Furiten: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Furiten.png|right|thumb|250px|[http://tenhou.net/0/?log=2012110112gm-0009-7447-14ec5c8d&tw=0&ts=4 Baiman tenpai], in furiten due to 9-sou in discard.  Ron cannot be called here.]]
[[Image:Furiten.png|right|thumb|250px|[http://tenhou.net/0/?log=2012110112gm-0009-7447-14ec5c8d&tw=0&ts=4 Baiman tenpai], in furiten due to 9-sou in discard.  Ron cannot be called here.]]
'''Furiten''' {{kana|振聴}} is a game status where a player cannot declare [[ron]] because of a decision not to use a winning tile. A player in [[Tenpai|tenpai]] is furiten if any of that player's winning tiles are present in one's own discard pile or, in certain conditions, another player's discard pile or [[shouminkan]].  Players in furiten may still win by [[tsumo]], but not by ron.  A call of ron while furiten is penalized by [[chombo]], although computer games will generally forbid the player from declaring a furiten ron.
'''Furiten''' {{kana|振聴}} is a restriction applied to [[tenpai]] hands.  While in furiten, the player loses the ability to declare a win on a player's [[ron|discard]] (ron).  Any hand in a tenpai state has a set of possible tile(s) for winning.  Primarily, the hand is marked as furiten, if any tile in that set is in the player's own discard.  This includes any [[Naki|called tiles]].  Other cases involving riichi and temporary furiten are also applicable.  Regardless, the hand can still win by [[tsumo|self-draw]] (tsumo) given valid [[yaku]].


In all cases, the furiten rule requires a player to be aware of all of their [[machi|tile waits]]. If a player is [[tenpai]] but does not realize all of their possible waits, they may not be aware that they are furiten and, as a result, call an illegal win. This is especially true of a player who has called [[riichi]], because they can be furiten off of anyone's discard for a long period of time.
This rule is often used for [[defense]] purpose to determine [[Genbutsu|safe tiles]]. Tiles with the furiten rule can infer via [[suji]] and [[kabe]].  Though this may not be guaranteed barring the shape of player hands.
 
To enforce furiten, the [[discard pile]] is specifically arranged in front of players and [[Naki|tile calls]] have one tile turned to indicate who discarded the tile. The discard arrangements allow players to keep track of who discarded which tilesDuring a hand, players should take note of their status in relation to furiten and avoid calling winning hands while in furiten.  Likewise, any calls for winning hands should have the discards checked for furiten.  Any game involving software already checks for furiten, alerts players, and denies winning calls.
 
Furiten is translated as '''sacred discard''' in Chinese.  In consequence, English terminology had made this the equivalent.  However, this translation bears no relation to the Japanese term ({{kana|振り聴牌}}: thrown-away tenpai).


== Rule statement ==
== Rule statement ==
A hand in tenpai is in furiten in any of the following scenarios:


A player in tenpai is in furiten in any of the following scenarios:
* At least one winning tile is in one's own discard pile.
 
* The hand is declared [[riichi]] and a winning tile is not claimed.
* They have discarded, at any point in the hand, one of their winning tiles.
* If the hand is not declared riichi, another player dicards a tile, and the winning tile is not claimed, then it can be in temporary furiten until the next turn.
* They are not in [[riichi]]; since their last turn, another player either discarded or made a [[shouminkan]] of one of their winning tiles; and they did not call ron on that tile.
* They are in riichi; since they declared riichi, another player either discarded or made a [[shouminkan]] of one of their winning tiles; and they did not call ron on that tile.
 
When evaluating furiten, [[yaku]] are not taken into account. A player may find themselves in a situation where they are forced to discard or pass on a tile that does not give them a yaku, but would otherwise have completed their hand. This will lead to furiten.


A player who is in furiten cannot call ron, although they can still call tsumo or make any other legal play.
While in furiten, the hand is unable to call ron upon a discard.  However, it is still winnable via self-draw, assuming the hand has valid yaku.


=== Own discard furiten ===
=== Common case ===


{{Discard pile
{{Discard pile
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}}


When a player is in furiten because of their own discard, it is sometimes called '''permanent furiten'''. This name is slightly misleading because a player can (unless they have declared riichi) change their waits to avoid this form of furiten.
The most common case of furiten involves a player's own discard. If a winning tile is in a player's discard, then the hand is in furiten.


