Chiihou
地和 | Chiihou
As a non-dealer, win on your very first self-draw before any calls have been made by any player.
By Kenji Tanaka · Updated
Overview
Chiihou, the earthly hand, is a yakuman awarded to a non-dealer who completes their hand on their very first self-draw, before they have made or called any meld and before drawing any replacement tile. In other words, the first tile you draw completes a winning hand straight out of your dealt thirteen. It must be a tsumo, since it happens on your opening draw, and it is purely a matter of luck rather than skill, with odds in the hundreds of thousands. Chiihou is the non-dealer counterpart of tenhou, the dealer's blessing, which is the equivalent miracle on the dealer's opening hand. Any call by another player before your first draw cancels the chance. Because it is a yakuman, it pays the full 32,000 for a non-dealer regardless of the hand's ordinary shape. Chiihou is among the rarest events in mahjong and cannot be aimed for in any way.
Example Hand
3m 4m 5m 7p 8p 9p 1s 2s 3s 6s 7s 8s 4z 4z
Conditions
- You must be a non-dealer (South, West, or North seat)
- You must win on your very first self-draw of the round
- No calls (chi, pon, kan) may have been made by any player before your winning draw — if any player makes a call before your first draw, chiihou is invalidated
- The hand is inherently closed since you have made no calls
- Like tenhou, chiihou does not require any other yaku — it is yakuman on its own
- This is almost entirely a matter of luck, with only the drawn tile adding a small element of chance
Strategy Tips
- Like tenhou, chiihou is overwhelmingly determined by luck. The only “strategic” element is that you need to be one tile away from winning after the initial 13-tile deal, and then draw the right tile on your first turn.
- Chiihou is invalidated if any player makes a call before your draw. This means that even if your hand was ready, another player’s pon or chi on the dealer’s first discard would cancel your chance. There is nothing you can do about this.
- The probability of chiihou is extremely low but slightly higher than tenhou, since a non-dealer needs 13 tiles plus one lucky draw, whereas the dealer needs all 14 dealt perfectly. Still, it remains one of the rarest events in the game.