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The goal of the game
In riichi mahjong, complete a legal hand, usually four groups and a pair, before your opponents, then maximize your result over the whole game.
The principle
Riichi mahjong plays like a demanding version of rummy. You hold thirteen tiles; on your turn you draw one tile and then discard one. Your immediate goal is to shape your hand toward a complete fourteen-tile figure made of four groups and one pair.
Rule and example
A group is a run of three consecutive tiles in the same suit (shuntsu), a triplet of three identical tiles (koutsu), or a declared kan that contains four tiles while occupying one group slot. The pair completes the hand. You win by drawing the missing tile yourself (tsumo) or by claiming an opponent's discard (ron). When one additional tile is enough to complete the hand, it is called tenpai.
What changes
The big difference from rummy: a structurally complete hand is not enough. You need at least one yaku, a scoring pattern that grants the right to win, or the win is refused. Riichi, the declaration of a closed tenpai hand, is itself a yaku and gives the game its name.
Mistake to avoid
Finally, the real goal is not a single hand but the entire game. Across the East and South rounds, points flow between players and final scores determine placement. Tenhou breaks a tie by initial seat order, while WRC 2025 splits the affected places. Folding can therefore be correct when the risk of dealing in exceeds the hand’s expected gain.
Rules references
- Tenhou rulesReference profile used for game mechanics and scoring.
- WRC Rules 2025International rules compared whenever their options differ from Tenhou.