Tenpai: Difference between revisions

'''Iishanten''', or 1-shanten, is the state of the hand before attaining tenpai. While tenpai is 1-tile away from winning the hand, iishanten is 1-tile away from attaining tenpai.

Iishanten is closest state a hand can get to tenpai, and is thus acts as a critical juncture. Progressing from iishanten to tenpai is the slowest stage of hand development, so maximizing the chance to escape iishanten is usually good. Players often need to choose whether to [[riichi]] or stay [[damaten]], and if another opponent is in tenpai, whether to push or [[defense|fold]].