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Solitaire rules

Mahjong Solitaire: how to play, step by step.

Mahjong Solitaire is a quiet tile-matching puzzle. You start with a stack of tiles built into a shape, find two matching tiles that are free, remove them, and keep going until the board is empty. It is also sold under names like Shanghai, depending on where you first met it.

It uses the same beautiful tiles as the four-player table game but plays nothing like it. If you are here to learn the table game, head to how to play mahjong. If you want a puzzle for ten quiet minutes, you are in the right place.

The goal

What you are trying to do

All 144 tiles of a standard set are stacked in a pattern, some on top of others. Your job is to remove every tile by taking them away in matching pairs. If the board is empty, you win. If no free pair is left and tiles remain, you are stuck.

There are no opponents, no hands to build and no points for sets. A game is just clearing the board, and the satisfaction of doing it neatly.

The key rule

Which tiles are free

You can only pick a tile that is free. A tile is free when both of these are true:

  • Nothing is on top of it. Tiles that are partly covered by a higher layer are not free.
  • Its left side or its right side is open. If there is a neighbouring tile touching on both sides, it is stuck until one of them goes.

The ends of a row are almost always free if nothing sits on them, and so are the tops of stacks. Tiles in the middle of a long row are locked until the tiles on either side are gone. You can only slide a tile out to the left or right, never up or down, which is why one open side is enough.

Matching

What counts as a pair

Two free tiles are a pair when they match. Most tiles must be identical:

Matching rules for Mahjong Solitaire tiles
Tile typeMatch ruleExample
Suit tiles (Characters, Dots, Bamboo)Same suit and same number5 Bamboo
WindsSame windEast
DragonsSame dragonRed Dragon
FlowersAny flower with any other flowerPlum + Orchid
SeasonsAny season with any other seasonSpring + Winter

Flowers and seasons are the exception because there is only one of each. Four flowers and four seasons means there are two groups of four tiles, and you can pair them off however you like inside each group. Flowers do not match seasons.

Every other tile comes in fours, so there are two possible pairs for each one. For a complete list of tiles, see the mahjong tiles guide.

The shapes

Layouts, from the Turtle to simpler boards

The layout decides how hard the game is. The most famous is the Turtle, also known as the Dragon. It is a stepped pyramid of 144 tiles across five layers, with a wide base, a narrow top and a single tile sitting alone at the peak. A few single tiles stick out at the sides of the base, which gives the shape its head and tail.

Other layouts use fewer tiles and different shapes: a plain pyramid, a wall, a cross, a spiral, a set of towers. Smaller layouts are quicker and easier. Heavily stacked ones, with tiles buried five deep, take careful planning.

Rows that are stacked very high are the ones to be careful with. A pair buried under tiles you cannot easily remove is the main way a game gets stuck.

Strategy

How to clear the board more often

Free the tiles that are holding the most back

Before you pick, look at what each free tile is sitting on or blocking. Removing a tile from the top of a tall stack opens up several tiles beneath it. Taking a tile from a long row's end opens the next one in line. Prefer these moves over a pair that opens nothing.

Take care when all four copies are in view

When all four tiles of a kind are visible, think before you choose which two to match. If one of the four is sitting on top of another, match the upper one with a partner that is not under it. Otherwise the lower tile can end up with every remaining partner trapped.

Work across the whole board

Clearing only one end leaves long rows on the other end locked on both sides, with no free tile to start from. Take tiles from both sides and from the tops of stacks so that something is always opening up.

Keep an eye on the lone tiles

Flowers and seasons are easy to leave until the end, and then you find the last two are buried. Because they can match any of their group, use them as spare moves when you need a free pair that does not disturb anything.

Use undo and hints freely

Most digital versions have hints, undo and a shuffle. They are part of the game, and they are the way to learn which moves lead to trouble.

Quick answers

Common questions

Is Mahjong Solitaire the same as mahjong?
No. They share the tiles and the name, but they are different games. Mahjong Solitaire is a one-player puzzle where you remove matching pairs from a stacked layout. Mahjong is a four-player game of drawing, discarding and building winning hands. If you want the four-player game, the how to play guide covers it.
Which tiles can you pick in Mahjong Solitaire?
A tile is free if nothing sits on top of it and at least one of its short sides, the left or the right, is open. Tiles that are covered, or hemmed in on both sides by other tiles, cannot be touched yet.
Do flowers and seasons have to match exactly?
No. Any flower can be matched with any other flower, and any season with any other season, even though the pictures differ. Every other tile has to match exactly, so a 5 of Bamboo needs another 5 of Bamboo.
How many tiles are in a Mahjong Solitaire game?
The classic Turtle layout uses all 144 tiles of a standard set. Other layouts use fewer, and some use a subset of the set. In any layout you remove them two at a time, so you need an even number of tiles.
Can every game be won?
Not every random deal can be cleared, because tiles can be placed in a pattern that traps a pair underneath itself. Some programs build the deal backwards to guarantee it is solvable, and many include a shuffle or hint button when you run out of moves.

Keep going

More mahjong guides