Mahjong Solitaire
Tap two matching tiles
What is Mahjong Solitaire?
Mahjong Solitaire is a free tile-matching puzzle played on a stacked layout of mahjong tiles. You remove tiles two at a time by pairing identical faces, but only tiles that are open count: a tile must have nothing on top of it and a clear edge on its left or right. That restriction is the whole game, because the order you clear pairs in decides whether the tiles underneath ever become reachable.
How to play Mahjong Solitaire
Controls: Tap two matching tiles
- 1Look for two tiles showing the same face that are both free.
- 2A tile is free when nothing is stacked on top of it and either its left or right side is clear.
- 3Tap the first tile to select it, then tap its match to remove the pair.
- 4Removing pairs uncovers the tiles beneath and opens up new matches.
- 5Clear every tile on the board to win. Press and hold the board for a hint.
Mahjong Solitaire tips and strategy
- Always take pairs from the top layers first. Tiles higher up are blocking the most, and clearing them opens the widest range of future moves.
- When three or four tiles of the same face are free at once, think before you match. Pairing the wrong two can strand the others behind a tile you just locked in.
- Work the long edges. Tiles at the ends of a row free up their neighbours, while tiles in the middle of a packed row do nothing for you.
- If a face has both its remaining tiles buried in the same stack, prioritise digging that stack out before the board thins.
Mahjong Solitaire FAQ
What are the rules of Mahjong Solitaire?
Remove tiles in matching pairs, but only tiles that are free. A tile is free when no tile rests on top of it and at least one of its left or right sides is unblocked. You win by clearing every tile from the board.
Is Mahjong Solitaire always winnable?
Every board here starts from an arrangement that has a solution, but taking legal pairs in the wrong order can still strand the rest - that is the oldest complaint in the game. Rather than ending your run on a dead board, this version reshuffles the remaining tiles back into a solvable layout, three times per game.
Is Mahjong Solitaire the same as mahjong?
No. Traditional mahjong is a four-player game with draws, discards and scoring hands. Mahjong Solitaire is a single-player puzzle that only borrows the tiles, and the two have almost nothing else in common.
What is the best strategy in Mahjong Solitaire?
Clear from the top down and from the ends of rows inward, because those tiles block the most. When more than two tiles of the same face are available, pick the pair that frees the most tiles rather than the first pair you spot.
