Article: Once you’ve determined your play order, you’ll begin alternating turns, similar to a game of chess or checkers. During a turn, you have the option of either planting or arranging. “Planting” is when you put a new tile into play by placing it in an open gate. From this point on, anytime you add a tile to the board, you must start it inside an open gate. Different tiles originate in different gates. When you’re satisfied with the number of tiles you have in play, you can begin focusing on “arranging” them into harmonies, or moving them into place alongside one another on the board’s intersecting lines. 2 tiles form a harmony when they’re of harmonious classes (i.e. White Lily and Jasmine) and there aren’t any clashing tiles or gates between them. A single flower tile can be used to form 2 separate harmonies, as long as they’re on different parallels.  In Pai Sho, the pieces are played at the points where 2 board lines meet rather than inside the spaces themselves. Harmonies can’t be formed diagonally, or along any of the board’s key mid-lines, which run through the center of the board in an imaginary cross shape.  If you’re playing Pai Sho online, your harmonies will be highlighted on the screen to help you keep track of them. For each harmony you put together, you’ll have the chance to add an accent tile to the board without waiting for your next turn. If you don’t have any accent tiles remaining, you can plant one of your basic flower tiles instead. Harmony bonuses will help you thwart your opponent and bring you that much closer to your next harmony. You only have half the number of accent tiles in your bag that you do basic flower tiles, so use them wisely. If your opponent has just formed a harmony, or you see that they’re about to, try to arrange your tiles in a way that blocks them or breaks them up. This can be accomplished by moving a clashing tile in between the 2 harmonious tiles to create a disharmony, or by making use of your accent tiles’ special abilities during harmony bonuses.  It’s possible to form a harmony of your own with a tile that’s being used to disrupt one of your opponent’s harmonies. The configuration of the board will change constantly, so don’t get discouraged if you’re trailing your opponent in harmonies. By the same token, don’t allow yourself to get too relaxed if you happen to be in the lead. Be sure to call out when you think you’ve won so you and your opponent can stop and survey the board together. If you’re playing Skud Pai Sho, don’t forget that you must create a “harmony ring” that crosses each of the board’s midlines in order to gain victory.  It can be tough to keep track of how many unbroken harmonies you have on the board when you’re focused on your next move. It may be helpful to pause periodically to look over the board and make sure you or your opponent haven’t missed anything. In a common variation of Ancient Pai Sho, the player who’s behind has 1 turn to disrupt their opponent’s harmony ring once it’s been completed. If they fail to do so, they lose the game.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Use your first few turns to add new pieces to the board. Arrange the tiles you have on the board to try to form harmonies. Play an accent or special tile each time you form a new harmony. Disrupt your opponent’s harmonies to prevent them from winning. Continue playing until one player reaches the target number of harmonies.