How to play Mahjong Solitaire

One rule — match free identical tiles — and one skill: choosing which match, in which order. Here's how the game works and how to stop trapping your own tiles.

The rules

• 144 tiles are stacked in layers (the classic turtle shape).
• Remove tiles in identical pairs — but only free tiles can be played.
• A tile is free when: nothing rests on top of it, and its left or right side is open (top and bottom edges don't matter).
• Suits must match exactly: 3● only pairs with 3●, the North wind with another North.
• The four 🌸 flowers match each other in any combination; likewise the four 🍂 seasons.
• Clear all tiles to win.

Reading the tiles

• Dots ● (blue), bamboo ▮ (green) and characters 万 (red) — numbers 1–9, four copies each.
• Winds N / E / S / W and dragons 中 / 發 / ▢ — four copies each.
• 🌸 flowers / 🍂 seasons — four each, matching within their group.

Strategy

1. Free the blockers first. The single top tile and the long middle row pin the most tiles. Matches that dig into them are worth more than easy edge pairs.
2. Count to four. Every face has exactly four copies. With three free at once, check where the fourth is before pairing — take the pair that doesn't strand it.
3. Never match blind inside one stack. Two identical tiles stacked directly on each other can always be taken later; spend your other pair elsewhere.
4. Open both wings. The left and right wings of the turtle each seal a whole row — the earlier they go, the more choices you keep.
5. Undo beats shuffle. Every deal here starts solvable. If you dead-end, stepping back preserves the winning line; shuffling rolls new dice.

A worked example

Three 7● are free and the fourth is buried mid-row under one layer. Pairing the two that don't neighbor the buried one keeps a live partner for it. Meanwhile a flower is free on the top layer and another on a wing — take that flower pair first: it exposes the peak and frees two more rows, and flowers never get "wasted" since any two match. Order of operations — that's the entire game.

Common mistakes

• Matching the first pair you see. Check what each removal uncovers; a pair that opens nothing is often better saved.
• Ignoring side-blocking. A tile with neighbors on both left and right is locked even with a clear top — the wings and row-ends matter.
• Stranding the last two. If the final two copies of a face end up one on top of the other... they can still pair! But one under the other plus a side-lock is the classic self-inflicted loss. Count before you bury.
• Shuffling at the first hiccup. Undo keeps the guaranteed win alive; shuffle doesn't.

Frequently asked questions

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