The International Game
Jeux
Mah-Jongg

The International Game is the International version of the Chinese classical Mah Jongg. Its comprehensive set of game rules and the selected valid patterns (grade elements) are developed based on the games play of Cantonese, Shanghai and Taiwan mah jongg.

There's more than one version of the International game; the only differences between versions are the number of selected grade elements and the scoring.

The general winning hand structure is the same: four sets and a pair, or seven pairs.

Terminologies

The circle tiles

The bamboo tile

The character tile

East Wind

South Wind

West Wind

North Wind

Red Dragon

Green Dragon

White Dragon

Chow
A sequential set

Pung
Three identical tiles

Kong
Four identical tiles

Winning Elements and Fan

Similar to the Cantonese game, the number of Fans awarded to a winning hand is the total score value of the valid elements contained in the hand, with the exception of "Special Winning Hand" (SWH), a winning hand that contains a particular combination of tiles.

The winner is awarded a fixed number of Fans (The maximum Fans agreed by the players before the game) and can not be accumulated with value of other grade elements.

1. The Heaven (SWH) Fans 10
The winning tile is the first (14th) tile self-drawn by the dealer.

2. The Earth (SWH) Fans 10
The winning tile is the first tile discarded by the dealer.

3. All Concealed Pungs (SWH) Fans 10
A winning hand consists of four concealed Pungs and a set of eyes. (Do not declare Kong if you draw the fourth identical tile of any Pung; discard it.)

4. Seven Consecutive Pairs (SWH) Fans 10
A winning hand consists of seven consecutive pairs of any one suit; the winning tile can be self-drawn or one discarded by any player.

5. Nine Gates (SWH) Fans 10
A concealed hand consists of tiles numbered 1112345678999, of any one suit, plus one tile of any number.

6. Seven Flowers (SWH) Fans 3
Seven Flower tiles Warning to other players: In the event that a player is displaying six Flower tiles on the table, if you should draw the seventh Flower tile, keep it in your playing hand, to avoid it being taken for the win.

7. Eight Flowers (SWH) Fans 10
If a player already has seven Flowers and draws the eighth Flower.

When a player already has seven Flower tiles but decides not to declare the win immediately, preferring to wait for the eighth Flower tile for a higher Fans hand, the player forfeits the right to declare the seven Flower tiles winning hand.

Warning to other players: In the event that a player is displaying seven Flower tiles on the table, if you should draw the eighth Flower tile, keep it in your playing hand, to prevent it being taken for the win.

8. Seven Isolated Stars (SWH) Fans 10
One each of all the seven Honors tiles plus seven Isolated tiles in the specific sequence of 147, 258, 369 of three suits

9. Thirteen Orphans (SWH) Fans 10
One each of all the Honors tile plus nos. 1 and 9 of all three suits and any one matching tile for the eye

