Please click here if you do not see a Nav Frame at left and Header Frame above - you'll need them!

December 11, 2005 (Year of the Rooster)

Column #244

Chinese Official Tournament Rules. Let's do some first-discard exercises. For each of the following deals, what would your first discard be, and why? My answer is in italics at the end - don't peek until you've made up your own mind. To share your thoughts, email . Discussions will be posted at sloperama.com/majexchange/bulletinbd.htm.

1. Three pairs. The hand could become pungs or pairs. Or it might not. Best to keep chows possible as well. The way to do that is to discard Wh first.
2. This one clearly wants to become a chows hand. Possibly Pure Straight, Mixed Shifted, or maybe even Mixed Triple. Same answer as before - lose the dragon.
3. The ones and nines suggest Outside Hand, or perhaps All Terminals. The wind and dragon shouldn't be thrown just yet. Throw 5D.
4. Possibly the beginnings of an All Types hand. The weakest tiles are W and 9C. Throw W.
5. Could become both All Types and Knitted Straight. The 258 will have to be in craks. 1D 4D 3C 6C are all expendable. Throw 1D for starters.
6. Two possible directions are Pure Straight (craks) and Mixed Shifted Chows. Throw any honor.
7. Options worth preserving are Outside Hand, Pure Straight, All Pungs, All Pairs. Throw 6D.
8. With exactly nine unique honors & terminals the temptation is to go for Thirteen Orphans, but it'll be rough going. You can't win them all; throw 4C and hope for the best.
9. This looks promising for a chows hand - most likely Mixed Shifted. Throw honors.
10. Lots of possibilities: Mixed Straight, Mixed Shifted Chows, Pure Straight... and with three pairs, maybe even All Pungs or All Pairs. It should be an obvious choice: N.
11. Strongly suggestive of a chows hand, probably Mixed Shifted, possibly Mixed Triple. Lose the winds.

Click the entries in the header frame, above, to read other columns.

Question about this column? See an error? Email and the discussion will be posted on the Mah-Jongg Q&A Bulletin Board.

My photos of the Third China Majiang Championship and Forum in Beijing, 2005.
The official website of the Third China Majiang Championship and Forum in Beijing, 2005.
The official website of the Open European Mahjong Championship
My photos of the 2005 OEMC
My photos of the 2003 CMOC.
My photos of the 2002 WCMJ.

Want to play Chinese Official rules on your computer? Four Winds from Lagarto & Armadillo Graphics is available at http://www.4windsmj.com.

Download Chinese Official rules for free: http://www.mahjongnews.com/comj.htm.

I've written a booklet that goes into strategy and provides a little info about some rule refinements that have occurred since the downloadable book. See http://www.sloperama.com/tour/rulebook.htm.

FAQ 22 answers the most frequently asked questions about Chinese Official scoring.

For more help with your C.O.I.R. strategy, see www.tilehog.net.

If you can read Chinese, the full and complete official rules are at http://us.mjclub.com/RulesAndScore.

© 2005 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved.