Tiles and pairs hierarchy
The tiles in the civilian suit go in the following order - from highest to lowest:
[6:6] > [1:1] > [4:4] > [3:1] > [5:5] > [3:3] > [2:2] > [6:5] > [6:4] > [6:1] > [5:1]
[6:6] is often referred to as “Heaven”, [1:1] as “Earth”, [4:4] as “Man” and [3:1] as “Harmony”.
The tiles in the military suit go in this order - from highest to lowest:
[6:3] = [5:4] > [6:2] = [5:3] > [5:2] = [4:3] > [4:2] > [4:1] > [3 :2] > [2:1]
Military tiles hierarchy (from high to low)
An explanation of such a hierarchy is given in the Domino Symbolism section.
It is clear that in the civilian suit each tile has its own pair and this can be used in the game.
Civilian suite pairs hierarchy (from high to low)
And what to do with the military?
Chinese Military Pairs
In the Chinese system, military tiles are paired according to their total number of pips:
- Nines: [6:3] and [5:4]
- Eights: [6:2] and [5:3]
- Sevens: [5:2] and [4:3]
- Fives: [4:1] and [3:2]
Two tiles remain unpaired by total: [4:2] (total 6) and [2:1] (total 3).
Since they do not naturally pair with other tiles, they form a special pair together. This pair is called the Supreme Pair.
As a result:
- Tiles belong to two suits: civilian and military.
- Pairs belong to three categories: civilian pairs, military pairs, and the Supreme pair.
In some games, the Supreme pair cannot beat anything and cannot be beaten. In other games, it is treated as the highest possible pair.
Chinese Military pairs and the Supreme Pair (on the right)
Korean Military Pairs
In Korea, military tiles were paired differently.
Their system included:
- Three pairs sharing a common number with 2 or 3:
- [6:3]–[6:2]
- [5:3]–[5:2]
- [4:3]–[4:2]
- One pair with equal total points:
- [4:1]–[3:2]
- One “leftover” pair:
- [5:4]–[2:1]
One of these, [6:3]–[6:2], was known as the “bull pair,” which appears in the game Battle of the Bulls.
Korean military pairs
Today, traditional domino play has mostly disappeared in Korea, and these pairings survive mainly in historical descriptions. In the Korean games I have encountered, tile hierarchy does not play any role. Therefore, from this point on, I will focus only on the Chinese pairing system.
Seniority of Pairs
Civilian pairs follow the same order as their tiles. The highest civilian pair is [6:6][6:6], and the lowest is [5:1][5:1].
Military pairs also follow tile ranking - with an exception regarding [4:2] and [2:1] tiles.
When used individually:
- [4:2] ranks below the Sevens but above the Fives.
- [2:1] is the lowest military tile.
However, when combined as the Supreme Pair, they no longer belong to the military suit and form their own special category.
This photo can help guide you by the seniority of the tiles and what suits exist:
Standard photo of Chinese dominoes, civilians above, military below, top pair separate
With this hierarchy in mind, you are ready to play Tien Gow trick game .