Mahjong Solitaire

Every deal is made so that it can be solved. Take your time, use Hint when you need a nudge, and turn on Large mode for bigger tiles and text.

Mahjong solitaire or the four-player game?

The word mahjong is used for two different games. The traditional game is played by four people around a table, who draw and discard tiles to build winning hands, a little like a card game such as rummy. Mahjong solitaire uses the same set of tiles but is a quiet puzzle for one person. You do not need to know the four-player rules at all. You only need to spot two tiles that are the same.

How to play mahjong solitaire

The rules are simple. The skill lies in choosing which pairs to remove first.

1. The 144 tiles are stacked in our own four-layer layout, called the Garden.
2. A tile is free when no tile sits on top of it and at least one of its sides, left or right, is open.
3. Click or tap two free tiles that match to remove them from the board.
4. Most tiles must match exactly. A 5 of bamboo matches only another 5 of bamboo.
5. Flowers and seasons are special. Any flower matches any other flower, and any season matches any other season.
6. You win when every tile has been removed.

The tiles

Our tiles are original designs drawn for this site. Each one has a small number or letter in the corner, so you can tell them apart easily, even on a small screen.

• Dots, also called circles, numbered 1 to 9.
• Bamboo, numbered 1 to 9.
• Characters, numbered 1 to 9.
• Four winds: east, south, west and north.
• Three dragons: red, green and white.
• Four flowers, which all match each other.
• Four seasons, which all match each other.

Controls: mouse, touch and keyboard

Click or tap a free tile to select it, then click or tap a matching free tile to remove the pair. If you prefer the keyboard, press Tab to reach the board, use the arrow keys to move between free tiles and press Enter to select.

Hint shows you a free matching pair. Shuffle rearranges the remaining tiles into a new arrangement that can still be solved. Undo steps back one match at a time, and Pause stops the clock, as does switching to another tab.

Mahjong strategy tips

• Start with tiles that free others. Removing a tile from the top of a tall stack or the end of a long row opens up the most choices.
• Work on the high layers early. Tiles buried under several layers are the hardest to reach, so clear the tiles above them first.
• When three or four matching tiles are free, think before you pick. Choose the pair that uncovers the most new tiles.
• Watch for matching tiles stacked on top of each other. If the last two of a kind end up one above the other, they can never be paired, so pair one of them elsewhere while you still can.
• Do not leave long rows untouched. Clearing from both ends of a row keeps more tiles free.
• Flowers and seasons are flexible, so save them for when you need a quick extra pair.
• Use undo rather than shuffle when you can. A shuffle costs points, while trying another order is free.

Scoring

You earn 10 points for every pair you remove. Each shuffle costs 50 points and each hint costs 20, so the best scores come from clearing the board on your own. Your personal best, moves and time are saved in your own browser.

Variations

Mahjong solitaire can be played on many different layouts, from low, wide shapes to tall towers. Some versions allow only exact matches, even for flowers and seasons. Others hide some tiles face down. If you enjoy matching tiles but would like a flat board, try Mahjong Connect, where you join pairs with a line that has no more than two turns.

A short history of mahjong solitaire

The tiles come from the four-player game, which grew up in China and is often said to have taken its modern form in the nineteenth century. The solitaire version is much younger. It is thought to have started as a computer game in the 1980s, and it quickly became one of the best-loved puzzles on home computers. Today it is enjoyed all over the world by people who have never played the table game.

Common questions