Mahjong Solitaire
Clear the board by matching pairs of identical tiles
▾ How to play
- A tile is selectable only if nothing sits on top of it and its left or right side is open
- Pick two identical tiles to remove them. Clear every tile to win
- Selectable tiles are bright; blocked tiles are dimmed
- Out of moves? Use Shuffle — limited uses, and it costs points
- Every deal is generated so that it can always be cleared
Mahjong Solitaire
Shanghai-style mahjong solitaire. Match identical tiles to clear the board — with hints and three board sizes. Not every deal is guaranteed solvable.
- Tabletop
- Puzzle
- Casual
📖 How to Play
- A tile is selectable only if nothing sits on top and its left or right edge is open
- Pick two identical tiles to remove them; clear every tile to win
- Selectable tiles are bright, blocked tiles are dimmed
- Out of moves? Use Shuffle — limited uses, and it costs points
- Consecutive matches build a combo, and a faster clear pays a bigger bonus
About this game
Mahjong solitaire — often called Shanghai — is a puzzle where you clear a stack of mahjong tiles by removing identical pairs until the board is empty. You need no knowledge of mahjong hands or scoring: the whole game is spotting matching faces and knowing which tiles you are allowed to take.
A tile can be taken only if two things are true: nothing is stacked on top of it, and either its left or its right neighbour is gone. Selectable tiles are drawn bright and blocked tiles are dimmed, so you can read the board at a glance instead of working the rule out in your head.
A complete solution is not guaranteed for every deal. Your choices matter too: when several copies of a face are visible, taking the first pair you spot may block a later match. Consider which removal opens a lower layer or a side edge. If you are unsure, Hint shows an available pair, Undo lets you revisit your last choice, and Shuffle rearranges the remaining tiles while you still have uses left.
There are three sizes: Easy is 48 tiles across 2 layers, Normal is 68 tiles across 3, and Hard is 100 tiles across 4. More layers means more tiles hidden underneath and more need to plan ahead. Start on Easy to get used to scanning the board, then work upward.
Tips & strategy
- Work from the top down. Removing a low tile does not free the tiles above it — it only opens sides. Clearing the upper layers first widens your options fastest
- When all four copies of a face are visible, think about which two to take. Removing the easy pair can bury the remaining two
- Tiles on the outer columns usually have a free edge and stay available. Tiles buried in the middle are worth digging out early
- Combos build when you match again within five seconds. Spot two or three pairs first, then clear them back to back
- A hint costs 500 points and a shuffle costs 1000. Reshuffling before you are completely stuck is sometimes cheaper than grinding into a dead end
FAQ
Q. Do I need to know mahjong rules?
A. No. Only the tile faces matter — there are no hands, no scoring and no calls. If you can spot two matching pictures, you can play.
Q. Can I be dealt an unsolvable board?
A. A complete solution is not guaranteed for every deal. Use Hint to find an available pair, Undo to revisit your last choice, or Shuffle while you still have uses left.
Q. How do I know which tiles I can take?
A. A tile is available when nothing is on top of it and either its left or right neighbour is gone. Available tiles are bright and blocked ones are dimmed — look for a matching pair among the bright tiles.
Q. What happens if I run out of moves?
A. Use Shuffle to re-deal the remaining tiles. Shuffles are limited; if you run out of moves with none left, the game ends. Review which pairs you remove as you continue.
Q. How is the score calculated?
A. 300 points per pair, plus a combo bonus for consecutive matches. Clearing the board adds a bonus that grows with difficulty and shrinks with time. A hint costs 500 and a shuffle costs 1000. Only a completed board can be submitted to the leaderboard.