Guiyang Chicken Catching Mahjong (Guìyáng Zhuōjī Mahong, 贵阳捉鸡麻将) is a variant of Mahjong played in Guiyang, the capital of the Guizhou province of China, distinguished by its unique features, including the use of Chicken tiles (Ji, 鸡牌) (not the same ones in Singaporean Mahjong) and Beans (豆, Dòu).
Tile to Play Guiyang Mahjong With
Guiyang Chicken Cathing Mahjong uses a total of 108 tiles. These consist of three suits (bamboo, characters, circles), each containing 36 tiles. The game does not include Wind, Dragon, Flower, or Season tiles, making it a simpler set compared to traditional Mahjong.
Basic Rules of Guiyang Chicken Catching Mahjong
Every turn goes the same way:
- Draw a tile from the wall or by take the tile that somebody just discarded
- Try to make a winning hand! The goal is to arrange your tiles into four sets of three and one pair. If you can't, go to step 3.
- Discard a tile in the center of the table, officially ending your turn.
- Immediately after a tile is discarded, someone else can take it to form a meld or to complete their winning hand. If nobody takes the discarded tile, that tile is out of play for the rest of the game and the next player draws from the wall.
By default, the next player is the player to the right (counterclockwise). Even if it is not your turn yet, this is not a time to sit idle. Although the next person is the player to the right by default, there are certain circumstances that allow somebody to jump ahead to call a discarded tile. Also, even if you are unable to call the tile, it is important for you to know what is thrown and what is out of play, so that you are not waiting for it in vain later on.
How to Setup Guiyang Mahjong
Like most variants of mahjong, Guiyang Chicken Catching Mahjong mahjong is intended for four players. Rules and customs for dealing the tiles out vary from version to version and table to table.
Determining the Dealer
The next step is to determine the dealer. The dealer in Guiyang Chicken Catching Mahjong is determined randomly for the first round. You could at the start of the game, the dealer is chosen randomly by rolling two dice. Counting counterclockwise from the player who rolls, the player corresponding to the sum of the dice becomes the dealer. Once selected, the dealer retains their role if they win the round or if the game ends in a draw (no player wins). If another player wins the round, the dealer position shifts to the next player in counterclockwise order.
Setting up the Wall
The next step is shuffling the tiles and building the wall. At the start of the game, all 108 tiles are shuffled thoroughly to randomize their positions. After shuffling, each player takes 27 tiles and stacks them into a double-layered wall, creating a structure that is 13 tiles long and 2 tiles high for each player. The walls are then arranged in a square shape on the table, forming a closed loop.
Breaking the Wall
After the walls have been built into a square formation, the dealer rolls two dice. The total from the dice determines which player's wall will be broken and where the break will occur. Starting with the dealer and counting counterclockwise, the dice sum identifies the player whose wall is chosen.
The selected player then counts along their wall based on the smaller number from the dice roll. For example, if the dice roll is 4 and 6, the smaller number (4) is used. Starting from the rightmost end of their wall and moving left, the player counts four tiles and creates a break at that point. This break marks the starting point for drawing tiles. The tiles to the right of the break are used first, with tiles being drawn clockwise around the table during the game.
Dealing the Hand
After the wall is broken, the dealer starts drawing tiles from the designated point. Tiles are dealt in a clockwise direction around the table in sets of four. The dealer draws the first set of four tiles, followed by the next player to their right, and so on, until each player has 12 tiles.
Once all players have 12 tiles, the dealer draws an additional set of two tiles to bring their total to 14 tiles, while the other players each draw one additional tile to have 13 tiles. This gives the dealer one extra tile, which is a standard advantage in Mahjong.
Getting a Tile
The main way to get a tile is to draw it from the draw wall.
You can also get a tile when somebody discards it if it completes a a valid combination of three or four tiles, also known as a meld, or for a winning hand.
The called tile must be displayed face up with the completed meld. This open meld cannot be altered for the rest of the game. The discarded tile must be called immediately or else the tile becomes dead and will remain in the discarded tile area for the rest of the game.
Calling Tiles
A pung is a three-of-a-kind.
If you need the discarded tile to complete a pung, you have to say “pung,” grab it, and display the completed pung face up next to your flowers. Pungs are powerful because you can seize it even if it isn’t your turn, and everyone before you will lose their turn.
A kong is a four-of-a-kind.
