Free Classic · rules

Mahjongtile solitaire

Not to be confused with four-player Chinese mahjong: this is a matching solitaire. A pyramid of 144 tiles, taken apart two by two.

Goal of the game

Remove all 144 tiles from the pyramid by matching them, until the board is empty.

The hard part is not finding the pairs: it is removing them in the right order, so you do not lock yourself in.

A tile can be played if it is free on its left or its right, and if nothing covers it.
Wedged between two tiles on its own row: blocked, even if its top is clear.
Covered, even partly, by a tile on the level above: blocked.
It is the only movement rule in the game. Everything else follows from it.

Two tiles match if they are identical: same design, same value.
Three suits numbered 1 to 9, four copies of each: Characters, Bamboos and Circles.
The honours: four Winds (East, South, West, North) and three Dragons (red, green, white), also four copies each.
The exceptions: the four Flowers match each other, and the four Seasons match each other, even though their designs differ. It is the rule beginners most often ignore — and it unlocks many endgames.

Clear the top first. Every tile removed from the summit frees two tiles below. It is the best return on the board.
Go after the long rows. A row of fourteen tiles only clears from its ends: start early, or it will block you at the end of the game.
Count before you match. When a tile exists in four copies and three are visible, think: removing the wrong pair can bury the fourth under a stack.
Do not take the first pair you see. That is the mistake that loses games. Look for every available pair first, then choose the one that frees the most.

Not every layout can be solved: depending on the starting deal, some games are lost from the outset.
But nine blocks out of ten come from a bad order: two identical tiles removed too early, when they were the only ones that could clear a stack.
When a pair is visible but only one of its two tiles is free, be patient: removing its twin with another identical tile will cost you that pair.

No. Traditional mahjong is played by four, with combinations and betting. Mahjong solitaire only borrows its tiles, for a one-player matching game.

When its left side or its right side is clear, and no tile covers it. Both conditions must be met.

No, that is the game’s exception: any Flower matches any Flower, and the same goes for Seasons.

No. Some layouts are blocked from the start. But most failures come from a clumsy removal order, not from the deal.

Always remove the tiles on the summit and at the ends of the long rows first, and never take a pair without checking what it frees.