10. Four Kongs (SWH) Fans 10
When a player makes four consecutive Kongs in a row

11. Chicken Hand 1/2 Fan
A winning hand consists of Chow and Pung

12. All Chows 1 Fan
An all Chows hand

13. All Pungs 4 Fans
An all Pungs hand

14. Seven Pairs
A concealed hand consists of seven pairs of any suits. A concealed Kong can be counted as two sets.

15. Pure Terminals (SWH) Fans 10
An all terminals Pungs hand or an all terminals pairs hand

16. Terminals and Honors Fans 4
A mixed terminals Pungs and Honors hand

17. Pure Honors (SWH) Fans 10
An all Honors pairs hand or all Honors Pungs hand

18. Pure One Suit Fans 8
Pure one suit hand (any suit)

19. Mixed One Suit Fans 4
Mixed Honors and one suit hand

20. Five In All Fans 4
Each set consists of at least one number 5 tile and the pair.



21. Terminal In All and Honors Fans 4
Mixed terminal Chow, Pung and Honors tiles

22. All Types Fans 2
All three suits plus Wind and Dragon

23. Big Four Winds Fans 10
Four Winds Pungs



24. Little Four Winds Fans 8
Three Winds Pungs plus a pair of Winds



25. Big Three Dragons Fans 10
Three Dragons Pungs

26. Little Three Dragons Fans 6
Two Dragon Pungs plus one Dragon Pair



27. Pung of Dragons Fans 1
Each Dragon Pung

28. Seat Wind Fans 1
The tile of the Wind coincides with the player's seating.

29. Round Wind Fans 10
The tile of the Wind coincides with the Round of the ongoing game.

1st Round : East Wind


2nd Round : South Wind


3rd Round : West Wind


4th Round : North Wind

30. Four Jumping Pungs Fans 8
Four Pungs in one suit, with each Pung jumping one number up from its lower set



31. Pure Jumping Pungs Fans 4
Three Pungs in one suit, with each Pung jumping one number up from its lower set

32. Three Matching Pungs Fans 8
Three Identical Pungs of any number

33. Mixed Jumping Pungs Fans 4
Three Pungs in three suits, with each Pung jumping one number up from its lower set

34. Four Identical Chows Fans 10
Four Identical Chows of any one suit



35. Four Stepping Chows Fans 8
Four Chows in one suit, with each Chow stepping one number up from its lower set



36. Three Identical Chows Fans 3
Three identical Chows of any one suit

37. Pure Stepping Chows Fans 3
Three Chows in one suit, with each chow stepping one number up from its lower set



38. Three Matching Chows Fans 2
Three Identical Chows of three suits



39. Mixed Stepping Chows Fans 2
Three Chows in three suits, with each Chow stepping one number up from its lower set

40. Pure Straight Nine Fans 2
1 to 9 of any one suit



41. Mixed Straight Nine Fans 2
Three Chows in three suits and in the sequence of 1 through 9

42. From The Floor Fans 0
The winning tile is a discard.

43. From The Wall Fans 1
The winning tile is self-drawn.

44. Robbing The Kong Fans 1
The winning tile is the fourth identical tile when adding to an exposed Pung to declare a Kong by any player.

45. From Final Draw Fans 1
The winning tile is a last tile drawn from the wall.

46. From Final Exposed Fans 1
The winning tile is the last discarded tile.

47. On First Kong Fans 1
The winning tile is drawn from the tail of the wall immediately after a Kong is declared.

48. On Second Kong Fans 4
When a player declares a Kong and draws a replacement tile from the tail of the wall, if the replacement tile is the fourth identical tile of another Pung, the player declares Kong a second time, and the replacement tile is the winning tile.

49. On Third Kong Fans 10
Same situation as "On Second Kong" but this time the winning tile is the third tile drawn from the tail of the wall after the Third Kong is declared.

50. All Pickups Fans 1
An all exposed hand, and the winning tile is a discarded tile.

51. Self Help Fans 2
A concealed hand, and the winning tile is self-drawn.

52. Clear Front Fans 1
A concealed hand, but the winning tile is a discard by other player.

53. No Flower Fans 1
Absence of Flower tile

54. Chance Flower Fans 1
Flower tile that coincides with the seating of the player

55. Full Set of Flowers Fans 2
Full set of four Flowers

Sample of Winning Hands

If the winning hand is through a self-drawn tile or robbed Kong add 1 Fan.

When the chicken hand contains any grade element or the winning tile is self-drawn the 1/2 fan will not be counted.

Paying the Winner

WINNING TILE

Self-drawn All players pay 1 Full Score
Discarded Discarder pays 1 Full score
Robbed Kong* Kong player pays 3 Full score

* The winning tile is the 4th identical tile of a Kong when a player adds to his or her exposed Pung.

Winning Priority

(1) The winner of the thirteen Orphans hand
(2) Discarder's right player
(3) Discarder's opposite player
(4) Discarder's left player

Alert and Penalty

When a player displays any of the following groups of tiles on the table:

(a) Three sets any one suit tiles or
(b) Three sets of Wind tiles or
(c) Two sets of Dragon tiles

The player should alert other players in the event that he or she claims a discarded tile from any player and is ready to match:

(a) A Pure one suit hand or
(b) A big four Winds hand or
(c) A Big three Dragons hand

And later self-drawn the winning tile, the discarder is penalized to pay for all other players.

Standard Scoring Chart

Fan is the grade level of a winning hand, the number of points awarded to a Fan is double for each additional Fan (from 2 to 4 Fans) and increase fifty percent (50%) for each additional Fan (from 5 to 16 Fans).

Setting the minimum and maximum Fan:

Before the game, players can agree to the minimum Fans a hand must achieve before it can qualify as a winning hand, and the maximum Fans are based on what a winning hand is allowed to claim for a score.

Suggested minimum Fan : 3
Suggested maximum Fan : 10

The Shenzhen game

This simple game is designed for impatient players. There are no grade elements or special winning hands. The four sets and one pair winning hand can be any combination of Chow, Pung and Kong of any tile, suit and number, and the winner is awarded a fixed settlement.

Playing the Shenzhen game is basically the same as playing the Cantonese game, but players are not allowed to claim a discarded tile to match a Chow unless it is the winning tile.

During the game, when a player declares as Kong, the player is awarded a bonus.

Settlement

When a player declares an exposed Kong
All players pay 1X Pay immediately on declaring

When a player declares a concealed Kong on self-drawn
All players pay 2X - Pay immediately on declaring

When a player declares a concealed Kong on discard
Discarder pays 3X — Pays immediately on declaring

When a player wins on self-drawn
All player pay 5X

When a player wins on discard
Discarder pays 5X

When a player wins by Robbing a Kong*
The Robbed player pays 10X

* The winning tile is the fourth identical tile when adding to an exposed

Pung to declare a Kong by any other player

10.2 Lucky Draw (Horse)

When a player declares the win on self-drawn, that player draws the next tile from the wall. If the tile is a lucky tile, all other players pay the winner an additional 2X, and if the winner draws an another winner's lucky tile, that winner must pay the lucky winner 2X.