All of a player's discards can be checked at any time during play, by looking at their discard pools and the rotated tiles in other players' tile calls. This leads to the most basic strategy to avoid dealing into a player's hand: tiles they have already discarded are guaranteed safe against a ron call from that player.
All of a player's discards can be checked at any time during play, by looking at their discard pools and the rotated tiles in other players' tile calls. This leads to the most basic strategy to avoid dealing into a player's hand: tiles they have already discarded are guaranteed safe against a ron call from that player.
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}}
}}


This hand waits on three different tiles. If the player has a 2-pin their discard pile, then the hand is in furiten and may not win by ron on any tile. Even if a 5-pin or 8-pin gets discarded by an opponent, ron may not be called.
This hand waits on three different tiles. If the player has a 2-pin in their discard pile, then the hand is in furiten and may not win by ron on any tile. Even if a 5-pin or 8-pin gets discarded by an opponent, ron may not be called.


=== Temporary furiten ===
=== Temporary furiten ===
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{{main|Riichi}}
{{main|Riichi}}


When a player has declared riichi, the state of temporary furiten does not expire for them. This means that they only have one opportunity to call ron; if they pass on it, then they can thereafter only win by tsumo. This rule is a critical part of defense against riichi, as it means that any tiles discarded since the declaration is safe.
When a player has declared riichi, the state of temporary furiten does not expire. Per the rule of riichi, a player cannot change wait. Therefore, the hand can no longer be adjusted to escape furiten.  The only one opportunity to call ron comes from the first instance of a winning discarded tile.  If the call to win is declined, then the only option to win the hand comes via tsumo. This rule is a critical part of defense against riichi, as it means that any tiles discarded since the declaration is safe to the riichi called player.
 
The rule for riichi can be understood as saying that temporary furiten expires the next time the player has an opportunity to change their hand. Because a player in riichi cannot change their hand, their temporary furiten never expires.


A player in riichi never has to worry about [[yasume]] putting them in furiten unless they are playing with [[ryanhan shibari]]. When ryanhan shibari, a riichi without a guaranteed second yaku may be quite dangerous due to furiten.
A player in riichi never has to worry about [[yasume]] putting them in furiten unless they are playing with [[ryanhan shibari]]. When ryanhan shibari, a riichi without a guaranteed second yaku may be quite dangerous due to furiten.
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Sometimes, it may be necessary to deliberately place the hand in furiten.  Often, this is the result of developing the hand and defending simultaneously.  To escape the bind applied by furiten, then the hand's [[machi|tile wait(s)]] must simply change by adjusting and changing the tiles in the hand with subsequent tile draws.  Of course, a player may place greater expectation on tsumo to win rather than ron.
Sometimes, it may be necessary to deliberately place the hand in furiten.  Often, this is the result of developing the hand and defending simultaneously.  To escape the bind applied by furiten, then the hand's [[machi|tile wait(s)]] must simply change by adjusting and changing the tiles in the hand with subsequent tile draws.  Of course, a player may place greater expectation on tsumo to win rather than ron.
On rare occasions, a player may hold a tenpai hand with [[damaten]].  The hand may invoke [[riichi]], but the player had chosen not to for some reason.  Eventually, a winning tile may arrive; and instead of declaring a win, the player opts to call riichi.  That instantly puts the hand in furiten opting to win by tsumo later.


=== Furiten tsumo ===
=== Furiten tsumo ===

Revision as of 22:20, 3 February 2022

Baiman tenpai, in furiten due to 9-sou in discard. Ron cannot be called here.

Furiten 「振聴」 is a restriction applied to tenpai hands. While in furiten, the player loses the ability to declare a win on a player's discard (ron). Any hand in a tenpai state has a set of possible tile(s) for winning. Primarily, the hand is marked as furiten, if any tile in that set is in the player's own discard. This includes any called tiles. Other cases involving riichi and temporary furiten are also applicable. Regardless, the hand can still win by self-draw (tsumo) given valid yaku.

This rule is often used for defense purpose to determine safe tiles. Tiles with the furiten rule can infer via suji and kabe. Though this may not be guaranteed barring the shape of player hands.

Rule statement

A hand in tenpai is in furiten in any of the following scenarios:

  • At least one winning tile is in one's own discard pile.
  • The hand is declared riichi and a winning tile is not claimed.
  • If the hand is not declared riichi, another player dicards a tile, and the winning tile is not claimed, then it can be in temporary furiten until the next turn.

While in furiten, the hand is unable to call ron upon a discard. However, it is still winnable via self-draw, assuming the hand has valid yaku.

Common case

Example discard pile



2-pin in this discard applies furiten to the example hand

The most common case of furiten involves a player's own discard. If a winning tile is in a player's discard, then the hand is in furiten.

