How to play mahjong solitaire: rules and tips

Mahjong solitaire uses the beautiful tiles of classic mahjong for a calm, one-player puzzle: find pairs and clear the board.

The goal

Remove all the tiles from the board, two at a time.

Free tiles

You can only pick free tiles. A tile is free when:

1. Nothing is on top of it, and
2. its left side or its right side is open (no tile touching it there).

Tiles in the middle of a row, or under another tile, are blocked until you clear around them.

Matching tiles

• Two tiles match when they’re identical: the same suit and number, or the same honor tile.
• Flowers: any flower matches any other flower.
• Seasons: any season matches any other season.

Click or tap two matching free tiles and they disappear.

Not sure what a tile is? Our guide to mahjong tiles and their meaning explains all 144.

Tips to clear the board

1. Clear the tall stacks first. Tiles on top of stacks block the most other tiles.
2. Free long rows from the ends. Long rows only open from their ends, so work on them early.
3. Think when all four copies are free. If three copies of a tile are free, choose the pair that frees more tiles, and leave the third where it blocks least.
4. Don’t rush easy pairs. A pair that frees nothing can wait. A pair that opens a new tile is worth more.
5. Use hints and undo to learn the layout’s tricky spots.

Play mahjong solitaire online

Kepo Mahjong is free in your browser with no ads: 10 layouts from the small Garden to the classic 144-tile Turtle. Every deal can be cleared, and Shuffle keeps the board solvable. It also has hints, undo and a best time for each layout.