Kan

Kan is a special tile call in the game. This call relates towards possession of four pertaining to any tile type.

General rules to kan

Like the other tile calls, kan is also a tile call. However, it comes with special properties and rules. These rules apply when a player possesses or gains possession of four of the same tile; and then the player makes the kan call.

• Applies to four of a kind
• Access to a dead wall draw
• Additional dora indicators revealed
• Last tile from the regular drawn tiles added to the dead wall to maintain the 14 tile count

Kan types

Kan can occur under three different occasions; and thus, there are three types of kan.

Daiminkan

This is also called an "open kan". A player possesses three of a tile type. Then the fourth is discarded. The player may claim the discarded tile and form a daiminkan. Upon doing so, the player has opened the hand.

A daiminkan may not be made with the last discard of the game, i.e., when there is no tile left in the wall which could replenish the dead wall.

Shominkan

Also referred as an "added kan", a player had previously called pon to form a minkou, or open triplet. Upon drawing the fourth tile, the player may add that tile to the minkou and upgrade it to a shominkan or chakan. If the fourth tile was discarded by another player, it cannot be claimed by kan.

The player may declare this kan during any turn; and therefore, the player does not need to declare kan immediately at first opportunity. If the player has just claimed a discarded tile instead of drawing a tile from the wall or the dead wall, then the ability to declare kan is disabled on this turn. The player would have to wait for the next tile draw instead. It is also forbidden to declare a kan while the wall is empty, because the dead wall cannot be replenished.

If another player is tenpai and the added tile completes his hand, that player may call ron immediately after the shominkan declaration. This is called chankan or robbing the kan. It ends the hand before the kan is completed, therefore no kan dora indicator is flipped.

Ankan

Also known as a "closed kan", a player may draw all four of a tile type. Unlike the other two kan types, ankan keeps the hand closed. That's despite the declaration to the other players and the revealing of the four tiles.

Like a shominkan, an ankan may be declared on any turn while the player holds all four tiles. The same restrictions as for the shominkan apply.

An ankan may not be robbed, except to win with kokushi musou.

Rinshan kaihou

Rinshan kaihou is a yaku gained by calling tsumo on the replacement tile after any type of kan declaration.

Chankan

Chankan is a yaku for calling ron against a shominkan declaration.