Look for open sides
A tile is free when nothing covers it and its left or right side is open.
Mahjong Solitaire.
✦ Turtle · A solvable start, every timeSaved on this device
Match and uncover
Choose two matching tiles. Clear the upper layers to open up more possibilities.
Take your time
There’s no time limit. Use a hint, undo a move, or shuffle when you need a fresh look.
Complete illustrated guide
How to play Mahjong Solitaire
Learn which tiles are free, how special tiles match and how to avoid blocking the pairs you will need later.
Mahjong Solitaire at a glance
Mahjong Solitaire is a one-player matching puzzle played on a layered arrangement of tiles. Remove matching open pairs until the board is empty. The challenge is not finding a match; it is choosing pairs that uncover useful tiles without trapping their partners.
Rules and objective
- Select two identical open tiles to remove them.
- A tile is open when no tile covers it and at least one of its long sides, left or right, is unobstructed.
- Any flower may match another flower; any season may match another season. With playing-card artwork, match the same rank and suit.
- Only complete pairs leave the board. You cannot move or rearrange a single tile.
- Remove every tile to win.
Choose Turtle for the traditional 144-tile layout, Courtyard for a shorter 72-tile game, or Pyramid for a 96-tile challenge. New deals begin solvable, although later choices can still block the board.
Strategy: how to play better
Release the top and ends
Pairs that remove high tiles or open the ends of long rows usually create more options than pairs already sitting free.
Compare duplicate tiles
When three or four copies are open, choose the pair that uncovers the most useful positions. The obvious pair is not always the safest one.
Keep both sides moving
A board can stall when one side remains locked. Balance your removals so that new tiles become available across the layout.
Use tools deliberately
A hint shows a legal pair, not necessarily the best pair. Undo is ideal for testing alternatives; shuffle is the recovery option when no open pair remains.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as four-player Mahjong?
No. Mahjong Solitaire borrows the tiles, but it is a single-player matching puzzle rather than a game of hands, melds and discards.
Is every deal solvable?
Every new deal and successful shuffle begins with at least one solution. Your choices can still create a blocked position, so use undo or shuffle if needed.
Do flower and season tiles have to be identical?
No. Any flower pairs with any other flower, and any season pairs with any other season.
Does the game save?
Yes. The current board, artwork choice and sound preference save locally in this browser when storage is available.