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I recently started playing mahjong (the japane version, called riichii i think?)

I think i am starting to understand the basics rules but there is something that bothers me. Why is that situation not a win?




I ve read some faq and stuff, and i think that it is because i apperently need a yaku, in order to win. But i dont understand what is a yaku. Even though i tried to understand. Can anyone explains me ?

Thanks a lot (:

Yaku are a series of hand combinations and situations (like riichi itself); you can find the list according to EMA rules at the end of this manual: https://www.ermc2019.com/wp-content/upl ... 016-EN.pdf.

Your hand would have a yaku if you declared riichi, or if you had another triple instead of , since having four triples and a pair is a yaku.

Thanks @mauro
I think i am getting it better now. I am gonna spend some time reading the list of yaku.

Thank you for the reply ^^

Thank you @mauro

Ok i think i am getting it now. Imma read the list of yaku and figure that out

Thanks a lot for the reply ^^

On the topic of what other yaku you were close to, here's another one. If you had instead of you would have been able to win, since having all the pieces to be numbered between 2 and 8 (both inclusive) is a yaku.

In some other Mahjong variants, you can win simply by getting 4 sets/sequences + 1 pair. However, in Japanese ("Riichi") Mahjong, not only you have to get 4 sets/sequences + 1 pair, but you also have to satisfy at least one of “yaku” conditions.

If you can prepare you hand for winning with 4 sets/sequences + 1 pair just by collecting tiles, without stealing a single tile from other players, then you will be able to declare “riichi”. Winning with declared “riichi” already gives you a “yaku”, so in this case there is no problem. You can pick the winning tile by yourself or get it from another player.

But if you start stealing other players’ tiles then “riichi” will not work. You will need some other “yaku”. The most practically useful “yaku” are following:

• a set of “dragons” (中 or 發 or the blank tile). This will always work.

• a set of “winds” (E東 or S南 or W西 or N北). This will only work if it is your “seat wind” or if it is the current “round wind”, otherwise it will not. If it is a computer game, it should display E or S somewhere, most likely in the middle of the table, which would be the “round wind”. The "round wind" is the same for all the players. Also, it should display E, S, W, N as the “seat winds” of each player. Each player has a different "seat wind".

• “tanyao”: no dragons, no winds, no “1”, no “9”. All the tiles are between “2” and “8” only.

• “honitsu”: only one suit + dragons and/or winds. For example, a set of South and everything else is bamboos. If you manage to get everything one suit without dragons/winds at all (for example, everything is bamboos only), this will be “chinitsu”, which is even better (will give you a lot of points).

You may wish to keep in mind also those, but they happen less often:

• “chitoitsu”: instead of 4 sets/sequences + 1 pair, your hand is 7 different pairs; you will obviously have to pick them up by yourself

• “toitoi”: no sequences at all; the hand is 4 sets + 1 pair

• “chanta”: every set/sequence/pair in your hand has a dragon or a wind or a “1”or a “9” in it.

There are also other "yaku", but they will only become useful for you later, when you start thinking about how to win more points, not just how to win.

I see thank you @aferee

(And sry about that double post )

Thank you a lot for these explanations @lxa_ it is actually much more clearer for me now. Indeed, it is more useful for me at the moment to learn how to win.
I wasn't waiting so much precision so thanks )

We were at the same spot one time, don't worry. A good tip is this: Don't call a tile just because you can. If you don't have a yaku in mind, you may end up without one, as with the original hand there.

Once you get comfortable in knowing how to win, you can start thinking about learning how not to lose, which is harder.