Richii

Richii (立直, pronounced ree-chee) is a declaration made in Japanese Mahjong. It signifies that a player has a tenpai (ready hand) concealed from other players. A player who declares richii risks being furiten (unable to win from a discard), but receives certain benefits if they win, including dora (bonus tiles) and a yaku (scoring hand).

Requirements:

To declare richii, a player must have a concealed hand that is one tile away from winning (tenpai) and have at least 1000 points. These points are paid as a deposit, typically placed in front of the player. The player cannot change their hand in any way other than to draw and discard, or to win.

Procedure:

The player announces "Richii" (立直) aloud and discards a tile, turning it sideways to indicate the declaration. The 1000 point deposit is placed in front of the player as a bet.

Consequences and Restrictions:

• Furiten: After declaring richii, a player cannot win by ron (winning on another player's discard) if any of their potential winning tiles are in their discard pile. This is known as "richii furiten."
• Limited Modification: Once richii is declared, the player's hand is essentially locked. They can only draw, discard, or declare a win (ron or tsumo). Kan (concealed quads) are generally not allowed after declaring richii, unless it does not change the waiting tiles.
• Riichi Stick Retrieval: If the player wins, they collect the richii sticks that have been put out by all players who have declared richii in the current hand. These sticks are worth 1000 points each and are added to their score.
• No Going Back: The declaration of richii is irrevocable, even if the player realizes they made a mistake or subsequently draws a tile that would make their hand better by changing their wait.

Benefits:

• Ippatsu: If the player wins on the first draw or discard after declaring richii, they receive the yaku "Ippatsu" (一発), worth one han.
• Ura Dora: If the player wins, they are allowed to reveal the ura-dora indicators. These are the tiles directly beneath the dora indicators, and act as additional dora if the player has them in their winning hand. This greatly increases the hand's value.
• Automatic Yaku: Declaring richii automatically grants the "Richii" yaku, worth one han.

Strategic Considerations:

Declaring richii is a significant strategic decision. It carries risk (being unable to win from discards) but also offers potential rewards (dora, ippatsu, and the richii yaku itself). Players must weigh the likelihood of winning, the potential hand value, and the risk of passing up a better wait before declaring richii.