Chinese Official Mahjong · 2 pt

All Simples in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Examples and Reaching 8

In Chinese Official Mahjong, All Simples (断幺) is worth 2 points: when you win, the whole hand — including exposed chows, pungs and kongs — has no 1s, no 9s and no honors; every tile is a 2 to 8 of a suit. It is far from the 8-point minimum on its own, but almost any middle-tile hand picks it up along the way, which makes it one of the most useful small fans for reaching 8.

The rules for All Simples

• All 14 tiles are 2 to 8 of characters, dots or bamboo
• Not a single 1, 9 or honor — exposed sets included
• Chowing, punging and konging are allowed; no concealed hand needed
• Seven Pairs can be All Simples too

What All Simples does not combine with

• No Honors (1 point): All Simples has no honors by definition

The other way round, these bigger fans already include All Simples, so with them All Simples is not counted:

• Middle Tiles (only 4, 5, 6 — 24 points)
• All Fives (a 5 in every set — 16 points)
• All Even Pungs (pungs of 2, 4, 6, 8 — 24 points)

Upper Tiles, Lower Tiles, Upper Four and Lower Four do not exclude All Simples: an Upper Four hand of only 6s, 7s and 8s still scores All Simples.

How All Simples helps you reach 8

All Simples is only 2 points, and with All Chows and Concealed Hand alone you are often a point or two short. The points below are calculated live by this site's scoring engine:

Common ways to get there:

How often does All Simples happen?

All Simples is a common fan in MCR: in 3,849 wins between this site's AI players, 11% included All Simples, and those wins averaged 16.7 points.

Whether a 13-tile opening hand can head for All Simples depends on how many 2-to-8 tiles it holds:

Source: 1,000,000 random 13-tile deals (flowers already replaced).

About 19% of opening hands have 10 or more simples; all 13 simples happens only 0.13% of the time, so usually you discard a few terminals and honors first.

When to go for All Simples

• Few terminals and honors: discard isolated honors, 1s and 9s first and keep middle-tile shapes.
• Pair it with another fan: All Simples nearly always needs All Chows, Mixed Triple Chow, Mixed Shifted Chows, All Pungs or Seven Pairs to reach 8.
• Claiming is allowed: but a chow or pung loses Concealed Hand (2 points), so check you still reach 8.

When not to force it: a pair of dragons or of your seat or prevalent wind punged is worth 2 points — as much as All Simples, without restricting the rest of your hand. To try it yourself, play Chinese Official Mahjong online — the scoring is automatic.

All Simples in other mahjong styles

Riichi (Japanese) mahjong has All Simples too (tanyao), its most common 1-han yaku — see the Japanese mahjong yaku list.

FAQ

How many points is All Simples?

All Simples is worth 2 points in Chinese Official Mahjong. No Honors is not counted on top.

Can I chow and pung for All Simples?

Yes. MCR's All Simples doesn't require a concealed hand; your exposed sets just can't contain terminals or honors either.

Are All Simples and All Chows enough to win?

No. All Simples (2) plus All Chows (2) is only 4 points; you still need something like Concealed Hand, a self-draw (Fully Concealed Hand) or Mixed Triple Chow.

Does Middle Tiles also score All Simples?

No. Middle Tiles, All Fives and All Even Pungs all include All Simples, so it is not counted; Upper Tiles, Lower Tiles, Upper Four and Lower Four don't include it and score it when the hand qualifies.

Related fan

All Chows 2 pt Four chows and a suited pair for 2 points: looser than in Taiwanese or Riichi mahjong, but it always needs Mixed Straight, Pure Straight or Concealed Hand to reach 8. Middle Tiles 24 pt A whole hand of 4s, 5s and 6s for 24 points: rules, what it absorbs, how it stacks with All Fives. No Honors 1 pt No honor tiles for 1 point — mostly earned in All Pungs or Seven Pairs; All Chows, All Simples and Full Flush drop it.