Tenhou.net

Tenhou 「天鳳」 [1] is the one of the most popular online mahjong service in Japan. It is also the platform of choice for the English-speaking community. The site offers the game through either as a free web based platform and/or as a downloadable program via subscription.

Development history

2006/02/20 Hanjyukusou (半熟荘) beta released
2006/08/01 Came out of beta
2006/10/24 10,000 IDs registered
2007/01/20 Changed name to Tenhou
2007/12/25 100,000 IDs registered
2008/02/01 Windows client released
2009/02/20 Houou table opened
2010/08/22 1,000,000 IDs registered
2012/06/09 10,000 concurrent users
2013/07/10 2,500,000 IDs registered

Basic user's guide

Tenhou.net is a Japanese site. So, anyone, who is not familiar with navigating Japanense sites, may have some difficulty.

Game lobby

The game lobby gives players access to game rooms, according to a number of rule sets to play with.

Game interface

Riichi	Chii	Pon	Kan	Ron	Tsumo
リーチ	チー	ポン	カン	ロン	ツモ

During the game, most of the clickable options are near the bottom of the screen. The rest is dedicated towards other players' hands (unrevealed of course) and the discard piles in the center. Also in the center, a square display shows players' point standings, names, and rank. In addition, the current wind round is indicated in the center square as well as the number of honba as well as the number of riichi points on the table.

Individual player statistics

Players with registered IDs have various statistics tracked by Tenhou.net. These numbers can be read on the right side of the lobby window.

Replays

Every replay is accessible via a "replay game link". It is accessible via the drop down menu labled: 「メニュー」 (menu). The first item is labled 「牌譜の管理」. A sub-window, as shown on the right, pops up. The replay links are available here. While they're stored under three tabs, the latter two display the exact game links.

Only a certain number of links are available at the time. Usually, the most recent 30 games played are accessible, as they are stored within a queue. It is possible to save and retain older game links by copy-pasting them elsewhere. This Wiki itself is full of old replay links. Users of the Windows client do not need to worry about losing game links.

Spectating

Players may use the interface to spectate "live games". However, they're not exactly live games, as they are actually delayed by 3-5 minutes. This is to eliminate any sort of cheating via simultaneous replay viewing, while in game.

In the main 0000 lobby, players may spectate games from either the Houou lobby. As such, any player may be able to watch and see the game play of the highest ranked players, currently in-game.

Game rooms

For Tenhou ranking, the game lobby is divided into four sub-rooms, with specific qualification standards.

Ippan 「一般」

General lobby area. Any player ranked below 4-dan and R1800 play here. This includes all new players and unranked players. The mix creates a somewhat chaotic game environment, where skilled and unskilled players alike play each other.

Joukyuu 「上級」

Lower "dan" lobby. Players attaining 1-kyuu.

Tokujou 「特上」

Upper "dan" lobby. Any player ranked above 4-dan and R1800. The lobby consists mostly of 5-dan and 6-dan players all pushing to get into the highest lobby.

Houou 「鳳凰」

Reserved for only the highest ranked players in Tenhou.net of rank 7-dan and R2000.

Custom rooms

Main article: Tenhou.net custom rooms

Tenhou.net offers users the ability to play in custom rooms. Here, players may play unranked casual games, without any worry about their Tenhou.net ranking.

Tenhou.net house rules

Main article: Tenhou rules

The site specifies a number of specific rules. While many general rules and procedures still apply, a number of rules for the game overall may be deemed as "optional"; and they may not apply elsewhere.

The most important rules to note:

Uma (+20/+10/-10/-20)
Atozuke ari
Kuikae nashi
Kuitan ari or nashi option

Ranking system

Main article: Tenhou.net ranking

Contests

Tournaments

International team competition

External links

Tools