Mahjong Solitaire is a calm tile-matching puzzle for one player. A full set of 144 mahjong tiles is stacked into a layered shape, and you clear it by removing matching pairs. You can only take tiles that are free, so the order of your choices matters more than speed. This version offers six layouts, from a gentle two-layer board to an expert spread with very few open tiles. Each deal is built so that at least one full solution exists.
How to Play Mahjong Solitaire
Pick a board from the menu and look over the layout. A tile is free when nothing sits on top of it and its left or right side is open. Blocked tiles look dimmed. Click a free tile to lift it, then click a free tile with the same face to remove both.
The set has three numbered suits (circles, bamboo and characters), four winds, three dragons, four flowers and four seasons. Any flower matches another flower, and any season matches another season.
Each pair is worth 100 points, plus a small bonus if you find it within a few seconds of your last one. Hints cost 30 points, undo costs 120 and shuffling costs 150. Clearing the board quickly adds a time bonus, and your best time for each layout is saved.
If no free pairs remain, the game offers a shuffle that keeps the board winnable.
Mahjong Solitaire Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick up a tile, then take a matching pair | Tab into the board, arrows to move, Enter or Space to select | Click a free tile, then click its match | Tap a free tile, then tap its match |
| Put the selected tile back | Esc | Click the same tile again | — |
| Show a pair you can take | H | Click "Hint" | — |
| Undo the last pair | Z | Click "Undo" | — |
| Reshuffle the tiles still on the board | S | Click "Shuffle" | — |
| Start a new deal | N | Click "New game" | — |
Tips and Strategies
- Open long rows from the ends. Tiles in the middle of a row stay locked until one side clears, so work inward.
- Free the tall stacks early. Tiles under the top layers block many others, so take pairs that uncover them first.
- Check all four copies before you match. If three copies of a face are free, choose the pair that opens more tiles.
- Watch the pairs-open counter. When it drops to one or two, slow down and look for moves that unlock new tiles.
- Keep flowers and seasons for tight spots. Because any two match, they make handy spare moves later.
- Start with Terraces. It has the most open pairs at the start, which makes it a good board to learn on.
Features
- Six layouts: Turtle, Terraces, Butterfly, Fortress, Pyramid and Spider, each marked with a difficulty.
- Always solvable deals: shuffles also rebuild the remaining tiles into a winnable arrangement.
- Replay a deal: after you clear a board, you can play the exact same deal again or take a new one.
- Full keyboard play: move between tiles with the arrow keys and use single-key shortcuts.
- Light and dark tables: switch themes and turn the sound effects on or off.
Tested and updated:
