The first tournament in Porto! Let’s see how it was!
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🥇 Anton Martynenko 🥈 Roman Doroshenko 🥉 Anton Ovcharenko
Porto Riichi Open 2024
The first tournament with 80 players in Porto, Portugal, has successfully ended! Watch the video to see how it all went at the Porto Riichi Open 2024.
Sound ON!
Music - Two Steps From Hell - Victory
The Lone Flowers of Chiitoitsu
In the "House of Tiles," the parlor buzzed with the sound of shuffling tiles and quiet conversation. Kenji, eager to keep learning, sat down for another game with the master, Mr. Sato. Tonight, Kenji was determined to try a Chiitoitsu hand, a rare and elegant strategy in Riichi Mahjong that required seven pairs of matching tiles. As the game progressed, Kenji thought he was close to victory—his garden almost complete.
But there was one problem. As Kenji looked at his tiles, he noticed something unusual. He had four identical tiles—four red dragons sitting together in his hand. Confused, he glanced at Mr. Sato, who was watching quietly, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.
“Kenji,” Mr. Sato began gently, “Chiitoitsu is like a garden filled with pairs of unique flowers. In this garden, no flower can bloom four times. A pair must always remain just that—two identical flowers standing side by side. If you allow four of the same tile to grow, your garden loses its balance, and the path to victory withers.”
Kenji frowned, still not fully understanding. “But I have the tiles,” he said. “Why can’t I win?”
Mr. Sato smiled. “When you have four of the same tile in your hand while building Chiitoitsu, it’s like planting too many of the same flower. It overwhelms the space. In Chiitoitsu, the beauty lies in pairs—two of each, no more, no less. Having four identical tiles doesn’t complete your garden, it crowds it. And because of this, your hand cannot be in Tenpai—it’s not ready to bloom into a winning hand.”
Kenji looked down at his hand again, realizing the truth in Mr. Sato’s words. His hand, filled with potential, was not a true Chiitoitsu because one flower had grown too large, overshadowing the delicate balance that was needed.
“To win with Chiitoitsu,” Mr. Sato continued, “you must carefully tend to your pairs. Just as a gardener knows when to prune and when to plant, you must know which tiles to keep and which to discard. Four of a kind disrupts the harmony of Chiitoitsu, preventing you from achieving the graceful victory you seek.”
Understanding now, Kenji discarded the extra tiles, making space for the pairs to flourish. As the game went on, he cultivated his hand with care, watching his pairs grow like rare flowers in a garden, until finally, he reached Tenpai—a state of readiness, balanced and perfect.
That evening, Kenji learned an important lesson: in the delicate garden of Chiitoitsu, no flower could grow unchecked. Each pair must be nurtured, no more than two of each, to create a hand that could truly bloom into victory.
And as always, Mr. Sato's quiet wisdom guided him on the path to becoming a better player.
Be careful!
If you have a pon and the fourth tile in your hand, waiting on a tanki (single tile) is not a tenpai.
If you want to share any more news, feel free to write to us—we'd be happy to publish it.
The Mahjong tiles used in Riichi Mahjong trace back to ancient China, where they were inspired by cards and dominoes. Over centuries, the game evolved and reached Japan, where the Riichi variant developed its own identity.
Be-weekly puzzle
You can also solve the puzzle online and then come back to find the hidden question.
Solve the crossword using the clues provided.
Extract the specified letters from each answer as indicated.
Assemble the hidden phrase using the extracted letters.
Answer the hidden question implied by the phrase in the comments.
The video of selecting the winner using random.org
There’s a prize!
The prize is a hand-made Mahjong-themed postcard! Good luck!
The prize will be handed over at one of the tournaments. The winner has to contact us to arrange the details.
With love from the editor and correspondent, Anastasiia Veremenko. Twitter
The Riichi Mahjong Times Biweekly Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
5 pin, I got my first Yakuman on that tile :)
It's too late. But North) Love to start game being 1st North