Claiming: Pong, Chow, Kong
Chapter 4 of 10 · 3 min
When another player discards, you can sometimes take that tile to finish a set. You lay the set face up, then discard. Play carries on from you.
Pong (碰)
You hold two of a tile and someone throws the third. You can pong a tile from any player.
Red Dragon, Red Dragon, Red Dragon
Chow (上)
A run of three in one suit. You can only chow the tile thrown by the player just before you, on your left.
3 of Characters, 4 of Characters, 5 of Characters
Kong (槓)
All four of a tile. A kong uses an extra tile, so you draw a replacement from the end of the wall before you discard.
Green Dragon, Green Dragon, Green Dragon, Green Dragon
Who gets the tile
| Two players want the same discard | Who gets it |
|---|---|
| One to win, one to pong or chow | The win always comes first |
| One to pong, one to chow | The pong |
| Two to win | The first player after the discarder, in turn order |
The game shows you a Pong, Chow or Win button when you can claim. You have 12 seconds to choose, or pass.
Should you claim?
Claiming is faster, but every set you show tells the others what you need, and a hand with no claimed sets scores 1 extra fan. Take a claim when it finishes your hand or brings you one tile away. A pong of dragons or of your own wind is almost always worth taking.
Quick check
The player across the table throws a 6 of bamboo. You hold 5 and 7 of bamboo. Can you chow it?
Answer: No. Right. You can only chow from the player on your left. You could pong it if you held two 6s.
Next: Flowers and seasons
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