Pure Shifted Chows

What Is Pure Shifted Chows

Pure Shifted Chows is an exciting and lucrative 16-fan hand in Chinese Mahjong. Achieving it requires three sequentially shifted chows in one suit, typically arranged in incremental steps of one or two ranks from each prior chow’s starting tile. Balancing fast meld calls and the potential surprise factor is key, as opponents will often try to block you once they sense your plan. Yet the substantial 16-fan reward—and the possibility of combining with additional high-value patterns—makes “Pure Shifted Chows” a formidable and satisfying hand to complete.

The Tile Pattern of Pure Shifted Chows

In Chinese Mahjong, Pure Shifted Chows requires you to form three different chows (sequences) in the same suit, each chow shifted by one or two ranks from the previous chow.

Specifically:

• All three chows must be in exactly one suit (Craks, Bams, or Dots).
• The first chow can be, for example, x–(x+1)–(x+2).
• The second chow must start one or two ranks above that first chow’s first tile (so it could be (x+1)–(x+2)–(x+3) if shifting by 1, or (x+2)–(x+3)–(x+4) if shifting by 2).
• The third chow continues the same stepping approach, either shifting again by 1 or by 2 from the second chow’s first tile.

Examples：

One-rank shifts: 2-3-4, 3-4-5, 4-5-6 (each chow starts exactly one rank higher than the previous one’s first tile).

Two-rank shifts: 2-3-4, 4-5-6, 6-7-8 (each chow is two ranks higher than the previous chow’s first tile).

Fan Value of Pure Shifted Chows

Under Chinese rules, Pure Shifted Chows is awarded 16 fan. That is a significant score, exceeding the 8-fan minimum for a legal win at many tables. The challenge of collecting carefully offset chows in a single suit justifies its high reward.

Strategies and Considerations of Pure Shifted Chows

Assess Your Suit Distribution: If you notice your starting hand already contains partial sequences that could form these stepping chows, consider “Pure Shifted Chows.”

Discard Unneeded Suits: Focusing on one suit is crucial. Quickly discard extraneous suits and unnecessary honor tiles to improve your chances of drawing the right tiles in your target suit.

Meld vs. Concealed: You can “chow” from the player on your left to speed up formation of these three stepping melds. However, doing so reveals part of your plan and might alert opponents. If you can complete all or most sequences by self-drawing, you might combine with “Fully Concealed Hand” (if no melds are called) for extra fan—though this can be more difficult.

Defensive Reaction: Once opponents see you forming multiple chows in the same suit with noticeable stepping patterns, they may suspect “Pure Shifted Chows” or “Pure Straight.” They might hold back critical tiles.

Tracking Key Ranks: Ensure the stepping sequence you aim for is feasible. If too many crucial tiles (e.g., 3 B, 5 B) have already been discarded or melded, you might need to pivot to a different scoring hand.

Risk vs. Reward: You rely on a precise set of ranks in a single suit to be available. This can be risky if others are competing for the same suit or if the game is near the end and your missing ranks are not showing up. If you do succeed, 16 fan (and possibly more through combinations) can be decisive in winning the round or the entire match.