Four Pure Shifted Chows

What Is Four Pure Shifted Chows

Four Pure Shifted Chows is one of the most challenging and rewarding hands in Chinese Mahjong, worth a formidable 32 fan. It demands forming four distinct chows in a single suit, each chow stepping up by one or two ranks from the previous chow’s start, plus a pair to fulfill the 14-tile requirement. While collecting these intricate sequences can be daunting—particularly under the watchful eyes of opponents—the resulting score can be game-winning. By identifying aligned sequences early, discarding extraneous suits, and carefully timing chow calls (or remaining concealed if possible), an accomplished player can seize a spectacular victory with “Four Pure Shifted Chows.”

The Tile Pattern of Four Pure Shifted Chows

Four Pure Shifted Chows is an advanced version of the “shifted chows” concept. You must form four chows (sequences) in the same suit (Craks, Bams, or Dots), each chow “stepping up” by one or two ranks from the previous chow’s starting tile.

Example:

• 1 B–2 B–3 B (first chow)
• 2 B–3 B–4 B (second chow, shifted by 1 rank from the first chow’s start)
• 3 B–4 B–5 B (third chow, again +1 shift)
• 4 B–5 B–6 B (fourth chow, again +1 shift)
• Pair of 7 B (completes the 14 tiles)

Fan Value of Four Pure Shifted Chows

Under Chinese Mahjong rules, Four Pure Shifted Chows is awarded 32 fan. This is a very high-value hand—double or even quadruple the value of many advanced patterns—reflecting how restrictive it is to gather four carefully stepped chows in one suit.

Strategies and Considerations of Four Pure Shifted Chows

Look for Sequential Pieces: If your opening hand shows multiple partial sequences in one suit—like 1–2, 2–3, 4–5—see if they can align into a four-chow stepping chain.

Choose a Suit Quickly: Discard tiles in other suits to maximize your draws in your target suit. The narrower your focus, the higher the chance of completing the specific stepped sequences.

Calling Chows: Since a chow can only be melded from the player on your immediate left’s discard, you need to be watchful. Calling chows can speed up your progress but also reveals your stepping pattern.

Fully Concealed: If you self-draw all the needed tiles, you might earn extra fan for a self-drawn win or a fully concealed hand. However, this is extremely difficult with such a precise pattern. Decide whether the secrecy advantage is worth potentially missing crucial discards.

Detectable Pattern: If opponents see you repeatedly forming consecutive chows in one suit, they may guess you are aiming for a high-value “stepped” hand. They might try to hoard certain ranks or avoid discarding them.

Tile Counting: Keep track of how many copies of each rank have been discarded or melded. If you lose too many critical tiles to others, pivoting to a simpler pattern might be necessary.

Combining with Other Patterns

• Full Flush: If your entire hand is in one suit, you are effectively also “Full Flush.” Some rulesets apply only the highest-value pattern, which in this case is “Four Pure Shifted Chows” (32 fan).
• All Chows: Because your melds are all chows, you might also have an “All Chows” bonus. Again, local rule interpretations decide if it stacks or if the highest pattern supersedes smaller ones.
• Seat/Prevalent Wind: If you use an honor pair or meld, that does not hamper your stepping chows. But typically, “Four Pure Shifted Chows” overshadows small wind/dragon bonuses.

Strict Rank Dependencies: You need 4 × 3 = 12 tiles forming a carefully spaced chain, leaving only 2 tiles for your pair. If any crucial rank is heavily discarded, you might not complete. Securing 32 fan from “Four Pure Shifted Chows” can dramatically swing the game’s outcome in your favor.