Discussing Derived Tiles in Mahjong

Today, let's discuss what are derived tiles? And what role do they play?

Compared to other connection mahjong tiles, derived tiles are like standalone cards; so, why not just discard them first? Let's explain their functions, and explore the situations in which they can improve certain hands.

Which tile should discard first to get more efficiency?

Mahjong tiles b234_7899,d356_c3445 Mahjong Drawing Board

First, when playing Mahjong, it’s really important to understand the basic concepts of missing pairs and missing tiles. This understanding will help you make the right moves.

In Mahjong, your tiles are always doing four main things:

  • Missing tiles, constructing tiles
  • Missing pairs, constructing pairs
  • Too many tiles, breaking tiles
  • Too many pairs, breaking pairs

Let’s analyze the tiles in your hand. You already have a complete set with Mahjong 2 Bam Mahjong 3 Bam Mahjong 4 Bam , another complete set with Mahjong 7 Bam Mahjong 8 Bam Mahjong 9 Bam Mahjong 9 Bam , and a set with Mahjong 3 Character Mahjong 4 Character Mahjong 4 Character Mahjong 5 Character . You also have a double-sided tile with Mahjong 5 Dot Mahjong 6 Dot , which gives you three complete sets and one double-sided tile, but you’re missing a pair.

Now that we know you’re missing a pair, the first thing we need to do is construct a pair. Let’s remember the previous tips in Tips for Edge Pairs, Middle Pairs and Four Consecutive Tile patterns:

  • If you have a pair, break the edge pair from the set.
  • If you don’t have any pair, break the middle pairs from the set.

In here, you shouldn’t simply treat Mahjong 9 Bam Mahjong 9 Bam as a pair. Instead treat Mahjong 7 Bam Mahjong 8 Bam Mahjong 9 Bam as a Set should be your top priority.

Base of "If you have a pair, break the edge pair from the set". The value of this edge tiles is constructing a pair.

If you draw Mahjong 6 Bam or Mahjong 9 Bam , you can construct a pair and complete a set. If you discard Mahjong 4 Character , you’re only losing two tiles of Mahjong 4 Character . If you keep it, you need to draw another two Mahjong 4 Character to make a pair, it's difficult, right? And if you draw Mahjong 2 Character, Mahjong 3 Character, Mahjong 5 Character or Mahjong 6 Character , both these tiles can’t make this hands with any pairs. You really need to draw two Mahjong 4 Character to make it work.

So, by discarding Mahjong 4 Character , you’re only wasting two tiles.

About The Derived Tile

Now, you might ask, why not discard Mahjong 3 Dot ? Let’s think about what the Mahjong 3 Dot is. The Mahjong 3 Dot is a derivative tile of the Mahjong 5 Dot and Mahjong 6 Dot .

Here let me introduce another Mahjong Tips:

If you’re missing a pair or a set, keep the derivative tiles.

The biggest value of derivative tiles is that they can also help you construct a pair. Let's see, if you draw Mahjong 3 Dot , you can make a pair with it, right? And then you can discard Mahjong 9 Bam . At this point, you’re waiting for Mahjong 4 Dot Mahjong 7 Dot . If you draw Mahjong 4 Dot , you can construct a sequence with Mahjong 3 Dot Mahjong 4 Dot Mahjong 5 Dot Mahjong 6 Dot . In this case, you can discard Mahjong 3 Dot , Mahjong 6 Dot or Mahjong 9 Bam .

In this case, that's why you should discard the Mahjong 4 Character.

Happy New Year! Happy winning!

You can find more Mahjong strategies here.