Pinfu Details

[Torgo]

I'm gearing up for my first riichi session this weekend, and I have a question about pinfu.

Gamedesign says "must be waiting two tiles", mahjong.wikidot.com says "two-sided wait", as does mahjongclub.com; while EMA Riichi rules say "winning tile is required to finish a chow with a two-sided wait", as does Mahjongtime.com.

So my question is how is it really played?
1. Everyone plays that you need to have your pair in your hand, and the winning tile must finish a two-sided sequence.
2. Everyone plays that you need to have a two-sided wait, meaning 2-3-4-5 in hand and winning by finishing a two-sided wait for your pair is OK, as well
3. Some places play each of those ways.

Thanks

[Shirluban]

Answer: 1. Everyone plays that you need to have your pair in your hand, and the winning tile must finish a two-sided sequence.

The principle of pin-fu is to do NOT have any fu (mini-points), except the 20/30 fu for going out.

If you have 2-3-4-5 and win with the 2 or 5 for the pair, you earn 2 fu. So it's not pinfu.

The only wait which didn't give any fu is a two-sided sequence, also called a ryanmen.
For example: 4-5 waiting on the 3 for 3-4-5, or the 6 for 4-5-6.
You also need to have a value-less pair, i.e. a pair of a suit tile or of a value-less wind (neither the wind of the round nor your personal wind).

The 2 fu for self-draw are not counted in case of pinfu, so you can have menzen tsumo + pinfu.

[Torgo]

Thank you very much for the explanation so far. I understand, but still don't like the language.

The one source of somewhat rigorous rules I've so far found in English, the EMA rules, states that single wait is waiting to finish the pair. That may be the case, but I'd suggest that it then has a bad name - "pair wait" would be better. Seems to me "single wait" should mean waiting for a single tile. (Oh, I do know that what I think words should mean is often irrelevant in mahjong!)

Single wait in MCR means you are waiting for one specific tile to finish your pair, which to me makes more sense, and the rules specifically disallow a point for a two-ended pair wait.

I guess only a mahjong historian would know why the words were adopted.

[Rosti]

I'm pretty sure the correct answer is 3, and at best that the more commonly played option is that in 1.

I think that with any ambiguity in the rules of mahjong you'll find different groups will play each interpretation. I for one am quite used to playing where any wait on two tiles is deemed OK for pinfu, regardless of the specifics involved in the wait.

[Referee]

It boils down on how the fu calculation is defined. It says: Tanki 2 pts. and 2345 results in Tanki. 22 345 or 234 55, in both cases the winning tile is in the pair.

Of course fu calculation can't take into account all the possible combinations. If it just said Single Wait 2 pts, then 2345 would lead to Pinfu. Note that 2344 is pinfu.

[Torgo]

It boils down on how the fu calculation is defined. It says: Tanki 2 pts.

Thank you for the tip, Referee. What is "it" in your case?