How to win at Mahjong Solitaire
One hundred and forty four tiles, matched in pairs, cleared from the top down.
Every board on this site is generated in reverse, by laying matched pairs into positions that were free at the time, which means every board can be solved. That is good news and a warning: if you get stuck, the layout did not beat you, your move order did. Winning is about keeping options open, and there are four habits that do it.
Clear from the top and the ends
Tiles on the upper layers block everything beneath them, so removing them opens the most future moves. Tiles buried in the middle of a long row are the most restricted, so free them when you can.
The rule for a free tile is simple: nothing on top of it, and at least one of its left or right sides open. A tile with neighbours on both sides is locked even if it is fully visible.
Never take a pair just because you can
When three or four identical tiles are available, think before matching. Taking the wrong two can bury the other pair under a tile you now cannot remove. Match the pair that opens the most, not the pair you noticed first.
The same applies to the last pair of a kind. Once it is gone, the tiles it was unlocking are on their own.
Look for the locked column
Before each match, scan for tiles that only one specific removal will free. If a match you are about to make is the only thing that can free a deep tile, hold it back until you need it.
Four habits, in order
- Upper layers first, always.
- Prefer matches that free two tiles over matches that free none.
- When four of a kind are showing, work out which two to take.
- Use a hint when you are genuinely stuck rather than after every match, or you stop learning the board.
Play a game
Reading about a game is practice for playing it and nothing more. The board is open, it is free, and nothing needs installing.
Common questions
- Are all Mahjong Solitaire boards solvable?
- The ones here are. Each board is built by placing matched pairs into free positions in reverse, so a complete solution is guaranteed to exist.
- Why do I keep getting stuck?
- Almost always a wrong choice between identical tiles earlier on, which buried the pair you needed. Solvable does not mean unloseable.
- Is Mahjong Solitaire luck or skill?
- Both. The layout is luck, the order you clear it in is skill, and on a guaranteed solvable board the skill part decides the result.
More on Mahjong Solitaire
Which tiles are free
A tile can be matched when nothing sits on top of it and one long side is clear. How the rule works on a stacked board, and the shapes that trip people up.
The 144 tiles
The 144 tile set on the board: three suits of nine, four winds, three dragons, and the flowers and seasons that match differently from everything else.
Solitaire and the real thing
One is a four player gambling game from 19th century China. The other is a one player tile matching puzzle from a 1980s computer. Same tiles, different games.
This site is built around Xiangqi, Chinese chess. If you enjoy Mahjong Solitaire, the rules of Xiangqi take about five minutes, and there is always somebody to play.