Kong is like a special type of pung, and can also be grabbed even if it’s not your turn. However, you have to also grab an extra tile from the wall. This is necessary for you to have enough tiles to complete a winning hand.
Generally you cannot claim a discarded tile to form a pair. The only exception is if you are waiting for one more tile to win. You might be waiting to complete a pung, a chow, or an eye in order to win. No matter what you’re waiting for, you can seize it if somebody discards it, anytime. Winning using a discarded tile is called mahjong or hu. In Chicken Catching Mahjong, you need a Kong (Dou) to call Hu on another player's discard unless your hand has a special scoring pattern (exceeds the Basic Win level of scoring).
FAQ: What Happens If Two People Want to Call a Discarded Tile?
In general, priority is given based on what the tile is being called for: winning takes precedence over pungs/kongs. If more than one player needs the discarded tile for mahjong, it goes to whoever is closer in turn after the person who discarded the tile.
Arranging your Tiles
Remember, the goal of mahjong is to have all of your tiles arranged into four sets and one pair. After getting a tile, you should arrange your tiles and attempt to incorporate your new tile into your hand.
As discussed above, kong is a four-of-a-kind, which may be formed from a discarded tile. Related to kong is a concealed kong when you have four-of-a-kind that’s hidden in your own hand, which means that you drew it yourself and did not complete it using a discarded tile. In this case, because it’s concealed, the identity of the tile is valuable information and should not be displayed. But because it is a four-tile meld, you must declare it and get a tile from the wall. Turn the outside tiles facedown to mark it as a concealed kong. Just like with open meld, your secret tiles will be out of play the rest of the game with no changes permitted.
Another related concept is open melded kong. Open melded kongs are generally locked in and cannot be changed. If you created a pung from a discarded tile, and later on, somebody throws the fourth matching tile, you will not be able to kong the discarded tile, because your pung was already open. However, there is a special exception: if it’s your turn and the tile that you draw from the wall happens to be the fourth matching tile, then you can add it to your completed pung. Declare the open melded kong and set the matching tile on top of the middle tile of the pung. Since this is now a four-tile meld, you must draw a replacement tile.
Discarding a Tile
Generally, you should discard tiles that do not fit your hand or contribute to forming sets, such as orphan tiles (single tiles with no immediate connections) or edge numbers like 1 or 9, which are harder to integrate into sequences. Tiles that are commonly discarded by others or unlikely to form combinations should also be prioritized for discarding. If you are focusing on a specific strategy, such as building a Pure Suit (Qing Yi Se), it is wise to discard tiles from suits that don’t align with your goal early in the game. However, you should be cautious with valuable tiles like Ji (chicken tiles) or Yao Ji (幺鸡), as these can significantly benefit your opponents if discarded.
Arranging your Called and Discard Tiles
Called tiles, such as those used for Pung or Kong, should be placed face-up in front of you, separate from your concealed hand. To indicate how the set was formed, position one tile differently: for a tile claimed from a discard, place it perpendicular to the rest of the set; for a concealed Kong, lay all four tiles face-up in a straight line. If you upgrade a previously called Pung to a Kong, add the fourth tile next to the original Pung.
Discarded tiles should be arranged face-up in neat rows in front of you, typically in rows of six to eight tiles, organized from left to right in the order they were discarded. This allows all players to track which tiles are no longer in play. Special discards, such as Ji (chicken tiles), should be highlighted by placing them slightly apart or announcing their value when discarded.
Gathering Beans - Kongs to Unlock Options
In Guiyang Mahjong, Kongs are affectionately referred to as Beans (豆, Dòu). Whenever you gather Beans, it serves as a "permit" (通行证, Tōngxíngzhèng) to winning off another player's discard. Without a Bean/Kong, a player can only self-draw to win or form a hand worth more than 1 point (e.g., a Big Three-of-a-Kind Hand).
- Concealed Kong / Silent Bean (闷豆, Mèn Dòu): A concealed Kong formed by drawing all four tiles oneself. Each of the other three players pays the player 2 points during scoring. Can stack.
- Add-On Kong / Turning Bean (转弯豆, Zhuǎnwān Dòu): Formed by declaring a Kong after a Pong and drawing the fourth tile. Each of the other three players pays the player 3 points during scoring. Can stack.
- Exposed Kong / Pointed Bean (点豆, Diǎn Dòu): Declared by using a discard to complete a Kong. The declaring player pays the player who discarded 1 point. Can stack.
