Gang Shang Gang 杠上杠

Gang Shang Gang is winning on the replacement tile of a second Kong made in the same turn. In Singapore Mahjong it pays the limit, 5 tai.

A chain of luck in a single turn. Make a Kong, find another Kong on the replacement, then win on the next replacement.

Also called: Kong On Kong

What It Is

Kong of 6 Characters, then Kong of East on its replacement, then the winning 8 Dots on the next one.

Gang Shang Gang (杠上杠, Kong on Kong) is a win that happens like this, all on one turn: you make a Kong and take a replacement tile; that tile lets you make another Kong, so you take a second replacement; and that one wins.

The first Kong can be claimed from a discard, concealed, or added to a Pong. A flower drawn in the middle of the chain doesn’t break it: you replace it and carry on.

What It Pays

What it’s worth at each table
Table	Called	Worth
Singapore	Gang Shang Gang	the limit, 5 tai
Hong Kong	Kong Upon Kong	the limit, 10 faan
Malaysian 3 Kaki	Kong Upon Kong	the limit, 10 fan

At a Singapore table it pays the limit, 5 tai, in place of every other tai. It replaces the ordinary Gang Shang, a win on one Kong’s replacement, which is worth 1 tai. It’s a self-drawn win, so everyone pays: 192 points in all, on top of each Kong’s own payment.

When It Happens

You can’t plan for this one; you can only be ready for it. The setup is holding two sets you could turn into Kongs, a Pong and a concealed three of a kind, say, while your hand is waiting.

When it happens, don’t rush. After each replacement, check whether that tile wins before you think about another Kong. A win now is certain; another Kong is a bet on the next tile.

The Late-Wall Bao

There’s no way to read Gang Shang Gang coming, but Singapore’s Bao covers one case that leads straight to it. With seven or fewer live tiles left, a fresh tile (one nobody has discarded yet) claimed for a Kong makes its thrower pay that whole Kong. If the player then wins on the replacement with five or fewer live tiles left, the thrower pays the whole winning bill too.

So late in the hand, think twice before throwing a never-seen tile to someone showing a Pong of it. Our Kong guide has more on Kongs late in the wall.

At Other Tables

Hong Kong’s Kong Upon Kong is a limit, the limit, 10 faan, and its claimed-Kong start works the same way. Malaysian 3 Kaki pays it the limit, 10 fan.

Riichi has no Kong on Kong yakuman. A win on a kan’s replacement is rinshan kaihou, worth 1 han.

Some Singapore sources pay this hand a few tai rather than the limit. Tables vary, so agree before the first tile.