Seven Shifted Pairs

What Is Seven Shifted Pairs

Seven Shifted Pairs is among the most elusive 88-fan hands in Chinese Mahjong, requiring seven pairs of consecutive ranks in exactly one suit—14 tiles forming a perfect chain from x to x+6. No discards can be claimed, so you remain fully concealed while meticulously gathering second copies for each pair. Although the path to completion is narrow—missing even one rank can derail the sequence—the reward is enormous if successful. When recognized early and pursued aggressively (discarding everything outside the target ranks), “Seven Shifted Pairs” can deliver a breathtaking win that few opponents ever see coming.

The Tile Pattern of Seven Shifted Pairs

Seven Shifted Pairs is an extraordinarily rare and high-value special hand, involving seven pairs in a single suit, where the ranks of those pairs form a continuous, 7-rank sequence. In other words, you hold pairs of ranks x, (x+1), (x+2), (x+3), (x+4), (x+5), (x+6) all in one suit (Craks, Bams, Dots).

Fan Value of Seven Shifted Pairs

Under Chinese Mahjong rules, Seven Shifted Pairs is awarded 88 fan, placing it at the pinnacle of scoring. This is the highest fan tier in standard Mahjong (equivalent to other ultra-rare hands like “Nine Gates,” “Four Kongs,” etc.). Because 88 fan vastly surpasses the usual 8-fan minimum, a completed “Seven Shifted Pairs” almost guarantees a commanding victory.

Strategies and Considerations of Seven Shifted Pairs

Check Suit Distribution: If you notice your opening hand has multiple pairs or near-pairs in consecutive ranks of a single suit, consider the possibility of “Seven Shifted Pairs.”

Discard All Else Quickly: Abandon other suits and any honor tiles as soon as possible, to focus your subsequent draws on that single suit.

No Meld Calls: You cannot chow or pung from discards, as that would violate the “pairs-only” approach. You must rely on self-draw to obtain each second tile.

Observing Key Ranks: Because you need seven consecutive ranks from x to x+6, watch whether crucial tiles (like if you need rank 5 but it’s heavily discarded) remain available. If too many copies are gone, you may not complete the required pairs.

Likely Underestimated: Discarding all suits except one might make opponents suspect a flush or a standard “Seven Pairs,” but few will immediately assume you need seven consecutive pairs.

Defensive Blocks: If they do guess your plan and see you need, say, rank 7 in that suit, they might hold onto any 7s they draw. However, since you are making pairs, a single withheld tile might not block you unless multiple copies are hidden.

Strict Sequence Requirement: You are locked into exact consecutive ranks. Missing even one rank kills the pattern.

Self-Draw Win: Finishing with a self-draw is mandatory for forming pairs. This might also grant a small additional bonus (2 fan for self-drawn in some scoring specifics), though overshadowed by 88 fan.