Sichuan Mahjong
Officially Sichuan Mahjong (Blood Battle)
Fast-paced Sichuan-province regional variant of Chinese mahjong — uses 108 tiles (no winds/dragons), 'Blood Battle to the End' rule (play continues after first win), simple 3-suit hands. Iconic in Chengdu tea-house culture; popular in Chinese diaspora.
What is Sichuan Mahjong?
Sichuan Mahjong (四川麻将) is a Sichuan-provincial regional variant of Chinese mahjong — specifically the 'Xuezhan Dao Di' (Blood Battle to the End) form popularised in Chengdu tea-house culture. Distinctive features: uses only 108 tiles (dropping winds + dragons from standard 136-tile set) — only 3 suits: dots, bamboos, characters (1-9 in each × 4 copies = 108). All hands must be single-suit ('Qing Yi Se' — pure one-suit) — a defining constraint. 'Blood Battle to the End' rule: game continues even after first player declares mahjong; remaining players keep playing until second + third winners also declare, only then does hand end. This creates continuous pressure + strategic depth. Scoring uses 'Fan' multipliers + 'Guazi' (seed) point system. Popular in Chengdu, Chongqing, and among Sichuanese diaspora worldwide. Online platforms like QQ Mahjong + Tencent's specific Sichuan Mahjong app have hundreds of millions of players. Distinct from other regional variants: Hong Kong Mahjong (uses full 136-tile set), Riichi (Japanese, different scoring), Cantonese, Shanghai variants.
Quick facts
Category
Tile Games
Type
Mixed
Players
4–4
Duration
~30 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇨🇳 China
Estimated origin
Regional variant emerged mid-20th century; codified as 'Xuezhan Dao Di' late 20th century; online boom 2000s+
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Form 4 sets + 1 pair from tiles (14 tiles total) all in single suit (Qing Yi Se); win by drawing self-drawn or opponent-discarded winning tile.
Match structure
4-player hand-based rounds. Blood Battle: game continues until 3rd of 4 players declares mahjong.
Rules
Basic rules
Single-suit hands mandatory
All winning hands must be pure one-suit (dots only, bamboos only, or characters only).
108 tiles (no winds/dragons)
Only numbered suit tiles 1-9 × 3 suits × 4 copies.
Blood Battle continuation
After first player declares mahjong, remaining players continue; hand ends only after 3rd of 4 declares.
Advanced rules
Fan (multiplier) scoring
Winning hand's Fan value multiplies score — pure sequences, all-triplets, all-terminals, etc. add Fan.
Ding Que (declare suit) rule
Each player declares which suit they will NOT collect at start; commits to 2 of 3 suits for their hand.
Gang (kong) exposed vs concealed
Exposed Kong from discard vs concealed Kong from draw scored differently.
Scoring
Fan × base points; multiple winners in Blood Battle share pot.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Self-drawn win (Zi Mo) | Base × Fan multiplier from all 3 opponents |
| Winning off discard (Rong) | Base × Fan from discarding player |
Win condition · Complete valid 4-sets-plus-pair single-suit hand.
Equipment
108-tile Sichuan mahjong set
1-9 × 3 suits (dots, bamboos, characters) × 4 copies = 108. NO winds or dragons.
Chip / Fan tokens
Scoring markers.
Mahjong table (auto-shuffling common)
Traditional table or automatic shuffling table (very common in Chengdu tea-houses).
Positions & roles
Sichuan Mahjong Player
×1Solo player at 4-player table.
Officiating
No formal officials.
- Group consensus
Penalties & fouls
Penalties
Wrong suit collection (Ding Que violation)
Cannot win; Ding Que declaration binding.
False mahjong declaration
Penalty per house rules; often lose hand + pay other 3.
Losing tiles at Blood Battle end
Un-declared players pay based on remaining tile value.
Strategies
Ding Que declaration wisely
Declare Ding Que based on early tile draw — commit to strongest 2 suits based on initial hand.
Aggressive claim (Peng/Gang) tempo
In Blood Battle, tempo matters — aggressive Peng/Gang claims force opponents to adapt faster.
Winning position vs single-suit locked
Once locked into single suit via Ding Que, watch closely for winning tile from any opponent's discard.
Terminology
- Xuezhan Dao Di
- 'Blood Battle to the End' rule variant
- Qing Yi Se
- 'Pure one-suit' — mandatory single-suit hand
- Ding Que
- Declare which suit will NOT collect
- Fan
- Scoring multiplier for hand types
- Peng / Gang
- Claim discarded tile for triplet / quadruplet
Major competitions
Chengdu Sichuan Mahjong Championship
annual · Chengdu / Sichuan · since 1995
Tencent QQ Sichuan Mahjong online tournaments
ongoing · China + diaspora online · since 2005
Where it is played
Governing bodies
Chengdu Mahjong Association (regional)
Founded 1990 · Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Regional champions of Chengdu tournaments
Records
Chengdu tea-house tradition
Chengdu culture — Chengdu tea-houses (茶馆) are iconic all-day Sichuan mahjong venues — cultural landmark (1980)
Online player base
Tencent QQ Mahjong — Hundreds of millions of daily active Sichuan Mahjong players on QQ + Tencent apps (2010)
Learn this sport
beginner
- 1
Standard 4-player Sichuan hand
Learn single-suit hands + Ding Que basics.
intermediate
- 1
Blood Battle strategy + Fan optimisation
Play Blood Battle continuation; optimise Fan-multiplier hands.
advanced
- 1
Chengdu tournament / online high-Fan hands
Compete in regional tournaments or online Tencent Sichuan Mahjong ranked queues.
Frequently asked
Why does Sichuan Mahjong not use winds/dragons?+
Sichuan variant deliberately simplifies — only 3 numbered suits, no winds (East/South/West/North) or dragons (Red/Green/White). Speeds up gameplay + forces single-suit strategy. Distinctive Sichuanese regional identity.
What is Blood Battle to the End (Xuezhan Dao Di)?+
Standard mahjong ends after first player declares mahjong. Sichuan's Blood Battle rule: game continues, remaining 3 players keep playing until 3rd (of 4) also declares — creates continuous pressure + multi-winner pot sharing. Only the last one (Da Bao) pays.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Mahjong— Wikipedia