Catching Chickens and Chicken Tiles (Zhouji, 捉鸡 and Ji, 鸡牌)
Chicken Tiles (捉鸡牌) are a special feature in Guiyang Mahjong that introduce unique scoring opportunities when you are able to Catch The Chicken in your hand.
Determining The Chicken Tiles (Ji, 鸡牌)
There are two types of chicken in Mahjong: Chickens (Standard) and Wild Chickens. The Chicken will always be the 1 of Bamboos. The Wild Chicken will be determined whenever a player wins a hand.
Once a player wins, the Wild Chicken Tile Indicator is chosen by drawing the next tile after the win. If player wins on the last tile, there are no Wild Chickens since a Wild Chicken Tile Indicator cannot be flipped. or.
The sequential counterpart of the Wild Chicken Indicator (based on suit, Dragon, or Wind order) become the Wild Chicken for that round. The Wild Chicken Tile is indicated by treasure indicator tile which will mark the next tile in the suit as the Treasure Tile. For example, if the face up tile is 3 Bamboo, then 3 and 4 Bamboo are the Wild Card tiles. A 9 tile indicates the 1 tile of the same suit, so 9 Dots would indicate 1 Dot as the Wild Card.
If the Wild Chicken Indicator indicates that the 1 Bamboo is the Chicken, the 1 Bamboo is now considered a "Golden Chicken" and all chicken payouts related to the 1 Bamboo are doubled.
Note: You cannot reveal a Wild Chicken if there are no tiles left.
Scoring with Captured Chickens
Whenever a hand ends and the WIld Chicken Indicator has been flipped, everyone who has chicken tiles will also score points. We, at Mahjong Pros, have affectionately localized this to the "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Payout"
You can score with Chicken Tiles in a couple of ways:
- Discarding the First Chicken Tile (1 of Bamboo)
- Calling a meld (Pong or Kong) on the Chicken Tile (1 of Bamboo)
- Having Chicken or Wild Chicken Tiles in your hand when the hand ends
Chicken Tiles are worth 1 point per from all players during the Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Payout with the exception of Discarding the First Chicken Tile which is worth double points.
In the rare event of having a Golden Chicken, the discard of the first chicken tile is worth 4 points (Chicken Tile (1) x First Chicken Tile Discard (x2) x Golden Chicken (x2)).
End of the Game and Draw Rounds
A round ends when a player achieves a winning hand, or when all tiles are drawn without anyone winning. If a draw occurs, penalties may apply depending on whether players are in a ready state (Ting) called Yellow Tile.
Yellow Tile (黄牌, Huáng Pái) Payout
Yellow Tile (黄牌, Huáng Pái) or Yellow Dealer (黄庄, Huáng Zhuāng) refers to a payout situation in Guiyang Chicken Catching Mahjong when all tiles in the wall are drawn, and no player has achieved a winning hand.
Checking Ready Hands (查叫, Chá Jiào)
When a draw occurs, all players reveal their hands to check if they are in a "ready" state (听牌, Tīng Pái). Depending on the results of this check, additional rules may apply:
- No players are ready: The game is a complete draw. The dealer remains the same, and no penalties or rewards are applied.
- All players are ready: The game is a draw, but the dealer remains the same, and no penalties are applied.
- Some players are ready, and some are not: Players who are not ready must pay a penalty to each player who is ready. The penalty is based on the score value of the ready players' hands. Kong/Bean Points are not added.
Scoring is simplified to: Score = Base Points x Hand Points
Note: Chicken Tiles and Kongs are not counted for Yellow Tile Payouts
Winning in Guiyang Chicken Catching Mahjong
Winning in Guiyang Mahjong involves completing a valid hand of four sets of three tiles and one pair by self-draw. Alternatively, certain special hands, such as Seven Pairs (Qi Dui) or Dragon Seven Pairs (Long Qi Dui), can replace the standard composition and still qualify as a winning hand.
If a player has declared a kong (bean, dou), then they are able to win off of discards in addition to self-draws for basic hands. If the hand is a scorable pattern according to the payout table, you can win via discard also.
Only one player can win and if multiple players can win on a single discarded tile, the player closest to the discarder in counterclockwise order has priority.
Note: In the event of a Robbed Kong, declaring a win off of Add-On Kong, all players will pay for the hand instead of just the discarded of the tile.