All of a player's discards can be checked at any time during play, by looking at their discard pools and the rotated tiles in other players' tile calls. This leads to the most basic strategy to avoid dealing into a player's hand: tiles they have already discarded are guaranteed safe against a ron call from that player.

During hand development, it is important to bear furiten in mind. Most of the time, if a hand gets to tenpai and is furiten at that point, it indicates that the hand was inefficiently developed. This is not always the case, as sometimes a player makes a tactically correct decision and finds themselves in furiten anyway.

The most common reason for furiten, however, is when a player is already tenpai with an open hand, and does not have a guaranteed yaku. While they may have a winning tile that provides them with a yaku, if that draw another tile which completes the hand without a yaku, then they will be forced into furiten on the next discard. This most commonly occurs with a shanpon wait, one pair of which would give yakuhai, or with a ryanmen wait on 14 or 69 on a hand that would otherwise complete tanyao.

Finally, a player considering a double riichi should carefully inspect their hand before discarding; if they had a complete hand to begin with, then being in furiten will add insult to the injury of having [passed] on a tenhou or chiihou tsumo.

Example tenpai hand

Waiting for:

This hand waits on three different tiles. If the player has a 2-pin in their discard pile, then the hand is in furiten and may not win by ron on any tile. Even if a 5-pin or 8-pin gets discarded by an opponent, ron may not be called.

Temporary furiten

Ron declined, so temporary furiten invoked until the next own's tile draw.

Any player in tenpai has the option to ignore a winning tile. By declining a call for ron, the player then becomes temporarily furiten until their next discard. This is called temporary furiten, as it expires shortly after it occurs. Although most of the time, it will apply to a discarded tile, it can also apply to a tile used to create a shouminkan. Temporary furiten cannot apply to a tile used to create an ankan, as if a player can call ron on an ankan, then they have a single-sided kokushi musou wait (and even then, this is not permitted in all rulesets). If they decline a ron, then their hand is dead and cannot be completed.

The primary purpose of the rule is to prevent a player from targeting a later player in the turn order. Once a player sees a tile discarded, they know that they can follow with the same tile and it will be safe.

While this is often a mistake to enter temporary furiten, done by a player who does not know their waits correctly or is not paying attention, it may be done deliberately in order to achieve a higher scoring hand or to target a specific player. This becomes much more common in orasu, where a player may gain little benefit from winning a hand that does not let them pass another player. Temporary furiten can also be entered by a player who does not have a guaranteed yaku, as described above. This is much less devastating than drawing the yasume tile, however, because it is only temporary.

Uncommonly, some rulesets vary the rules by allowing a tile call made by another player to cancel temporary furiten. This variation is considered by many to be a poor one.

Permanent furiten during riichi

Furiten riichi applied upon declaration and discard declining a winning hand.

When a player has declared riichi, the state of temporary furiten does not expire. Per the rule of riichi, a player cannot change wait. Therefore, the hand can no longer be adjusted to escape furiten. The only one opportunity to call ron comes from the first instance of a winning discarded tile. If the call to win is declined, then the only option to win the hand comes via tsumo. This rule is a critical part of defense against riichi, as it means that any tiles discarded since the declaration is safe to the riichi called player.

A player in riichi never has to worry about yasume putting them in furiten unless they are playing with ryanhan shibari. When ryanhan shibari, a riichi without a guaranteed second yaku may be quite dangerous due to furiten.

Strategy

Defense

The furiten rule may be applied for defensive play, which focuses on discarding safe tiles. By discarding tiles that are also visible in an opponent's discard pile, a player can avoid a ron call by that opponent. Likewise, usage of suji and kabe may also help players deduce safe tiles, based on opponent discard. This is applied when a player does not have any matching tiles in the hand with opponent discard; or a player may rather keep certain tiles, for the sake of developing the hand without tearing it apart.

Working with furiten

Sometimes, it may be necessary to deliberately place the hand in furiten. Often, this is the result of developing the hand and defending simultaneously. To escape the bind applied by furiten, then the hand's tile wait(s) must simply change by adjusting and changing the tiles in the hand with subsequent tile draws. Of course, a player may place greater expectation on tsumo to win rather than ron.

On rare occasions, a player may hold a tenpai hand with damaten. The hand may invoke riichi, but the player had chosen not to for some reason. Eventually, a winning tile may arrive; and instead of declaring a win, the player opts to call riichi. That instantly puts the hand in furiten opting to win by tsumo later.

Furiten tsumo

Hands in furiten can still win, as furiten imposes a limit of tsumo only. For open hands, the hand requires a valid yaku. For closed hands, mentsumo will be acceptable or added.

External links

Furiten in Japanese Wikipedia