How to Play Mahjong Solitaire
Mahjong solitaire uses 144 tiles stacked in a layout — classically the turtle. Remove tiles in matching pairs. A tile can only be removed when no tile rests on top of it and at least one of its left or right sides is completely clear. Clear all 72 pairs to win.
The rules, step by step
- 1Stack 144 tiles into the turtleFive layers: 87 tiles on the base, then 36, 16, 4 and a single capstone.
- 2Find free tilesA tile is free when nothing overlaps it from above and either its left or right long side is completely unobstructed.
- 3Remove matching pairsClick two free tiles showing the same face. They are removed together.
- 4Flowers and seasons are wild within their groupAny flower pairs with any other flower; any season with any other season.
- 5Clear all 144 tiles to winSeventy-two pairs. If you run out of matches, shuffle the remainder and continue.
Try it — the rules above, running
Time
0:00
Tiles left
144
Matches
22
Shuffles
0
Your statistics
- Played
- 0
- Won
- 0
- Win rate
- 0%
- Streak
- 0
- Best streak
- 0
- Best time
- —
How do you tell which tiles are free?
- 1Check aboveIf any tile on the layer above overlaps this one at all, even by half a tile, it is blocked.
- 2Check left and rightIf tiles on the same layer sit immediately to both the left and the right, it is blocked. One clear side is enough.
- 3Ignore up and downTiles directly above or below in the same layer — the short edges — never block anything.
What is in the tile set?
- Three suits — dots, bamboo and characters — numbered 1 to 9, four copies each: 108 tiles.
- Four winds, four copies each: 16 tiles.
- Three dragons, four copies each: 12 tiles.
- Four flowers, one each — all interchangeable.
- Four seasons, one each — all interchangeable.
How do you win more often?
- Open the base rows firstThe long base rows lock everything sitting on them. Eating inward from the ends is what makes the upper layers reachable.
- Take pairs that free new tilesWhen two identical pairs are available, remove the one that uncovers something. Clearing convenient tiles first is how a solvable board dies.
- Count the foursMost tiles come in four copies. If three are visible, taking the wrong two can strand the fourth under a stack for the rest of the game.
- Leave the capstone alone at your perilThe single top tile blocks the four beneath it, which block sixteen more. It is nearly always right to remove it as soon as it has a partner.
Common questions about mahjong solitaire
- Is mahjong solitaire the same as mahjong?
- No. Mahjong is a four-player draw-and-discard game. Mahjong solitaire borrows only the tiles, and dates from a 1981 computer game later published as Shanghai in 1986.
Ready to stop reading? Play mahjong solitaire on the full board, with statistics, deal numbers and unlimited undo.