Mahjong Solitaire is a one-player puzzle of 144 stacked tiles, cleared by removing matching pairs. Here is how it works, where it came from, and how to win more often.
Where Mahjong Solitaire Comes From
Mahjong Solitaire uses the same kind of tiles as traditional mahjong, but it is a different game. Traditional mahjong is a four-player game of drawing and discarding tiles to build winning hands. Mahjong Solitaire is a single-player puzzle, and nobody is dealt a hand at all.
The computer version is usually credited to Brodie Lockard, who wrote a game called Mah-Jongg on the PLATO educational computer system in 1981. In 1986 Activision published a version called Shanghai for home computers, and it brought the game to a wide audience. Activision marketed it as based on an old Chinese game known as the Turtle, a claim that is hard to confirm.
Because Shanghai was a registered name, many people started calling the game Mahjong Solitaire instead, and both names are still used today. Later versions, such as Taipei in a 1990 Microsoft Entertainment Pack, kept it familiar.
The Tiles and the Board
A full set has 144 tiles. Three suits (dots, bamboos and characters) run from 1 to 9 with four copies of each, which makes 108 tiles. Then come four winds and three dragons, again four copies each, plus four flower tiles and four season tiles.
The tiles are stacked face up in a layout of several layers. The classic arrangement is called the Turtle, and many versions offer other layouts too. Tiles higher in the stack hide the ones beneath them, and uncovering those buried tiles is the heart of the puzzle.
How to Play Mahjong Solitaire: Basic Rules
The goal is to remove every tile from the board by matching pairs. The key idea is the free tile. In the common rules, a tile is free when nothing sits on top of it and its left or right side is open, so it could slide out sideways.
- Look for two free tiles that match. Identical faces match, such as two 5 of Dots or two Red Dragons.
- Select the first tile, then the second. The pair is removed, and tiles that were underneath or beside them may become free.
- Flowers and seasons are special. Each flower is different, but any flower matches any other flower, and any season matches any other season. In most versions a flower cannot pair with a season.
- Keep matching pairs until the board is empty. Clearing every tile is a win.
- If no free pair is left, you are stuck. Many versions then offer a shuffle or undo; stricter ones end the game.
Mahjong Solitaire Strategy: Tips to Clear the Board
These habits clear more boards.
- Free the buried tiles first. Pairs that sit on top of tall stacks open the most new tiles, and you cannot win while key tiles stay trapped.
- Count remaining tiles of each face. If two tiles of one face are left and one is buried, the free one must wait for it, so uncover the buried one soon.
- Think before you take a pair from a set of four. When three or four identical tiles are free, choose the pair that exposes the most useful tiles beneath.
- Work from the long rows and tall columns inward. Side tiles at the ends of rows are often the only way to open a row, so do not leave them for last.
- Scan the whole board before each move. A quick look for every available pair often shows a better choice than the first one you see.
- Use undo or hints sparingly if you want a real challenge, and go back a few moves when you spot a dead end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mahjong Solitaire the same as regular mahjong?
No. They share tiles, but regular mahjong is usually a four-player game where each person draws and discards to build a winning hand. Mahjong Solitaire is a one-player puzzle in which you remove matching pairs of free tiles from a stacked layout until the board is clear.
What makes a tile free?
In the common rules, a tile is free when no other tile lies on top of it and either its left or right side is open. Tiles that are covered, or hemmed in on both sides, cannot be selected until the tiles around them have been removed.
How many tiles are in Mahjong Solitaire?
A standard set has 144 tiles, which makes 72 pairs. There are 108 suit tiles in dots, bamboos and characters, 28 winds and dragons, and 8 flowers and seasons. Some versions use smaller sets or alternative layouts, so the exact count can vary.
Do flowers and seasons match each other?
Usually any flower matches any other flower, and any season matches any other season, even though each picture is different. Flowers do not pair with seasons in most versions. Some versions instead treat them as ordinary identical tiles, so check the rules.
What happens when there are no moves left?
The game is lost if the remaining tiles contain no free matching pair. Many versions offer a shuffle, a hint or an undo to help, and many avoid dealing boards that cannot be solved. Which of these options appear depends on the version.
Will this game be free to play online?
That is the plan. We intend to offer Mahjong Solitaire in your browser, free and without registration,. This page is only a placeholder while the game is being built, and no launch date has been set yet.