Four Kongs

What Is Four Kongs

Four Kongs is one of the most spectacular 88-fan hands in Chinese Mahjong. It requires filling all four meld slots with kongs (four-of-a-kind), plus a pair, for a total 14-tile hand. Constructing these four quads—whether exposed or concealed—demands extraordinary luck in collecting or drawing the fourth matching tile across multiple sets. While announcing so many kongs alerts opponents to block your last required tile, a successful “Four Kongs” typically brings a game-deciding score. This elusive pattern stands as a testament to the drama and swing potential that Mahjong can deliver at the highest levels of play.

The Tile Pattern of Four Kongs

Four Kongs is an extraordinarily rare and highest-tier scoring hand in which a player completes four separate kongs (quads) in a single 14-tile hand. A kong is formed when you have four identical tiles.

These can be:

• Concealed kongs: You draw all four copies of a tile yourself (kept in your concealed hand until you declare it),
• Exposed kongs: You promote an existing pung (three-of-a-kind) by adding the fourth tile, or reveal all four copies at once if you call from a discard.

Examples:

• Kong of 5 Bams (5 B, 5 B, 5 B, 5 B)
• Kong of East Wind
• Kong of 2 Craks (2 C, 2 C, 2 C, 2 C)
• Kong of White Dragons Pair of 7 Dots (7 D, 7 D)

Fan Value of Four Kongs

Under Chinese Mahjong rules, Four Kongs is worth 88 fan, the highest single-hand fan level in standard scoring (along with a few other ultra-rare hands like Big Four Winds, Nine Gates, etc.). Because 88 fan is far beyond the usual 8-fan minimum to declare Mahjong, achieving “Four Kongs” inevitably leads to a huge score that can shift an entire match in the winner’s favor.

Strategies and Considerations of Four Kongs

Intermediate Pungs: Typically, a pung is exposed or concealed, and then when you acquire the fourth matching tile, you “upgrade” to a kong. Reaching four distinct sets of four identical tiles demands either extraordinary self-draw luck or frequent discards of that crucial fourth tile.

Calling vs. Concealed: Kongs can be made from your hand alone (concealed kong) or by adding the fourth tile to an exposed pung. Concealed kongs grant a replacement draw from the dead wall but keep your main hand concealed for as long as you wish.

Signaling: Each time you declare a kong, you reveal more about your hand’s progress. By the time you have two or three kongs, opponents often realize you might be chasing “Three Kongs” (32 fan) or going all the way for “Four Kongs.” They may hold the last copy of certain tiles to block you.

Tile Counting: Because you need 4 copies per kong, completing four separate ones means you gather 16 identical tiles in sets of four. If opponents see you leaning heavily on certain tiles, they can withhold them.

Flexible Pair Choice: Your pair can be any tile as long as you can eventually gather two identical copies. You might even pivot from an incomplete attempt at a fourth kong if that tile cannot appear, switching that potential fourth set to a pair if you get only two copies, but that means losing the “Four Kongs” aim.

Seat/Prevalent Wind or Dragons: If your pair is also a dragon, seat wind, or round wind, you gain small extra fan. However, the colossal 88 fan from “Four Kongs” outshines lesser bonuses.

Luck and Timing: Achieving four kongs in a single hand is exceptionally rare. You must see or self-draw multiple copies of a tile, claim them from discards if needed, and upgrade pungs to kongs.

Risk of Overextension: If you fixate on building “Four Kongs,” you may miss simpler winning opportunities. Meanwhile, opponents might declare Mahjong sooner. Realistically, you need a strong start with multiple pungs that can feasibly become kongs.