Thirteen Orphans

What Is Thirteen Orphans

Thirteen Orphans is among the most iconic and elusive 88-fan hands in Chinese Mahjong. By collecting one copy of each 1 and 9 in all suits plus each Wind and Dragon, and then an extra tile to form a pair, you produce an unforgettable high-stakes finish. Because you cannot meld opponents for these dissimilar tiles, the hand remains fully concealed, relying heavily on timely draws (and possibly the final discard).

The Tile Pattern of Thirteen Orphans

The Thirteen Unique Tiles + One Duplicate

Your final 14-tile layout must include exactly one copy of each:

• 1 Craks and 9 Craks
• 1 Bam and 9 Bam
• 1 Dots and 9 Dots
• East, South, West, North Winds
• Red, Green, White Dragons

The hand consists of 13 unique "orphan" tiles and one duplicate of any of those tiles, creating a valid winning hand known as the classic 13 orphans plus one extra tile. Since this hand does not form regular melds (like chows or pungs), all tiles must remain concealed in your hand.

Fan Value of Thirteen Orphans

Under Chinese Mahjong rules, Thirteen Orphans is awarded 88 fan—the highest fan tier in the system, equivalent to ultra-rare patterns like “Big Four Winds,” “Nine Gates,” “All Green,” etc. Because 88 fan drastically surpasses the normal 8-fan minimum, a player who completes Thirteen Orphans will almost certainly secure a massive point lead in that hand.

Strategies and Considerations of Thirteen Orphans

Check Your Starting Tiles: If your initial draw contains numerous different terminals (1 or 9 in any suit) and multiple distinct honors (Winds/Dragons), you might attempt “Thirteen Orphans.”

Discard All Non-Orphan Tiles: Since you only need each 1, 9, and honor once, any duplicates outside these categories (like 2–8 in suits) are useless. Discard them quickly to improve your odds of drawing the orphans you still lack.

No Melds: You cannot chow/pung/kong from opponents, as that would create melds and break the Thirteen Orphans structure. You rely purely on self-draw or occasionally claiming the final winning tile from someone’s discard if allowed.

Pair Duplication: Keep track carefully of which orphan rank/honor you have an extra tile of, or which you aim to pair if you’re waiting for it.

Unusual Discard Pattern: Throwing away 2–8 suit tiles or repeated discards of potential non-orphans can clue savvy opponents that you are collecting a big terminal/honor-based hand—though they might guess “All Terminals and Honors” or “Thirteen Orphans.”

Holding Key Tiles: If others notice you still lack, for example, a specific honor, they might hold onto it to block. However, you only need one copy of each missing orphan, so a single withheld tile can hamper your progress significantly.

Probability: The chance of assembling 13 distinct orphans plus one duplicate is extremely low unless your initial hand is strongly aligned.

The Winning Tile: The final tile must be whichever orphan you still lack (to get the 13 distinct set) or a duplicate of one orphan you already have (to form the pair). As soon as you obtain that tile—via self-draw or discard—you declare Mahjong.