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WEEKLY MAH-JONG

By Tom Sloper (湯姆)

June 18, The Year Of The Dog
Column #271

Chinese Official Tournament Rules. Calling exercises. For each of the following hands, what possible discards are you willing to call (for chow, pung, or kong)? My answers below. If you see something I've missed (and you probably will), email me and we'll discuss on the bulletin board.

1. All Types. The pung of G means your minimum 8 is in the bag; no need to kong it and give clues. Call 4C, 7C, 2B if discarded by your upper seat. 7C gives you a point for Mixed Double Chow.

2. It's tempting to go for Pure Straight, but until and unless something shows up in the upper three, I wouldn't force it. Take 4C or 7C if they come along, and whatever you do, don't get rid of 6D. Could become Mixed Shifted or even Mixed Triple (chows, of course).

3. Don't call anything. This strongly indicates a knitted and honors hand, and you need to stay concealed.

4. If it's early in the game, this could well become Seven Pairs. I wouldn't call anything. See what comes in.

5. Call 6B and 4D. Make Mixed Triple Chows for sure. The 4th set will probably be 789B.

6. Pung 5C, 6B, and S. Do kong the 6D for the extra point (you'll probably need it to make your minimum 8, unless you're in the South seat or it's the South round). Besides, with All Pungs, nobody can tell what you need anyway.

7. I wouldn't call anything until this one starts looking like something. Will probably want to make Mixed Shifted Chows (around the lower four, not the upper three) and lose the reds and the lone nines... depending.

8. Mixed Triple Chows or at least Mixed Shifted Chows. Call 2C, 4B. I wouldn't pung or kong 4C (better to make this All Chows if you can... and you probably can).

麻雀

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