Closed Wait is a 1-fan pattern in Chinese Mahjong achieved by completing your hand with the missing middle tile of a three-tile sequence. While it offers a small scoring bonus, it also narrows your winning possibilities, potentially slowing you down.
Examples:
Single-Tile Wait: You can only win on that one specific rank (the middle tile). This narrower waiting space often makes it trickier to complete, compared to a two-sided wait.
Part of Your Final Draw or Claim: You must declare Mahjong exactly on that missing middle tile. Only then does the hand qualify for the Closed Wait bonus.
Under Chinese Mahjong scoring, a Closed Wait is worth 1 fan. Once you successfully complete your hand using this specific middle-tile wait, you add +1 fan to your total score. You can combine this with other hand patterns, but you can typically only claim one type of wait-based bonus on the winning tile if multiple apply.
Natural Formation: A Closed Wait often arises naturally as you assemble partial sequences. For instance, if you keep 4 and 6 in a suit hoping to draw a 5, you might end up with a single-tile wait for that middle tile.
Balancing Speed vs. Extra Fan
Late-Game Decision: If you see that your required middle tiles are largely undiscarded, or if you are counting tile availability and your needed tile is still likely in play, the extra fan might be worth pursuing.
Opponent Awareness: Opponents often watch for edge waits (1–2 needing 3, or 8–9 needing 7), but a Closed Wait can be less obvious if they do not detect your partial sequences. This can work to your advantage.
Tile Tracking: Carefully track how many of the crucial middle tiles (e.g., all 5 Dots, if you need one) have appeared in discards or others’ melds. If too many are gone, consider pivoting away from the Closed Wait.
Revealing Melds: If you partially meld one side of a chow, you might inadvertently reveal that a Closed Wait is possible. In Chinese Mahjong rules, you can keep your hand more concealed to prevent giving opponents a clue about your wait.
Caution on Wait Overlaps: If your final wait could be interpreted as an Edge Wait or Single Wait, confirm which single-tile waiting pattern you are truly fulfilling—Chinese Mahjong rules typically allow claiming only one wait-based pattern per final tile.
LEARN
TOOLS