2-04More on Mixed Shifted Chows
In the last section we discussed shifting a hand toward Mixed Shifted Chows when a Mixed Triple Chow doesn't work out. This section discusses strategy for a dedicated Mixed Shifted Chows hand.
Figure 1
Which discard moves the hand toward an 8-point Mixed Shifted Chows?
For example, see Figure 1. Mixed Triple Chow is much too distant to attempt, but Mixed Shifted Chows is certainly in range. In any case, the player must discard something. Mixed Shifted Chows is a 6-point combination, making it necessary to earn 2 more points to meet the minimum. The most common 2-point combinations are All Simples, All Chows, or a pung of either a dragon, prevalent wind, or seat wind. In Figure 1, the player has a pung of to earn the additional 2 points necessary to go out. Which discard makes it possible to use as the pair and build Mixed Shifted Chows? The answer is to discard .
What is another strategy for earning the remaining 2 points? The No Honors + Terminal Pung combination. This may appear difficult at first, but with a little practice it will become second nature. By keeping the Mixed Shifted Chows + No Honors + Terminal Pung combination in mind, you'll find yourself able to meld in the blink of an eye in situations like the one shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2
gives the player Mixed Shifted Chows, No Honors, and Terminal Pung for a total of 8 points
pung
Figure 3
Round: South. Seat: West.
In Figure 3, the player can aim for the 345 Mixed Triple Chow while also considering the 123-234-345, or even 345-456-567 Mixed Shifted Chows. When you find yourself with scattered tiles like these, the optimal strategy is to leave multiple Mixed Shifted Chows possibilities open until the hand fleshes out a bit more. This makes discarding the best choice. This is because will prevent you from building both All Chows and All Simples.
Figure 4
Round: South. Seat: West.
In Figure 4, you should discard a or . The key to building Mixed Shifted Chows is to leave your chow possibilities open.
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