Taiwanese · Scoring rule
Chicken Hand
The Chicken Hand rescues a hand worth exactly 1 point before the base: drop that point and the hand pays exactly the round minimum, base included: 20 in the East round, 22 in South, 24 in West and 26 in North, so a Chicken always wins. Every row counts toward that 1, including wait bonuses, so a hand with a wait bonus is never a Chicken. Dealer points are added after the Chicken hand is worked out.
A worked example
Exactly one point before the base makes a Chicken. It pays the round minimum: 20, 22, 24 or 26.
- South seat
- East round
- Discard from West
- No flowers
Winning tile: 4 Characters
| Chicken Hand | 20 |
|---|---|
| Total | 20 points |
The only row is No Flowers, 1 point: the 2-3 Characters wait could take 1 or 4, an ordinary two-sided wait with no bonus. That 1 makes a Chicken, which pays the East round minimum of 20 with the base inside it.
Frequently asked
How many points is Chicken Hand worth in Taiwanese mahjong?
Chicken Hand scores 20 to 26 pts (the round minimum) in Taiwanese 16-tile mahjong. The Chicken Hand rescues a hand worth exactly 1 point before the base: drop that point and the hand pays exactly the round minimum, base included: 20 in the East round, 22 in South, 24 in West and 26 in North, so a Chicken always wins. Every row counts toward that 1, including wait bonuses, so a hand with a wait bonus is never a Chicken. Dealer points are added after the Chicken hand is worked out.
What is an example of Chicken Hand?
The only row is No Flowers, 1 point: the 2-3 Characters wait could take 1 or 4, an ordinary two-sided wait with no bonus. That 1 makes a Chicken, which pays the East round minimum of 20 with the base inside it. The full 17-tile hand scores 20 points in total.