Nanchang Spirit Mahjong, also known as Nanchang Mahjong (南昌麻将), is a regional variation of Chinese Mahjong popular in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province. It introduces unique gameplay mechanics such as the Spirit Tiles (Jing pai (精牌)) that add bonuses such as the "Indomitable Spirit Bonus" and the "Explosive Spirit Bonus". Notably, three distinct honor tiles or certain special patterns make winning easier while offering diverse scoring opportunities.
Tiles to Play Nanchang Mahjong With
Nanchang Mahjong uses a 136-tile set without flower tiles and introduces the concept of "Jing tiles", enhancing its strategic depth. The Number Tiles include Characters, Bamboo, and Dots, each ranging from 1 to 9, with four copies of each tile, totaling 108 tiles. The Wind Tiles feature East, South, West, and North, four of each, totaling 16 tiles. The Dragon Tiles also have four copies each, totaling 12 tiles.
Basic Rules of Nanchang 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 Nanchang Mahjong
Like most variants of mahjong, Nanchang 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 dealer is determined by rolling two six-sided dice. One player rolls the dice, and the total sum determines the initial dealer in a counterclockwise order.
For example, if the dice total is 5 or 9, the player who rolled becomes the dealer. If the total is 2, 6, or 10, the dealer position moves to the next player counterclockwise. If it’s 3, 7, or 11, it moves two positions counterclockwise, and if it’s 4, 8, or 12, it moves three positions counterclockwise. If the dealer wins the round, they retain their dealer position; otherwise, the dealer position rotates counterclockwise to the next player.
Setting Up The Wall
The wall is built after the tiles are thoroughly shuffled face-down on the table. Each player constructs their portion of the wall by stacking the tiles into 17 columns, with each column consisting of 2 tiles stacked vertically, forming a wall that is 17 tiles long and 2 tiles high. Once all four walls are built, they are pushed together to form a square wall in the center of the table.
Breaking The Wall
Once the dealer has been selected, the dealer rolls the dice to determine the starting wall. Let’s say you are the dealer and you roll a seven.
Starting with your own wall, count the walls in front of each player, moving counterclockwise around the table: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. You should now be pointing at the wall of the player to your left.
The next step is to determine where to break the wall.
Use the same number from determining the starting wall. Starting on the end of the wall segment closest to you, count out seven tiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Pick up that seventh tile (since you rolled a seven) because it counts from the indicated player's right to his left (not players but tiles this time) the total sum of the rolls. The tiles immediately after become the draw wall.
The wall is basically like a long deck of cards wrapping around the table in a square. The draw wall is like the top of the deck where the tiles will be dealt from and where the players will draw tiles from during gameplay.
Dealing The Hand
Dealing the tiles begins after the wall is broken based on the dealer's dice roll. The dealer starts drawing tiles from the designated break point, and the process follows a counterclockwise order. Each player takes turns drawing tiles in a structured sequence. The dealer begins by drawing four tiles at a time from the wall, moving from right to left, repeating this process three times to collect 12 tiles. On the fourth pass, the dealer draws two additional tiles one from the top row and one from the bottom bringing their total to 14 tiles. The remaining three players then follow the same method, drawing four tiles at a time for three rounds and finally one tile each on the fourth pass, resulting in 13 tiles per player.
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.
A chow is a three-tile straight of the same suit.
Unlike pung and kang, you can only chow when it’s your turn. This makes chows harder to get since you can only get it from the person right before you. The only exception to this is if the chow would result in you winning.
Note: In addition to forming sequences with the standard numerical tiles, any non-repeating set of three Wind tiles or Dragon tiles can form a sequence through drawing or chow.
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.
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 from the dead wall.
Discarding a Tile
Generally, players should prioritize discarding isolated tiles that don’t form potential sets or contribute to a winning hand. Early in the game, honor tiles that are not part of a potential set are often discarded first, as they are harder to integrate into melds. Similarly, terminal tiles (1s and 9s) can also be discarded if they don’t connect with nearby tiles.
As the game progresses, players should pay close attention to opponents’ discards and avoid discarding tiles that may complete their sets or winning hands. Additionally, Jing tiles should generally not be discarded unless they cannot contribute strategically to the player’s hand, as they hold significant scoring potential.
Arranging your Called and Discard Tiles
Called tiles should be placed face-up in front of you, grouped by type and in the order they were declared. Chow sets are arranged in sequence, while Pung and Kong sets display identical tiles. For Kong, whether Exposed or Concealed, the fourth tile should be clearly indicated, with concealed Kongs kept partially face-down until declared.
Note: In addition to forming sequences with the standard numerical tiles, any non-repeating set of three Wind tiles or Dragon tiles can form a sequence through drawing or chow.
Discarded tiles should be placed neatly in rows in front of each player to ensure they are visible to everyone. Typically, the tiles are arranged in a grid, with six tiles per row, creating multiple rows as the game progresses.
The Spirit Tiles (Jing pai (精牌))
The Spirit Tile is a unique feature in Nanchang Spirit Mahjong that adds an element of excitement to the game. The Spirit Tile acts as a Wild Card. Additionally the Spirit Tiles grant extra points at the end of a hand regardless winning or not.
The Spirit Tile has four functions:
- Act as a wildcard in most cases
- Acts as their native value (for sets, pungs, and chows)
- Provide an additional payout outside of winning
- Provide additional points and multipliers for winning hands
Either way, having Spirit Tiles and using Spirit Tiles add multipliers to your hand's final score and payout!
