Confirm a legal hand
Validate tile copies, declared melds, concealed tile count, the winning tile, and a supported standard or special shape.
Chinese Official · Mahjong Competition Rules
MCR Mahjong Scoring
MCR scoring assigns fan to named hand patterns and winning conditions. A legal hand normally needs at least eight qualifying fan; Flower points can increase the final total but do not satisfy that minimum. Compatible fan may combine, while exclusion and non-duplication rules stop a higher pattern from counting all of its included lower patterns again.
Five checks
A score begins with legality, not arithmetic.
Follow the same order every time so a large-looking list of patterns cannot hide an invalid hand.
Find compatible fan
Evaluate the whole hand, its melds, suits, honors, concealment, winning method, Winds, Kongs, and special conditions.
Remove included counts
Apply suppression and non-duplication rules before totaling the qualifying fan. A bigger pattern often already contains smaller ones.
Calculation order
Qualify first. Add Flowers second.
Total qualifying fan
Add compatible, non-suppressed hand and condition fan. This is the number tested against the minimum.
Check eight
If qualifying fan is below eight, the shape may be complete but cannot normally be declared as an MCR win.
Add Flower bonus
Flower and Season points can raise the displayed total only after the hand independently satisfies the winning threshold.
Fan examples
Values range from one fan to rare 88-fan hands.
These examples illustrate the scale; they are not a substitute for the complete rules and interaction tables.
| Pattern | Chinese name | Fan | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thirteen Orphans | 十三幺 | 88 | All thirteen terminals and honors, plus one matching pair. |
| Full Flush | 清一色 | 24 | Every tile belongs to one numbered suit, with no Honors. |
| Pure Straight | 清龙 | 16 | 123, 456, and 789 Chows in the same suit. |
| Mixed Straight | 花龙 | 8 | 123, 456, and 789 Chows distributed across all three suits. |
| All Pungs | 碰碰和 | 6 | Four Pungs or Kongs and a pair. |
| Dragon Pung | 箭刻 | 2 | A Pung or Kong of Dragons. |
| Self Draw | 自摸 | 1 | The winning tile was drawn from the wall. |
| Flower Tiles | 花牌 | 1 | One bonus point for each Flower or Season tile; Flowers do not satisfy the 8-fan minimum. |
Worked example
Why the sample reaches 45 fan.
The linked closed Character hand contains a Pure Straight and other compatible properties found by the calculator. Instead of trusting a printed total, open the encoded hand and let the current engine rebuild its decomposition and fan list.
Transparent scope
What the tool deliberately shows.
- The selected physical tiles and every declared Chi, Pong, or Kong.
- Qualifying fan, Flower fan, total fan, and the eight-fan decision separately.
- Why Flowers cannot rescue a hand that misses the minimum.
- The implemented fan count and a warning that the tool is not a tournament referee.
Sources and scope
Where to verify the rules behind this guide
Product behavior is checked against the current immahjong Beta. Independent references below support the broader game and rules context.
Plain answers
MCR scoring questions, answered plainly
What does fan mean in MCR Mahjong?
Fan is the value assigned to a recognized scoring pattern or winning condition. A hand can contain several compatible fan, but MCR includes exclusions and non-duplication rules, so every visible pattern is not automatically added again.
What is the MCR eight-fan minimum?
A structurally legal hand normally needs at least eight qualifying fan before it can be declared as a win. The calculator separates qualifying fan from Flower bonus points so the minimum is visible.
Do Flower tiles count toward the eight-fan minimum?
No. Each Flower or Season can add one bonus point to the final total, but those points do not satisfy the eight-fan winning requirement.
Can several fan be added together?
Compatible fan can combine. Higher patterns may suppress included lower patterns, and some features cannot be counted more than once. A transparent result should name both the counted fan and the patterns excluded by the rules logic.
Is the immahjong calculator a tournament referee?
No. It is a learning calculator covering 81 implemented fan definitions and common scoring interactions. Tournament play must follow the event's current official rules and referee decisions.
Build the hand and inspect every awarded fan.
The calculator validates the physical hand before it explains the score.