Chankan (搶槓)
1 han
Win by claiming a tile someone added to make a kan.
How Chankan (搶槓) works
Chankan is winning by ron on a tile that an opponent adds to an existing open triplet to upgrade it into a kan (a shouminkan/added kan).
When a player adds the fourth tile to a previously called pung to form an added kan, any opponent waiting on that exact tile may rob the kan and win. The robbed tile counts as a discard for the winner. It is a rare situational yaku that can be the sole yaku of the hand.
Good to know
- •Only applies to added kan (shouminkan), not to closed or open kan made from scratch.
- •Lets you win even though the tile was never formally discarded.
- •Can serve as your only yaku and works on open or closed hands.
Chankan (搶槓) — FAQ
Can I rob a closed kan?
Generally no — only an added kan can be robbed for chankan. The lone exception in many rules is kokushi musou, which can rob even a closed kan.
Does chankan break the opponent's kan?
Yes. When the kan is successfully robbed, that kan is cancelled and the robbing player wins the hand instead.
Other 1-han yaku