Chinese Official Mahjong · 48 pt

Quadruple Chow in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Rules and Examples

In Chinese Official Mahjong, Quadruple Chow (一色四同顺) is worth 48 points: four chows of the same suit and the same numbers — for example four 234 characters — plus any pair.

The rules for Quadruple Chow

• Four chows of the same suit and the same three numbers (e.g. 234, 234, 234, 234)
• All four copies of those three tiles are used
• The pair can be anything, honors or another suit included
• Chows can be claimed — it does not need to be concealed

What Quadruple Chow does not combine with

Under the non-repeat principle these are implied and not counted:

• Pure Triple Chow (24): any three of the four chows form one
• Pure Shifted Pungs (24): 222 333 444 can also be read as three pungs
• Pure Double Chow (1): not scored between the four chows
• Tile Hog (2): all four of each tile are in the chows, but Tile Hog is not added

Still counted: All Chows (with a suit pair), All Simples, One Voided Suit, Half Flush (with an honor pair), Concealed Hand or Fully Concealed Hand, Single Wait and so on.

Scoring examples

Both hands are scored live by the game's own code, including the fan not counted under the non-repeat rule.

Other readings of the same tiles

Four identical chows are really the shape 222233334444, which can also be read as seven pairs (22 22 33 33 44 44 + pair) or as three pungs plus a chow (Pure Shifted Pungs). The engine takes the highest reading:

So a concealed Quadruple Chow is practically always scored as Quadruple Chow.

How it relates to other fan

• Pure Triple Chow: three identical chows, 24 points; Quadruple Chow is one more.
• Pure Double Chow: two identical chows, 1 point.
• Tile Hog: four of a kind not declared as a kong, 2 points; not added inside Quadruple Chow.
• Pure Shifted Pungs, Seven Pairs: other readings of the same tiles, worth less.

Odds of Quadruple Chow

You need every copy of three tiles; a single one of them in another hand or the discards ends it, which makes this the most luck-driven 48-point hand. In 4,000 computer-played hands (3,849 wins) it appeared 0 times — too small a sample to estimate; its smaller cousins are far more common: Pure Triple Chow (0% of wins) and Pure Double Chow (1.5%).

Tiles of one suit are the raw material; the chart shows the largest single-suit count in a 13-tile opening hand:

Source: 1,000,000 random 13-tile deals (flowers already replaced).

When to go for it

• You already hold a Pure Triple Chow and none of the three tiles for the fourth chow are visible: only then is it worth waiting.
• Claim it: if your left neighbour discards one of the three tiles, chow it — Quadruple Chow can be open.
• If it does not come, stop at Pure Triple Chow: 24 points already reaches the 8-point minimum.

Try it yourself — play MCR online against the computer, with scoring done for you.

FAQ

How many points is Quadruple Chow?

Quadruple Chow is worth 48 points in Chinese Official Mahjong. It does not add Pure Triple Chow, Pure Shifted Pungs, Pure Double Chow or Tile Hog.

Is Tile Hog still counted?

No. All four copies of each tile are used in the chows, and Tile Hog is not added under the non-repeat rule.

Can the chows be claimed?

Yes. Quadruple Chow does not need to be concealed; claimed chows count.

Can it be scored as Seven Pairs instead?

The tiles allow it, but Seven Pairs is worth less. The engine always takes the highest reading — Quadruple Chow.

Related fan

Pure Triple Chow 24 pt Three identical chows of one suit for 24 points: rules, what it absorbs, how it differs from Pure Shifted Pungs, and how a fourth chow scores. Pure Double Chow 1 pt Two identical chows in one suit for 1 point: how to spot it, when it isn't counted, and how it grows into Pure Triple Chow. Tile Hog 2 pt Four of a tile in your hand, not declared as a kong, for 2 points: across chows and the pair, a pung plus the fourth, or inside Seven Pairs.