Mahjong Solitaire
PuzzleHow to Play
Goal: Remove all 144 tiles from the turtle by matching them in pairs.
Controls: Tap or click a free tile to select it, then tap a matching free tile to remove the pair. On mobile, just tap the tiles — no swiping needed.
Free tiles: A tile can be played only when it has no tile stacked on top of it and at least one of its left or right edges is open. Free tiles are bright; blocked tiles are dimmed.
Matching: Most tiles match an identical tile. The four Flower tiles all match each other, and the four Season tiles all match each other.
Helpers: Use Hint to flash an available pair, Shuffle to rearrange the remaining tiles when you are stuck, and Undo to take back your last match.
About Mahjong Solitaire
Mahjong Solitaire borrows the gorgeous tiles of the classic Chinese four-player game and turns them into a single-player matching puzzle. The digital form was born in 1981 as Brodie Lockard's 'Mah-Jongg' on the PLATO computer system and went mainstream when Activision published Shanghai in 1986, spawning the turtle-shaped layout everyone recognizes.
The rules fit in one line, match free pairs of identical tiles until the board is empty, but the layout hides real depth. A tile is free only if nothing sits on top of it and at least one long side is open, so every match is also a decision about what you unbury. Greedy matching walls players in; good players read the stacks before they touch a tile.
Mahjong Solitaire matching strategy
- Attack the longest rows and tallest stacks first, they hide the most tiles and cause the late-game deadlocks.
- When three of a kind are free, match the pair that unlocks the most new tiles and leave the most buried one alone.
- Free the ends of long rows early; middle tiles open two neighbors, end tiles only one.
- Before matching, glance at what each removal exposes. A match that opens two stacks beats one that opens none.
- Use undo or reshuffle as a learning tool: replaying a deadlock teaches you which early match caused it.
FAQ
Which tiles am I allowed to match?
Only free tiles: nothing on top, and open on the left or right side. Identical pairs match; in the flower and season groups any tile of the family pairs with any other. Everything else is beautifully stuck until you dig it out.
Why do I keep running out of moves?
Usually from matching the easy, exposed pairs first. If you clear surface tiles without unburying stacks, the last tiles end up sitting on top of their own partners. Prioritize height and long rows over convenience and deadlocks mostly disappear.
Are all mahjong solitaire layouts solvable?
Not inherently, randomly stacked boards can be dead on arrival, though many digital versions deal only winnable boards or offer reshuffles. Even a winnable layout can be lost by match order, which is where the strategy lives.
Is this the same game as four-player mahjong?
No, only the tiles are shared. Traditional mahjong is a rummy-like table game for four; this is a patience puzzle invented for computers in the 1980s. Knowing one teaches you the tile faces, but the skills are completely different.
