CODIFICATION OF TILE GAMING PRINCIPLES

Mah Jongg

DEFINITION OF SOME ESSENTIAL TERMS

Pung - three identical tiles

Kong - four identical tiles

Chow - three consecutive tiles in same suit

Mah Jongg - having four sets of three (in either pungs or chows) and a matched pair for a total of 14 tiles (each kong counts as an honorary three and adds one to the total of tiles held: each flower or season is considered a bonus and not counted in the total of tiles, merely in the scoring).

Simples - tiles in suits numbered 2 through 8

Terminals - tiles in suits numbered 1 or 9

Honours - Winds or Dragons

Limit Hand - anytime you exceed the limit score of 500. (East always pays and collects double. Therefore, East wind's Limit Hand is 1000.)

Open - tiles placed to the front of the rack because one of their number comes from someone else's discard.

Concealed - tiles still on the lower part of the rack when you or someone else Mah Jonggs because none of them were gotten from someone else's discard.

Grounded - placing tiles on the front of the rack; especially used for concealed kongs which must be put out on the front of the rack with the end tiles face down so that the player may draw a replacement tile from the tail of the wall in order to keep the hand balanced.

POINTS FOR ALL HANDS

DOUBLES FOR ALL HANDS

POINTS FOR MAH JONGG HANDS ONLY

DOUBLE FOR MAH JONGG HANDS ONLY

SPECIAL HANDS (all are Limit Hands)

1. Gift from Heaven - being dealt Mah Jongg (East only).
2. Gift from Earth - going Mah Jongg before your first turn is over (anyone except East).
3. Thirteen Noble Scholars - 1 each of all Honours and Terminals with one of those 13 paired.
4. Heavenly Twins - 7 pairs of Honours only (2 of each wind, 2 of each dragon).
5. Nine United Sons - pung of each Terminal in one suit with the 2 through 8 of same suit, one of which is paired (may not pair one of a grounded chow).
6. All Honours.
7. All Terminals (with no Honours).

Please note: All other special hands including all green, all red, etc., have been disallowed.

PENALTIES

1. False declaration of Mah Jongg - exposing tiles of an inaccurately declared Mah Jongg - declarer pays half limit (as always, East pays and collects double) to all others.
2. False claim of discarded tile - if not noticed before next player discards - player forced to keep badly matched tiles open and will not be able to Mah Jongg.
3. Hand short by one tile (fouled hand) - regularized at next turn by a draw of one tile from head of wall and one tile from tail of wall; if Mah Jongg occurs during this regularization, no bonuses awarded.
4. Hand long by one tile (fouled hand) - player does not draw on next turn and may not take another's discard until after hand is regularized.
5. Undeclared Flower or Season = 0 (No points nor benefit for Flower or Season).

END OF GAME

Upon arrival at the last tile before the block upon which the tail sits (either 7 or 8 tiles), the last player to draw plays out his turn and his discard may only go to a Mah Jongg hand.

When a "dead round" occurs (no Mah Jongg and no tiles drawable) everyone scores against each other and East wind moves to the next player.

EXTRA NOTES

A dealt Kong is replaced on your first turn (after all Flowers and Seasons have been replaced).

Books on Mah Jong

Hammer, Marcia. Learn to Play Mah Jong. (Tartan serial: Number 64). 158 pages. Paperback $5.95 (ISBN 0-679-14375-0). David McKay Co., Inc., (subsidiary of Random House Inc.), 201 E 50th St., MA 11-7, New York, NY 10022. Order from Random House, Inc., 300 Hahn Rd, Westminster, MD 21157, 800-638-6460,

Kanai, Shozo & Farrell, Margaret. Mah Jong for Beginners. LC 58-12108. (Illustrated). bds. $5.25 (ISBN 0-8048-0391-9). Charles E Tuttle Co., Inc., P O Box 410, 28 S Main St, Rutland, VT 05707-0410, 8O2-773-8930

Li, Tze-Chung. Mah Jong: The Rules for Playing the Chinese Game. 68 pages, 1981. Paperback. $6.95 (ISBN 0-937256-02-1). Chinese Culture Service, P 0 Box 44, Oak Park, IL 60603, 312-848-2210.

Lim. Willie. Mah Jong Made Easy: Standard Chinese Rules Simplified. (Illustrated). 32 Pages. 1982. $6.00 (ISBN 0-682-49850-1). Exposition-Phoenix Press, Inc., 1620 S. Federal Hwy #751. Pompano Beach. FL 33062, 305-979-3200.

Stauser, Kitty & Evans, Lucille. Mah Jong, Anyone. LB 64-16009. (Illustrated). 1964. bds. $7.95 (ISBN 0-8048-0390-0) Charles E Tuttle Co., Inc., P O Box 410, 28 S Main St, Rutland, VT 05707-0410, 8O2-773-8930

Whitney, Eleanor N. Mah Jong Handbook: How to Play, Score, & Win the Modern Game, LC 64-17162. (Illustrated). 1964. $9.95 (ISBN 0-8048-0392-7). Charles E Tuttle Co., Inc., P 0 Box 410, 28 S Main St. Rutland, VT 05707-0410, 802-773-8930.

FOR GARY LOUIE 1957-1999     This page is based on a project by Gary Louie. Gary's project was intended for use by S.C.I.F.I., L.A.S.F.S., Fandom in general, and the friends and family of Gary Louie.   The "CODIFICATION OF TILE GAMING PRINCIPLES" is used to score the game of Mah Jongg. The Rules for Mah Jongg may be found elsewhere.       Photo by Galen A. Tripp

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