Chinese Official Mahjong · 16 pt

Pure Shifted Chows in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Examples and Odds

In Chinese Official Mahjong, Pure Shifted Chows (一色三步高) is worth 16 points: your winning hand has three chows of one suit whose starting numbers step up by one (1-2-3, 2-3-4, 3-4-5) or by two (1-2-3, 3-4-5, 5-6-7). One of these clears the 8-point minimum with room to spare.

The rules for Pure Shifted Chows

• Three chows, all in the same suit
• Their starting numbers are evenly spaced: one apart (1-2-3, 2-3-4, 3-4-5) or two apart (1-2-3, 3-4-5, 5-6-7). Three apart is a Pure Straight or a Short Straight, not a shifted set
• Claimed chows count; no concealed requirement. The fourth set and the pair are free
• One chow in each suit, stepping up by one, is Mixed Shifted Chows, 6 points

What Pure Shifted Chows does not combine with

Pure Shifted Chows excludes no other fan as such, but under the "account once" principle no Pure Double Chow, Short Straight or Two Terminal Chows is scored among its three chows, and the fourth chow may combine with only one of them.

If the fourth chow is 6-7-8 characters, for instance, it forms a Short Straight with the 3-4-5 characters of the run, adding 1 point (second example below).

Four chows of one suit stepping up evenly become Four Pure Shifted Chows, 32 points, which replaces Pure Shifted Chows.

How Pure Shifted Chows scores

Scored live by the site's engine, exactly as in the game.

Common combinations:

How it relates to other fan

• Mixed Shifted Chows: one chow per suit, stepping by one, 6 points — not enough alone; the one-suit version is worth far more.
• Four Pure Shifted Chows: all four chows stepping up, 32 points.
• Pure Straight: 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9 of one suit, also 16 points; with many chows of one suit the two are often one tile apart.
• Pure Triple Chow: three identical chows, 24 points.
• Full Flush and Half Flush: the run uses nine tiles of one suit — halfway to a flush.

Pure Shifted Chows odds

In 4,000 hands of normal bot play on this site, Pure Shifted Chows appeared in 5.7% of winning hands, averaging 21.4 points; Pure Straight, also worth 16, was in 6.2%. Both are much rarer than the 8-point Mixed Straight (15%), but when they come they are hands of around twenty points.

When to go for Pure Shifted Chows

• Lots of one suit, bunched together: 1-2-3-4-5 characters suits a shifted run better than a spread like 1-2, 4-5, 8-9 (which suits a Pure Straight).
• Check both step sizes: with 1-2-3 and 3-4-5, adding 5-6-7 makes a step-two run and adding 2-3-4 a step-one run — two ways in.
• Chow: no concealed requirement; claim the missing chow.
• Flush on top: nine tiles of one suit are already there; steer the rest into that suit for a Half or Full Flush.

Try it at a table of online Chinese Official Mahjong — scoring is automatic.

FAQ

How many points is Pure Shifted Chows?

Pure Shifted Chows is worth 16 points in Chinese Official Mahjong — enough to win on its own.

Does 1-2-3, 3-4-5, 5-6-7 count?

Yes. Stepping by two counts, as does stepping by one (1-2-3, 2-3-4, 3-4-5).

What is the difference from Mixed Shifted Chows?

Pure Shifted Chows has all three chows in one suit, 16 points; Mixed Shifted Chows has one chow per suit stepping by one, 6 points.

Can I chow for Pure Shifted Chows?

Yes, it does not require a concealed hand.

Related fan

Four Pure Shifted Chows 32 pt Four chows in one suit stepping up by one or two for 32 points: both step sizes, what it doesn't combine with, stacking with the flushes. Mixed Shifted Chows 6 pt One chow per suit, each a step higher, for 6 points — one of MCR's most common routes to 8. How to top it up, and when to switch to Mixed Straight. Pure Straight 16 pt 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9 in one suit for 16 points — enough on its own. What it excludes and what the fourth chow can still add.