Rule variations

Claiming rules – Competitive claims for going out

In classical Mah Jong the precedence over a claimed tile in a situation where two or more players require the same tile for going out (or for the same set) is resolved by the players’ seat order, i.e., the player next in turn (in respect to the discarder) gets the tile.

In some rules the precedence is determined by the value of the hand or the value of the set for which the tile is claimed. Some modern rules allow multiple winners, in which case all players claiming a winning tile are considered winners. Four Winds 2 lets you customize the rules for competitive claims for going out.

To specify the rules for competitive claims for going out:

Choose Preferences on the File menu.
From the Rule Presets list, choose a customized rule preset.
Choose Claiming under the Rules section of the category tree.
Click one of the following radio buttons:

Allow multiple winners. Specifies that all players claiming the tile for going out are considered winners. The losers pay each winner as they would pay to a single winner.
If enabled, you can choose to enable an additional option, Winners pay each other the difference of their scores. This is sometimes used in games where losers pay each other according to the difference of their final scores: the same rule is extended here to cover multiple winners.

Best hand wins. Specifies, that the best scoring hand wins the deal in a situation where two or more players claim the same tile for going out. If the hands score equally, the rule of precedence is resolved by the next option.

Limit or Special hand wins. Specifies, that a limit or a special hand – i.e., any hand enabled on the Limit & Special Hands option page disregarding its actual (non-zero) scoring value, or any hand or pattern on the Sets and Patterns option page which has been assigned the amount of limit points, or more – has precedence over other hands in a situation where two or more players claim the same tile for going out. If two or more players claim the tile for such a hand, the precedence is resolved by the next option. This option is used e.g. in the French rules.
Note: In classical rules there was an exception which allowed a precedence to a player going out on a special hand Thirteen Orphans. This is currently not supported in Four Winds.

Pung > Chow > Pair. Specifies, that the value of the set for which the claimed tile is used determines the winning hand in a situation where two or more players claim the same tile for going out. If the sets are equally valuable, the rule of precedence is resolved by the next option. You can change the value order to Pair > Pung > Chow by clicking the arrow button on the right of the option (this is a toggle button). This option is used e.g. in the Australian, French and Dutch rules.
Note: Irregular hands that go out on a single tile are handled as hands that go out on a pair, even if the winning tile appears to complete a Chow or a Pung-like set (these kinds of sets are pseudo-sets and never receive points; the only exception is Knitted Chows, which is handled as a regular hand, even if it consists of three irregular sets).

The player first in turn wins. Specifies, that the player who would be first in turn (in respect to the discarder) has precedence over the tile in a situation where two or more players claim the same tile for going out. This is the most common option.

Note: When the precedence is resolved, the whole chain, starting from the selected option, is stepped through. E.g., if the Pung > Chow > Pair option is selected and both players claim the winning tile for a Pung, the seat order is used to resolve the precedence.