If you’ve played Mahjong with friends, you have probably heard of “kong.” This term refers to a special four-tile combination known as a “kong.”
Initially, the goal is to collect four sets and one pair – these sets may consist of either pungs, chows, or kongs – all 14 tiles, making up one full hand of 14 tiles. The best mahjong hand a player could call is a four-kong hand, the highest-valued hand in mahjong.
Concealed Kong
As soon as a player picks up an unseasonal or flower tile from the wall, it must be immediately placed into the central space of the Wall while proclaiming its name (e.g., ‘West Wind’) and replaced from their Kong Box; this action is known as ‘Revealing.’ These unrelated tiles never count towards making up hands but may be claimed to create a chow or kong combination.
If an opponent discards a tile that you need for a pung or kong that you require and announce “fu” to take it back from them (known as “robbing a kong”), you can quickly announce “fu” to claim it from them and claim it back from them. This process is known as “robbing a kong,” once done, you must declare mahjong immediately as this special kong offers extra fan-level bonus points! This powerful strategy and skill are integral parts of game strategy as it adds depth into hand-building processes while adding depth into hand building processes; mastery comes only from experienced players!
Exposed Kong
An exposed kong requires taking one tile from the end of the wall and discarding it; they should also announce their discard as part of good etiquette since other players could potentially use the discard to form a chow or special hand, especially if their opponent had two tiles that could form part of such an array.
An exposed kong is defined as four identical tiles that cannot be concealed by hand and played as part of a meld that counts as a special type of pung, meaning two pairs and one three-of-a-kind match must exist.
Individuals who create a kong can only be defeated if their opponent possesses a special hand or chow that requires extra tiles to beat their melded pong. Otherwise, the person who made the kong must declare mahjong and win their game.
Small Melded Kong
The small melted kong is a unique four-tile set used in mahjong that can be made into a Kong. This type of Kong can usually be found on an exposed Pung. When players declare one and win off one of its tiles as part of an attack strategy called “robbing,” it’s known as robbing.
Players may only create a Kong if they hold two tiles concealed in their hand (concealed from view). Furthermore, the player must draw from either the wall or Kong Box replacement tiles in order to complete it.
Kong holders can win by gathering four sets and two pairs without paying double, taking home the normal scoring for special hands such as Kongs or full Pungs and limit or half-limit special hands. On the other hand, a chicken hand consists of four sets and two pairs that can be produced quickly yet score a few points.
Stolen Kong
Due to tile count restrictions, the stolen kong (four tiles) is an exalted “special” pung that must remain hidden from all other players. While rules of mahjong may differ between rulesets, generally, when declaring a stolen kong, the end two tiles must face down while two middle ones face up to indicate its concealment; once declared, you must then take out one replacement tile from the Kong Box to restore full hand after declaring.
Every time players draw from the wall during their turn, they must also draw an extra tile from the Kong Box if they plan on making a kong. This ensures they have enough extra tiles to complete their set and allows them to utilize an opponent discarding one tile as part of their kong if needed; this rule is known as the Kong Rule.
On the website Grac Mahjong, it is also possible to track how many of your tiles have been declared a stolen kong as part of your hand count, with special tracking tiles to help players remember which tiles they can and cannot use.
