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WEEKLY MAHJONG

By Tom Sloper (湯姆·斯洛珀)

June 3, The Year Of The Pig
Column #321

Mahjong Competition Rules ("Chinese Official"). As I always do when a big international tournament nears, I'm focusing my next few columns on MCR. Apologies to my readers who play only American mah-jongg. Herein, some discarding exercises. Answers in italics below. Current picked tile shown at right, except when move started with a pung.

1. As an initial deal, this shows promise as a suited hand. Bams slightly outnumber craks, but not enough to shoot for a Half-Flush hand. Divest winds or dragons.

2. Four pairs, two of them terminals. Can go for All Pungs. Throw any single. How about 7D? Maybe you can add One Voided Suit.

3. Either 7B or 9C. It hardly matters. Throw 9C.

4. Three pairs in the initial deal says "go for pairs or pungs." Might be possible to do an All Types hand, but only if you get lucky picking winds. For starters, 9B is a clear enough sore thumb.

5. I'd throw 8C, go for All Types (but perhaps I favor that hand too much).

6. Decision time. Stay for the All Types course? Or go for All Pungs? If the former, break up 1C or 3D. If the latter, throw W. Chances look better with the latter.

7. Large preponderance of bams. Throw a crak, stand ready to pung or chow at the earliest opportunity.

8. In the absence of clues among the discards, consider the seat wind and round wind. I threw S.

9. Could go for a standard chows hand. But it's also a good beginning for a knitted/honors hand. 147 in dots, probably 369 in bams. I'd throw 9D for starters.

10. The 4B can go. It's still looking like 369 in bams and 258 in craks. Keep picking lucky...

麻雀

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