INSTANTGAMES.IN
How to play Mahjong Solitaire: a beginner's guide.
Mahjong Solitaire looks complicated, but the rules fit in two sentences. Here they are, with original example boards that show exactly which tiles you can pick.
To play Mahjong Solitaire, remove matching pairs of free tiles until the board is empty. A tile is free when no tile is on top of it and its left or right side is open. Most tiles need an identical twin, while any Flower matches any Flower and any Season matches any Season. If no pair is left, shuffle the remaining tiles or undo a few moves.
The goal of Mahjong Solitaire
Mahjong Solitaire is a single-player puzzle played with mahjong tiles. The tiles are stacked in a layout, and you remove them two at a time by matching identical pairs. When every tile is gone, you win. It borrows the tiles from the four-player game of Mahjong, but none of its rules: there are no hands to build and no opponents.
What makes a tile free?
You can only pick a tile that is free. A tile is free when two things are true:
- Nothing is on top of it. Even a tile that overlaps it by half counts as covering it.
- Its left side or its right side is open. At least one horizontal neighbour must be missing. Tiles above or below it in the same layer never block it.
In a straight row, that means only the two end tiles are free at first. Each time you remove an end tile, the next tile along becomes free.
Which tiles match?
Most tiles need an exact twin: the same number of the same suit, the same Wind or the same Dragon. The bonus tiles are the exception. Any Flower matches any other Flower, and any Season matches any other Season.
How to play, step by step
- Open Instant Mahjong Solitaire and tap Play. First-time players get a 30-second tutorial on a 10-tile board.
- Tap a free tile. It lights up.
- Tap an identical free tile. Both disappear, which can uncover the tiles below.
- If you tap a tile that is not free, the game shows which tile covers it or which neighbours close it in.
- Keep matching until the board is empty. Your time and score are saved as a personal best.
What if there are no moves left?
Sometimes every free tile is different and no pair can be made. In Instant Mahjong Solitaire you can then Shuffle the remaining tiles (3 times per puzzle), Undo as many moves as you like, or restart. Every new deal is built from a winning sequence of moves and checked before you see it, so each puzzle can be cleared from the start.
A very short history
Mahjong Solitaire began as a computer game: Brodie Lockard wrote the first version, Mah-Jongg, on the PLATO system in 1981. Activision popularised it as Shanghai in 1986, and a version called Taipei shipped with the Microsoft Entertainment Pack in 1990. The default 144-tile layout, the Turtle, is still the best-known board.
Frequently asked questions
What are the basic rules of Mahjong Solitaire?
Remove matching pairs of free tiles until the board is empty. A tile is free when nothing is on top of it and its left or right side is open.
Do Flowers and Seasons need an exact match?
No. Under the standard rule any Flower matches any other Flower and any Season matches any other Season. All other tiles need an identical twin.
Is Mahjong Solitaire the same as Mahjong?
No. It uses the same tiles but is a single-player matching puzzle. The four-player game of Mahjong has completely different rules.
What does it mean when a tile is blocked?
It is either covered by another tile, or it has neighbours on both its left and right sides. Clear the covering tile or one side neighbour first.
Where can I play Mahjong Solitaire for free?
Instant Mahjong Solitaire on InstantGames.in is free, runs in the browser with no download, and includes a hands-on tutorial.
Sources
- Mahjong solitaire — Wikipedia, history and standard rules of the game.
- Mahjong tiles — Wikipedia, the suits, honours and bonus tiles of a 144-tile set.
Related reading: play Instant Mahjong Solitaire free · Mahjong Solitaire tips and strategies · Mahjong Solitaire layouts · play Mahjong Solitaire online free · Mahjong tiles and matching rules · free online puzzle games · all guides