How to play Mahjong Solitaire
Mahjong Solitaire uses 144 layered tiles. Remove free matching pairs until the board is empty, using hints, undo and reshuffling when needed. This is a one-player matching puzzle, not the four-player Mahjong game.
Start a game
- Find two matching tiles that are both free.
- Select the pair to remove it.
- Open covered layers and blocked left or right edges.
- Use Hint or Undo when helpful.
- Clear every tile; the timer records your result.
Which tiles match?
The three numbered suits are dots, bamboo and characters, with values 1–9 and four copies of each tile. Winds and dragons also appear in sets of four. Small corner labels help identify values and symbols.
Ordinary tiles must match exactly. Flowers are an exception: any flower can match another flower. Any season can similarly match another season. A flower does not match a season.
When a tile is free
Nothing may cover any part of the tile, and at least one of its left or right edges must be open. Having open space above or below alone does not make it free.
A tile blocked on both sides must wait until a neighbouring tile is removed. Portrait phones use an 8×12 layout with three levels; wider screens use the traditional turtle layout with five levels. The freeing rule is the same.
Hints, undo and shuffling
Hint highlights an available pair. Undo restores the last removed pair without a penalty. A shuffle when no pair is available is free and leaves at least one available pair.
Shuffling while pairs are available adds 30 seconds to your time. A shuffle also clears the previous undo history, so you cannot use Undo to reverse earlier removals afterwards. Random deals are not guaranteed to be clearable without a shuffle.
Example: expose the useful pair
Two identical tiles are visible, but one is covered at a corner by a tile above it. You cannot remove the pair yet. Clear the upper tile’s own matching pair, or choose another move that opens the obstruction.
When four copies are visible, choose the pair that opens more covered or blocked tiles. Taking the first matching pair you see can leave the remaining copies locked together later.
Strategy and useful habits
- Prioritise removals that open layers and long rows.
- Check all copies of a tile before choosing a pair.
- Use Hint to locate an option rather than shuffling immediately.
- Remember the 30-second cost of a shuffle while moves exist.
Common mistakes
- Treating visible as equivalent to free.
- Requiring flowers or seasons to have identical pictures.
- Assuming every random layout is solvable without shuffling.
- Expecting old undo moves to survive a shuffle.
Questions and answers
Must two flowers look identical?
No. Any flower matches any other flower; seasons match other seasons.
Does Undo add a penalty?
No. It restores the most recent pair without a penalty.
Is this four-player Mahjong?
No. This is Mahjong Solitaire, a separate one-player puzzle.