Determining the Primary and Secondary Spirit Tiles
The after the initial deal of tiles, the dealer rolls two six-sided dice. The sum of the dice determines the position of the stack from which the Spirit tile will be revealed. Starting from the end of the wall, count the number of stacks counterclockwise based on the dice total. Once the appropriate stack is located, flip the top tile of that stack. This tile becomes the Primary Spirit Tile . The Primary Spirit Tile (Zhèng Jīng - 正精) is indicated by the Spirit Tile and the sequential counterpart of the Primary Spirit Tile (based on suit, Dragon, or Wind order) become the Secondary Spirit Tile (Fù Jīng - 副精). For example, if the face up Spirit tile is 3 Bamboo, then 3 is the Primary Spirit Tile and the 4 Bamboo is the Secondary Spirit tile. A 9 tile indicates the 1 tile of the same suit, so 9 Dots would indicate 1 Dot as the Wild Card. Winds are East, then South, then West, then North, and back to East while the Dragons are coincidentally in alphabetical order of Green, then Red, then White, and then back to Green.
End of Game
The game will end in a draw when last tile before the Spirit Tile is drawn, the dead wall or reserved tiles in Nanchang Mahjong are any tiles after the Spirit Tile. If the game ends in a draw, the dealer remains the dealer. If any Kongs were declared in the course of the hand, the dealer will shift to the next player counterclockwise.
Winning in Nanchang Mahjong
Winning, declaring Mahjong or Hu (Hú - 胡), requires completing a valid hand structure typically consists of four sets and one pair. Additionally, winning can also be achieved with special winning hands under certain conditions such as 7 pairs or 13 Misfits. If more than one player can win on the same discarded tile, only the player nearest to the discarder in counterclockwise order can claim the win.
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, and any multipliers.
Instant Kong Payouts
Kongs are immediately paid out by every other player instantaneously irrespective wins or loss. Unlike other variants of mahjong, Kongs are paid out by all players not just the discarder.
|
Type of Kong |
Payout | Description |
|
Concealed Kong (暗杠, Àn Gàng) |
2 | Declaring a Concealed Kong at any point in the game, all players pay |
| Exposed Kong (明杠, Míng Gàng) | 1 | Declaring a Kong from a discarded tile, all players pay |
| Supplement Kong (补杠, Bǔ Gàng) | 1 | Declaring a Kong from an exposed Triplets, all players pay |
Points and Payout in Nanchang Mahjong
In Nanchang Mahjong, the points and payouts are simplified and most around Spirit Tiles. Scoring is divided into Base Hand Points, Hand Multipliers Points, and Spirit Tile Points to determine the payout.
Payout Calculation
Total Payout = Base Hand Points × Multipliers
Spirit Tiles Payout
In Nanchang Spirit Mahjong, Spirit Tiles points are paid out to each player by each player irrespective of winning.
| Name | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Spirit Tile (Zheng Jing, 正精) | Each Zheng Jing tile held. | 2 per tile |
| Secondary Spirit Tile (Fu Jing, 副精) | Each Fu Jing tile held. | 1 per tile |
| Explosive Spirit Bonus (Chong Guan, 冲关) | When Spirit points ≥ 5, multiplied x2+ | 5 points x 2, 6 points x 3, 7 points x 4, 8 points x 5, 9 points x 6, 10 points x 7 |
| Spirit Kong (Gang Jing, 杠精) | Declaring a Kong with Spirit tiles. | 10 |
| Indomitable Spirit Bonus (Ba Wang Jing, 霸王精) | If only one player has Spirit tiles, their Spirit Tile score is doubled. | Spirit Tile Bonuses × 2 |
Payout Table for Nanchang Mahjong
| Hand | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Win (Ping Hu, 平胡) | Standard winning hand with 4 melds (Pung/Chow/Kong) and 1 pair. | 1 |
| Small Seven Pairs (Xiao Qi Dui, 小七对) | A winning hand consisting of 7 pairs | 2 |
| Big Seven Pairs (Da Qi Dui, 大七对) | 7 pairs hand that including at least 4 identical tiles | 4 |
| Thirteen Misfits (Shi San Luan, 十三烂) | Winning with 13 tiles in your hand, the interval between the ordinal tiles is greater than 2, and there is no repetition of the honors cards to form a hand pattern. | 2 |
| Seven Stars Thirteen Orphans (Qi Xing Shi San Luan, 七星十三烂) | A Thirteen Misfits hand with all honor tiles (东南西北中发白). | 4 |
| Self-Drawn Win (Zi Mo, 自摸) | Winning by drawing your own winning tile. | Base × 2 |
| Robbing a Kong (Qiang Gang Hu, 抢杠胡) | Winning by claiming a tile when another player attempts a Kong. | Base × 2 |
| Heavenly Win (Tian Hu, 天胡) | Dealer wins immediately with the dealt hand. | 20 |
| Earthly Win (Di Hu, 地胡) | Player wins on the first tile discarded by the dealer. | 20 |
| Virtuous Country (德国, Déguó) | Winning without any Spirit tiles in hand, or using Spirit tiles only in their natural form. Multiply the base score | Base x2 + 5 Points |
| True Virtuous Country (德中德, Dé zhōng dé) | Winning without any Spirit tiles in hand and all other players must not have any Spirit Tiles in hand either | Base x4 + 5 Points |
| Spirit Fishing (精钓, Jīng Diào) | Winning on a single tile wait with the Spirit Tile, allowing a win with | Base x2 |
