Riichi Mahjong (日本麻雀・立直)

How to Play

Japanese mahjong uses 136 tiles (three suits plus winds and dragons). Build four sets and a pair, but unlike Chinese mahjong a winning hand MUST contain at least one yaku (e.g. Riichi, Tanyao, Yakuhai, Honitsu, Pinfu, or seven pairs). When your closed hand reaches tenpai (ready), you may declare Riichi: you stake 1000 points, your hand locks, and Riichi itself counts as a yaku. Win by self-draw (tsumo) or on another player's discard (ron) — but you cannot ron a tile you have discarded (furiten). A revealed dora indicator adds bonus han. Hands score by han, with the riichi sticks going to the winner.

Controls

On your turn, tap a tile to discard, or use Self-draw / Kong. When tenpai with a closed hand, tap Riichi then choose the tile to discard. After riichi your hand is locked and the drawn tile is discarded automatically. When another player discards, Pong / Kong / Chi / Pass appear (winning is automatic). Single-player is vs AI; multiplayer lets you create or join a room.

Tips & Strategy

Keep your hand closed to enable Riichi and Menzen Tsumo. Aim for a yaku early — a pure shape with no yaku cannot win. Watch the dora indicator: holding the dora tile can turn a cheap hand into a big one. Beware furiten: never pass up a winning tile you might later need to ron.