, albeit that once you have opened up a set your opponents will get careful.

As an important factor of luck in TW every flower tile counts, as well as the absence of flowers. The minimum required in tournaments is 6 points (or tai). Winning is 2 and one or no flowers is 1 tai. So the counting starts with three to go. That any extra flower gives you an extra point helps a lot. Having four flower tiles means that you can win on anything. Keeping an eye on the amount of flower tiles you have managed to get is therefore quite crucial.

In MCR the flower tiles are regarded as bonus points. In terms of getting the required minimum of 8 points this is true. But there is more to them. In other styles you are required to put out your flower tile and take a replacement tile. Not in MCR. The Chinese official rules have quite a lot of punishments which are not so obvious when you are playing on MJT. For several reasons the hand of a player can be called ‘dead’ which means that the game continues but the player with the dead hand cannot make mahjong anymore. Reasons to get a dead hand are for example: having too many or few tiles (no restoration allowed) or taking a tile from the wrong end of the wall He is out of the race, but has to continue playing and thus discarding. Because the discarder of the winning tile pays one has to be cautious what to discard. In the case of a dead hand, when drawing a flower tile, the move is obvious: discard it! But you can also do this when tiles are getting dangerous. It is good to win, but much worse to be the loser.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

a3geffen's Hints and Pointers - Levels of play

You’ve learned the basic rules and the fun can start. When you play with real tiles then the basics include setting up the walls, go through the rituals of what each ones seat wind is, breaking up the wall, getting your tiles and get the show on the road. You know what pungs, chows and kongs are and basically how to get a winning hand. When playing on Mahjong Time and having paid your membership fees you will get a rating and by that a ranking. But does that show how good you really are? EC is the simplest variety that can be played. There is no miminum of doubles (which should be quite easy to implement) and that means that everything goes. It is a good style to get familiar with the basics. And you only have to check you are not waiting for a tile that is no longer available. HK, with a minimum of 3 fan, and TW, with a minimum of 6 points, require some more insight. But the possibilities are however limited. Going for pungs of winds and dragons and playing for half or full flush is in HK obvious. TW, with 16 tiles, hasn’t many scoring combinations either, but like HK you will not only have to check on your own tiles but keep a closer eye on what is discarded by others.
A lot more thought is involved when playing MCR and RCR. The first mostly because of the flexibility in forming patterns, keeping open the options and being able to switch for another pattern to get to the 8 points minimum. The second mostly because of the ‘furiten’ rule and the need to play defense. Not only do you need to know what you are doing with your own hand but you also have to be alert on what the other players are doing. You want to win, but you certainly don’t want to be the discarder of the winning tile. Not only being flexible is important but also the ability to lose as little as you can, probably even by breaking up you hand in order not to discard the winning tile and maybe go for a draw. Quite often even the last tile thrown is claimed for winning when it could be prevented easily, just not to break up what is built. But the real weighing should be (in RCR): am I willing to pay 3000 points for being the only one not waiting or do I take the risk and discard a tile that will cost me as much as 24000 points?

The level you play mahjong isn’t just how high you are ranked in a variety. When you have achieved a top 10 ranking in EC, HK or TW it is time for you to look at MCR and RCR. That is where the real challenge for you brain lies. But if you’re not up to that, or you don’t wish to put in that much concentration, then stick to what you know. On the other hand: if you play MCR and RCR but you can’t get beyond punging and going for all melded, please consider taking up EC, HK or TW. You may find that those styles suit you better than the intricate play of patterns and defense.

Written by
Adrie van Geffen

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

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Compete in 'All Dragon' Tournaments and win Mahjong sets!

Overview: For the next five weeks Mahjong Time will offer additional prizes to the winners of 'All Dragon' Tournaments. Everyone can participate in the tournament but only Premium and VIP Members will be eligible to convert the Dragon Chips won at the tournament for Mahjong sets.

Tournament Schedule and Time:
First week(Jan 29th, 2011): MCR - 'All Dragons' Tournament