Points and Payout in Guiyang Chicken Catching Mahjong
The point system is based on the type of winning hand, with each hand assigned a base points. Additional points are added for special elements like Chicken Tiles and Beans (Kongs).
Initial Points
Decide in advance how long you’ll play for and what “rate” you’ll use. If you plan to play for several hours, you might, for instance, reshuffle seating every hour or so. Also agree on how many “points” each player starts with—represented by chips or some other marker.
Common values are 50 points or 100 points, however you can go as high as you like. These points serve as a baseline for calculating wins, losses, Yellow Tile payouts, kongs and chicken tile payouts.
Base Points
In Guiyang Chicken Catching Mahjong, the base point used for hands start at 1. You can use larger values if you would like.
Immediate Payouts for Kong Declarations
Kongs are immediately paid out when declared.
| Type of Kong | Payment | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Concealed Kong (闷豆, Mèn Dòu) | All other players pay 2 points | Declared when a player self-draws four identical tiles. |
| Exposed Kong (点豆, Diǎn Dòu) | All other players pay 1 points |
Declared when a player uses a discarded tile to complete a Kong. |
| Add-On Kong (爬坡豆, Pápō Dòu) | The person who discarded pays 3 point |
Declared when a player adds the fourth tile to an existing Pong. |
*In the event a Kong is robbed to win a hand, the immediate payout for the kong is nullified and voided.
Chicken Tile Payouts for Guiyang Chicken Catching Mahjong
The Chicken Tile Payouts, a.k.a. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Payouts, are paid out by all player to all players at the end of a hand when one player ones but also count for extra bonuses towards Hand Payout scoring.
| Type of Chicken Catching | Points | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Tiles (鸡, Jī) | 1 Per |
Point awarded per Chicken and Wild Chicken in hand at the end of a winning hand |
| Responsibility Chicken (责任鸡, Zérèn Jī) | 1 |
Point award for create a meld of Chicken Tiles. |
| Rushing Chicken (冲锋鸡, Chōngfēng Jī) | x2 per Chicken Tile |
Discard the first chicken tile |
| Golden Chicken (金鸡, Jīn Jī) | x2 per Chicken Tile (1 of Bamboo) |
If the flipped Chicken tile is 1 Bamboo, it becomes a "Golden Chicken," worth double points. |
Winning Hand Payout Formula
The payout in Guiyang Mahjong is relatively simplified. The formula to calculate points is as follows:
Total Payout = Base Score (1) x (Winning Hand Points + Chicken Points + Kong (Bean) Points) x (Continuous Dealer Multiplier)
So for example, if you won a hand as a dealer for the first time on a self-draw with one chicken tile in hand and 1 exposed kong the payout would look like such: Base Score (1) x (Standard Win (1) + Chicken Tile (1) + Kong (Bean) (1)) = 1 x 3 = 3 Points per Player
However you would have already received a 3 Points (1 from each player) for the Exposed Kong earlier in the game and 3 Points (1 from each player) for having 1 Chicken Tile.
Points and Payout Table for Guiyang Chicken Catching Mahjong
|
Name |
Description |
Points |
|
Standard Win (平胡, Ping Hu) |
A basic win with no special conditions. |
1 |
| Dealer Continuous Win | For each continuous win the dealer has, multiply the score by final score by that (e.g. x1, x2, x3, x4, etc.) | x1 + (Rounds) |
| Exposed Kong (点豆, Diǎn Dòu) | Declared when a player uses a discarded tile to complete a Kong. | 1 |
| Concealed Kong (闷豆, Mèn Dòu) | Declared when a player self-draws four identical tiles. | 2 |
| Add-On Kong (爬坡豆, Pápō Dòu) | Declared when a player self-draws. and adds the fourth tile to an existing open meld of triplets (Pong). | 3 |
|
All Pungs (大对子, Da Dui Zi) |
A hand composed of four Pungs and a pair. |
5 |
|
Seven Pairs (七对, Qi Dui) |
A hand formed with seven pairs of identical tiles. |
10 |
|
Dragon Seven Pairs (龙七对, Long Qi Dui) |
A hand with five pairs and four identical tiles. |
20 |
|
Pure Suit (清一色, Qing Yi Se) |
A hand where all tiles are from the same suit. |
10 |
|
Pure All Pungs (清大对, Qing Da Dui) |
A Pure Suit combined with All Pungs. |
15 |
