MAHJONG FOR ONE
This is the REAL Mahjong game as played by
the Chinese, not the tile matching game seen
most frequently. Here, the tiles game is
played much like the card game of Rummy.
(16-Hand demonstration version)

MAHJONG FOR ONE is an authentic mahjong game as played by the Chinese. It is
not a solitaire game such as Taipei which uses mahjong tiles but otherwise has
no resemblance to this real fascinating ancient Chinese game.

The demonstration software is free. You are provided with sixteen hands so
that you may evaluate the game and decide for yourself whether you would like
to have the detailed information of the game and an unlimited number of hands
to enjoy. This may be done by registering with the author. If you decide to
register, please send your name, address along with $35.00 in check or money
order to :

LongView Systems
P.O. Box 471
Monroe, CT. 06468

Registered users will receive details of how the game is played, unlimited
private use of the game by the registrant, and future maintenance updates. You
may also report problems to the above address.

You may also purchase directly from LongView Systems both the software and its
documentation. Please send your name, address, floppy disk media format
(5 1/4" or 3 1/2") and a check or money order for $40.00 to the above address.
You will automatically become a registered user of MAHJONG FOR ONE.

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MAHJONG GAME

Mahjong game is played similar to the game of rummy: four players taking turns
fetching a tile and discarding a tile. The objective is to complete a hand of
fourteen tiles by assembling four sets of three tiles each and one pair. Each
set may be a sequence of three tiles or a triplet of three identical tiles.
A major difference between Mahjong and rummy is that its scoring system
depends on the composition of the completed sets and how the hand is made.
This is where the challenge lies: to make hands with great features.

MAHJONG FOR ONE uses an IBM or compatible personal computer to be three of the
four players (designated as the lower, across, and upper player) needed to
play the game. You are the fourth player.


CONFIGURATION

The game is started by running MAHJONG.EXE. When the game is played the very
first time, it must configured. To configure the system, a series of easy
selections are made by you.


TILE SYMBOLS

There are five suits and 136 tiles in mahjong. The suits are: Feng (wind),
Yuan (element), Tiao (stick), Wan (10,000), and Bing (cake or bucket). The
feng tiles are East, South, West, and North. The yuan tiles are Red, Green,
and Blank. The tiao, wan, and bing tiles are numbered from 1 to 9. Symbols of
these tiles are as listed below.

FENG : EF, SF, WF, NF
YUAN : RY, GY, BY
TIAO : 1T, 2T, 3T, 4T, 5T, 6T, 7T, 8T, 9T
WAN : 1W, 2W, 3W, 4W, 5W, 6W, 7W, 8W, 9W
BING : 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9B

There are four tiles for each denomination.


THE DISPLAY

The screen is divided into an upper part and a lower part. The upper part is
further divided into four quadrants, one for each player. You are given the
lower left quadrant. In each player's area, the hand, the melded sets (if any)
and the discards are displayed. Only your hand is exposed. The lower part of
the screen contains prompts, messages, other relevant data and your inputs.


PLAY OF THE GAME

Each player takes turn in picking up a tile and discarding a tile trying to
complete a hand by assembling four sets and a pair. A set can be a sequence of
three consecutively numbered tiles of the same suit, or it can be a triplet of
three identical tiles. A set can be formed with either all self-drawn tiles or
they can be formed by using two tiles from a concealed hand and a discard by
an opponent. The set thus formed is called a meld and is placed on the table
face up. To meld a sequence, the discard must be from your upper player. This
process is called a chih. To meld a triplet, the discard can be from any other
player. This process is called a peng. When a hand is made, it is said to have
hu'ed. Actions that you may take during the course of a game are : chih, peng,
kang, hu, pass, and discard. Each of these actions is explained below :

CHIH - melding a sequenced set of three consecutively numbered tiles
of the same suit. One of the three tiles is the newest discard by your
upper player. You can only chih a discard from your upper player and
you can only chih a numbered tile.

PENG - melding a triplet set of three identical tiles. One of the
three tiles is the newest discard by one of the other three players.

KANG - melding a triplet set of four identical tiles: (1) all tiles
are from your own hand; or (2) three tiles are from your own hand and
the fourth is the newest discard by one of the other players; or (3)
adding the fourth tile from the concealed hand to a previously melded
triplet. An extra tile is fetched after a kang.

HU - the declaration that the hand is completed by a discard from
others or by a self-drawn tile.

PASS - you can not or do not want to chih, peng, kang or hu a discard
by others or you want to discard the same tile which you just fetched.

DISCARD - selecting a tile from your own hand after a fetch, chih,
peng, or kang. Usually the tile selected is least needed by you to
complete your hand or a tile that will help your opponents the least.


COMMANDS

PLAYING COMMANDS KEYBOARD INPUT
---------------- --------------
CHIH C
DISCARD Tile name(E/S/W/N; R/G/B; 1T-9T; 1W-9W; 1B-9B)
HU H
KANG K
PASS Enter
PENG P

HELP COMMANDS KEYBOARD INPUT
--------------- --------------
AUTO-PLAY A
DANGEROUS TILES D
INTERACTIVE HELP I
QUIT Q
SCORES O
TILE COUNTS T
UNDO U


SCORING FEATURES (detailed definitions available to registered users)

The merit of a completed hand is measured by the number of Fans it contains.
One Fan is worth four points. MAHJONG FOR ONE supports the following features:

FEATURE # FANS FEATURE # FANS
--------------------- ------ --------------------- ------
heavenly hand 48 earthly hand 48
four kangs 48 all letters 48
big four joy 40 yao only triplets 40

four concealed triplets 32 four in four 32
discarded 13 yaos 24 two numbers 24
mahjong triplets 24 small four joy 24

one suit 16 two dragon 16
big three elements 16 concealed 13 yaos 16
mixed yao triplets 16

small three elements 8 all having number #n 8
triplets of three #'s 8 two flies 8

all having yaos 3 five suits 2
supplemented yaos 2 supplemented one suit 2
all triplets 2

three same height 4 three consecutive triplet 4
3 triplets of same # 4 three winds 4
one dragon 3 all helped 3

three sisters 2 three kangs 2
three concealed kangs 2 four in two 2
half helped 2 double single chance 2

sequenced hand 1 no yaos 1
missing one suit 1 mahjong 1
same height 1 old-young sequence 1
old-young triplet 1 four in one 1
dealer's wind 1 player's wind 1
element 1

single chance 1 clear front 1
no help 1 middle five 1
four pengs 1 hu on a kang 1
bottom of the sea 1 robbing a kang 1
two kangs 1 last chance 1


SCORING

Each player starts the game with 1000 points. The player who completes his
hand collects from the other players. The total number of Fans is summed. The
score equals four times the number of Fans. The player whose discard allowed
the hu pays double the amount. If the hu is resulted from a self-drawn tile
then all three players pay double. In certain circumstances when a big hand is
made due largely to the help of a certain player, that player may be required
to pay for everyone. This is called Bao. Exact definition of Bao is described
in the detailed documentation.

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Brief electronic queries may be sent to [email protected]
However, this address does NOT belong to the author, so longer inquiries
should be sent to the postal address given above. Enjoy!