Determine if a 14-tile hand is winning

Q: Determine if a 14-tile hand is winning

This Coding & Algorithms question evaluates algorithmic reasoning about combinatorial search and multiset partitioning, testing the candidate's ability to represent and manipulate tile counts and validate pattern-based groupings.

Q: How do I approach Coding & Algorithms interview questions?

Coding & Algorithms questions require understanding of core concepts and practice. PracHub provides solutions with explanations to help you master coding & algorithms interviews.

Question

You are given an integer array tiles of length 14 representing a Mahjong-like hand. Each integer is a tile value from 1 to 9 (single suit). You may reorder the tiles.

A hand is winning if it can be partitioned into:

1 pair : two identical tiles, and
4 melds (each meld uses 3 tiles), where each meld is either:
- a triplet : three identical tiles (e.g., 7,7,7), or
- a sequence : three consecutive values (e.g., 2,3,4).

Each tile can be used at most once.

Return true if the hand is winning, otherwise return false.

Assumptions/constraints:

tiles.length == 14
1 <= tiles[i] <= 9
Each value can appear multiple times (as in a real tile set).

Determine if a 14-tile hand is winning

Quick Overview

Comments (0)