Fully Concealed Hand

What Is Fully Concealed Hand

A Fully Concealed Hand in Chinese Mahjong is a 4-fan pattern for completing your entire 14-tile hand with no help from opponents—no melded calls and no discard to finish the hand. It offers a substantial scoring boost and minimizes opponents’ defensive options, but demands patience, luck in self-draws, and careful tile tracking. If executed successfully, Fully Concealed Hand can be a powerful way to achieve a decisive, high-point win.

The Tile Pattern of Fully Concealed Hand

No Exposed Melds: All four melds (chows/pungs/kongs) are formed from tiles you have drawn by yourself, with no tiles claimed from opponents.

Self-Drawn Winning Tile: Your 14th tile (the one completing your hand) also comes from your own draw, not from another player’s discard.

Standard Hand Structure: You still need the typical Mahjong structure of 4 sets + 1 pair. The key difference is that every tile must be from your own draws.

Fan Value of Fully Concealed Hand

Under Chinese Mahjong rules, Fully Concealed Hand is worth 4 fan. This is higher than the separate smaller bonuses for “Concealed Hand” (2 fan) and “Self-Drawn” (1 fan). In many scoring references, “Fully Concealed Hand” is treated as its own special pattern, rather than simply combining those smaller patterns.

Strategies and Considerations of Fully Concealed Hand

High Base Value: At 4 fan, this pattern significantly boosts your score. Combining it with additional patterns (such as No Honors, One-Void Suit, or certain wait bonuses) can yield an even larger total.

Minimal Information to Opponents: Because you never meld any sets, your hand remains hidden. Opponents have limited knowledge of your suits or desired tiles, making it more difficult for them to defend.

Potential for Extra Draws: If you form a Concealed Kong along the way, you receive extra draws without exposing which tiles you have—though this is luck-dependent and can be risky if the fourth tile does not come your way.

Slower Hand Development: You cannot speed up your hand by calling discards to form melds, which might allow faster completion in more urgent situations. If your opponents are close to winning, the purely concealed approach can be too slow.

Relying on Self-Draw: You must draw your final winning tile yourself. In the late game, if you do not see your needed tile(s) and the wall is running low, you may miss your chance.

Tile Availability: Since you forgo claiming discards, each set (chow/pung) requires you to draw the exact tiles you need. Keep a flexible wait (two-sided or multiple waits) whenever possible to improve your odds.

Monitor Discards: If you see multiple copies of a crucial tile in opponents’ hands or on the discard pile, adapt your structure. You cannot call those tiles, so a key piece being visible multiple times may limit your chances.

Overcommitting: If you start aiming for a fully concealed hand but realize your draws are poor or an opponent is about to win, consider switching tactics (e.g., calling a discard to complete a meld) to secure a less valuable but faster victory.