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WEEKLY MAHJONG

By Tom Sloper (湯姆·斯洛珀)

August 26, The Year Of The Pig
Column #333

Mahjong Competition Rules. Some basic strategy exercises. What's your opening strategy with this hand, and your first discard? My answer #1 is below.

You've chowed 2B. What's your next discard? See #2.

You've picked 6C. What now? See #3.

After making that play, you're waiting. Somebody throws 3B - what do you do? See #4. After making that play, you pick 3C. What's your move? See #5.

OK, next hand. what's the plan and the first discard with the below? See #6.

A few picks later here's what I had:

See #7 for what I did with the above. A couple of moves later, here's what I was holding:

Chowed 9B. What do you do now? See #8.

1. Clearly leaning towards Pure Straight. I'd just throw the sore thumb wind.

2. Look at the power in those craks, five in a row. If you throw the dot, you can have an extra point for One Voided Suit.

3. Either the 2C or the 5C can go, and you're waiting for 6B. Check the discards, see which is safer to throw - probably 2C.

4. Gotta let it pass. The hand's not worth 8 points. All Chows, One Voided Suit - that's only 3 points. Don't call the 3B, and don't even flinch when you see it!

5. You can throw either 3C or 6C. Check the floor, discard the safer.

6. Go for the easiest, most versatile hand - all chows, mixed shifted. Throw away the dragons.

7. The plan is working nicely, except now the plan has changed from mixed shifted chows to mixed triple chows. I'm throwing 3c, going for mixed triple one way or another: 678 or 789, not quite sure which.

8. I threw the 6c and was waiting for 2C. Then somebody else picked his winning tile. So close...!

麻雀

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© 2007 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved.