Melded and Concealed Kongs

What Is Melded-and-Concealed Kongs

Melded-and-Concealed Kongs in Chinese Mahjong is a 5-fan pattern requiring exactly two kongs in your winning hand—one melded (exposed) and one concealed (self-drawn). This combination of openness and secrecy is quite demanding but highly rewarding, yielding a stronger bonus than other kong-based patterns. Capitalize on extra draws from each kong, remain aware of tile availability, and stay flexible if your efforts to gather all four copies for both sets prove difficult. When successful, Melded-and-Concealed Kongs can propel your hand to a significantly higher-scoring finish.

The Tile Pattern of Melded-and-Concealed Kongs

Two Distinct Kongs: You need exactly two different four-of-a-kind sets in your hand:

• One is melded (exposed)
• One is concealed (self-drawn)

Melded Kong can appear in two common ways: Claim a discard to complete a four-of-a-kind outright (if you already hold three identical tiles in your hand).Upgrade a previously melded pung (three-of-a-kind) by adding the fourth tile when you draw it.

Concealed Kong is formed by drawing all four identical tiles yourself (or upgrading a concealed pung to a kong when you pick up the fourth tile). No discard can be used for this process.

Fan Value of Melded-and-Concealed Kongs

Under Chinese Mahjong scoring, Melded-and-Concealed Kongs is worth 5 fan. This is higher than any single or double kong pattern on its own because combining one melded kong and one concealed kong within the same hand is significantly more challenging.

Strategies and Considerations of Melded-and-Concealed Kongs

High Fan Value: Achieving one melded and one concealed kong in the same hand yields a considerable base score. If combined with other patterns (e.g., All Pungs, honor-based pungs, certain suits), your total can climb even higher.

Flexible Hand Development: Because you can meld one kong while still retaining a fully hidden concealed kong, you enjoy partial secrecy about your hand’s composition. Opponents know about the melded kong but may not anticipate you also have a concealed kong.

Complex Tile Requirements: Forming two separate kongs, each requiring all four identical tiles, can be quite demanding. If crucial tiles appear in others’ melds or discards, you may fail to complete your plan.

Information Revealed: Your melded kong is fully visible. Opponents will see precisely which four tiles you have, possibly gleaning insights into your remaining waits and suits.

Balancing Speed vs. Ambition: Waiting to draw the entire concealed kong by yourself is time-consuming and luck-dependent. Meanwhile, forming a melded kong can help but requires discards or a pung upgrade. If the game is heading toward a quick conclusion, going for two kongs might be too slow.

Watch Discards for the Melded Kong: If you have three of a kind in hand and spot your fourth tile in someone’s discard, consider melding it for a quick exposed kong. Alternatively, if you’ve exposed a pung and draw the fourth tile, upgrade promptly to lock in your melded kong.

Preserving the Concealed Kong: Avoid calling discards for the set you plan to keep concealed. You must draw all four copies of that tile yourself. Keep track of how many remain in the wall.

Overcommitment Warning: If your initial plan to form two kongs stalls—e.g., because crucial tiles are discarded out of reach or appear in opponents’ melds—consider changing your strategy to secure a more modest but faster win.