How to Play Riichi Mahjong

Set up Riichi Mah Jong tiles facing away from the center and towards the player .

Riichi Mah Jong is the Japanese version of Mah Jong, a game originally from China that has developed several distinct styles. Not to be confused with Mah Jong solitaire, Riichi Mah Jong is a four player strategy game played with a set of tiles.

Things You'll Need

• Four players
• Table
• Riichi Mah Jong set
• Dice

Instructions

Finding the Right Riichi Mah Jong Set

1. 

   Riichi Mah Jong tiles come in three suites of nine, bamboo, circles and characters.

   Find a set that contains at least 136 tiles. There will be four complete sets of tiles, one for each player, as well as four wind tiles and three dragon tiles in a complete set of Riichi Mah Jong tiles.

2. Some sets come with flower, season or joker tiles; these are not used in Riichi Mah Jong. Use only the four directional tiles, the three dragon tiles and the tiles with bamboo, circle and character markings. Set aside any additional tiles.

3. Mix the remaining tiles well and divide them up evenly among the players.

4. Seat one player on each side of the table. Assign players "direction" or "honor" tiles. The first player in the first game is east. Going right, the following players are "south", "west" and "north."

Set Up the Game

1. Build a square with the tiles 17 tiles long on each side and two tiles high.

2. 

   Roll dice to decide where to break the Riichi Mah Jong wall.

   Break the square by removing two stacks each after "east" rolls the dice and counts off counterclockwise, beginning with themselves.

3. Take stacks in turn until there are six stacks left for each player.

4. Collect playing tiles from the remaining six stacks. "East" takes two of their own tiles, each other player takes one. Continue this pattern until each player has 13 tiles, except "east", who takes 14 tiles.

Play the Game

1. Start the game by discarding from the "east" player's tiles. Place the discarded tiles in front of the "east" player face up for all other players to see.

2. Moving counterclockwise, each player discards a tile and claims the most recently discarded tile or takes one from the unused tiles. (Reference 6)

3. Win the game by collecting four sets of three and one matching pair. Sets can consist of three consecutive tiles in a specific set or exact matches of four tiles.

4. Calculate mini-points based on tile collections used to win.

5. Rotate "east" position, or dealer position, counterclockwise. Begin a new round when the dealer, or "east", position reaches the original dealer.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider joining a Riichi Mah Jong club to get the most out of game play and improve your skills.

References

• Beginner's Guide to Riichi Mahjong
• Mahjong Time Riichi Competition Rules
• "The New York Times"; Recalling the Craze for a Game of Chance; Steve Heller; October 2010
• Japanese Mahjong Flash Game
• Mahjong Time - Riichi Competition Rules page 2
• Mahjong Time - Riichi Competition Rules page 3