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Reading opponent calls

Chi, pon and kan reveal certain groups; combined with discards and dora, they narrow possible yaku and value without proving the wait.

The principle

A called meld gives certain information about three or four tiles. Several calls in one suit support honitsu or chinitsu possibilities; dragon or value-wind pon already provide yakuhai. Treat these as hypotheses to test against the rest of the table.

Rule and example

Visible value can be counted without guessing: exposed yaku, dora in melds, dealer status and number of kan. Concealed tiles may still add yaku and dora, so the result is a floor or range, not a guaranteed total.

What changes

Discards suggest which suits or shapes were abandoned, but an opponent can change direction. Use calls to narrow possibilities, then follow the normal defensive hierarchy: genbutsu first, followed by probabilistic evidence such as suji and kabe.

Rules references

  • Tenhou rulesReference profile used for game mechanics and scoring.
  • WRC Rules 2025International rules compared whenever their options differ from Tenhou.

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