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Early-Hand Tile Theory (2)

Last time, the examples were hands where the answer could be found just by comparing floating tiles.
This page looks at two different patterns:

  • cases where you compare taatsu against taatsu
  • cases where you compare isolated tiles against taatsu

1. Six Taatsu and One Head

In this pattern, you simply compare the taatsu.

Example 1
一万牌图三万牌图六万牌图七万牌图一筒牌图二筒牌图五筒牌图六筒牌图二索牌图二索牌图四索牌图七索牌图八索牌图 Tsumo 五索牌图 => Cut 一筒牌图

Following the standard rule for taatsu comparison, you remove the penchan first.

If you later draw 三筒牌图, then even though it creates furiten, dismantling 一万牌图三万牌图 would still be better than cutting from the inside first, so discarding from the outside is slightly more favorable.

一万牌图三万牌图六万牌图七万牌图二筒牌图五筒牌图六筒牌图二索牌图二索牌图四索牌图五索牌图七索牌图八索牌图 Tsumo 三筒牌图

Example 2
二万牌图三万牌图六万牌图七万牌图一筒牌图一筒牌图三筒牌图四筒牌图七筒牌图八筒牌图四索牌图七索牌图八索牌图 Tsumo 五索牌图 => Cut 四索牌图 or 五索牌图

All the blocks here are ryanmen taatsu, so you should remove the souzu taatsu that has become a nido-uke shape.

You do not drop 七索牌图八索牌图 because of the Sanshoku possibility, and also because as a final wait, 三索牌图-六索牌图 is superior to 六索牌图-九索牌图.

What you must notice here is that cutting 一筒牌图 would send the hand back to four-shanten.

If you break your only head, the shanten count will definitely increase.

So even if Tanyao crosses your mind, cutting 一筒牌图 from Example 2 is still a bad move.

Example 3
二万牌图三万牌图五万牌图六万牌图二筒牌图三筒牌图三筒牌图五筒牌图七筒牌图七筒牌图五索牌图五索牌图六索牌图 Tsumo 三索牌图 => Cut 三索牌图

In Example 3, all three suits contain a nido-uke taatsu.

If you ask yourself:

“When I cut this tile, which draws become a loss?”

the right answer should narrow itself down.

The manzu block is a ryanmen taatsu, so of course you keep it.
That leaves pinzu and souzu to compare. Since keeping the 六筒牌图 acceptance is better, the correct play is to tsumogiri 三索牌图.

Theory Summary

In a six-taatsu shape, drop the taatsu that creates the least loss. Breaking your only head is strictly forbidden.

2. Five Taatsu Plus a Floating Tile

In principle, you simply compare the remaining isolated floating tiles.

Example 4
二万牌图三万牌图五万牌图七万牌图八万牌图三筒牌图七筒牌图九筒牌图三索牌图六索牌图六索牌图七索牌图七索牌图 Tsumo 四筒牌图 => Cut 五万牌图

If you treat the manzu section as a block that must still produce two complete sets, then 五万牌图 has almost no reason to remain in the hand.

三索牌图 is worth keeping because it still has follow-up value on draws of 二索牌图四索牌图.

If you choose to cut 九筒牌图 here, being accused of “Tanyao disease” would be fair enough.

That choice gives up two lower-value ways to keep Tanyao available, and trying to rush into an open Tanyao hand when you do not even have a completed set yet is also quite dangerous.

Example 5
三万牌图七万牌图三筒牌图四筒牌图六筒牌图八筒牌图八筒牌图九筒牌图二索牌图二索牌图五索牌图七索牌图七索牌图 Tsumo 三索牌图 => Cut 九筒牌图

By simple part count, the hand has five blocks, but the penchan-kanchan nido-uke shape around 七筒牌图 is just too painful.

When there is a taatsu this bad, keeping the isolated floating tile instead is entirely possible.

Example 6
四万牌图七万牌图七万牌图八万牌图一筒牌图二筒牌图四筒牌图五筒牌图七筒牌图八筒牌图三索牌图七索牌图八索牌图 Tsumo 八索牌图 => Cut 一筒牌图 or 二筒牌图

In Example 6, the pinzu block is triply blocked by 三筒牌图六筒牌图九筒牌图, so the penchan has extremely little value.

In a case like this, keeping the floating tile often leads to smoother development afterward.

Trying to force Ittsuu in pinzu is not realistic, because the useful draws are far too restricted.

Theory Summary

In a five-taatsu shape, you normally cut the least valuable floating tile. But when there is a very painful taatsu, such as a penchan involved in a nido-uke shape, dropping the taatsu and keeping the floating tile is often better.

Original Japanese page: http://beginners.biz/pairi/pairi09.html

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