Clear the board by matching pairs of free tiles. Play the daily board, or practise on the classic 144-tile Turtle or a smaller pyramid. Every board can be cleared.
How to play
Tap a free tile, then tap a matching free tile. The pair is removed.
Blocked tiles are dimmed (switch this off with “Dim blocked tiles”). Tapping one explains why it can't move.
Clear every tile to win. Stuck? Hint shows a free pair; Shuffle re-deals the remaining tiles so they can still be cleared.
The free-tile rule
So at the start, the tiles you can take are mostly at the left and right ends of each row and on top of the stacks.
Worked example
On the Turtle, the single tile on top of the stack is free, but the four tiles under it are not. The tile sticking out on the far left (the “head”) is free too, and it blocks the two tiles beside it in the middle rows. Matching the top tile first opens the stack below it, and taking the head opens the middle rows, so both are good early moves when their twins are free.
Layouts
Little pyramid (56 tiles): three layers, a quick game.
Pyramid (120 tiles): four layers, used for the daily board.
Turtle (144 tiles): the traditional shape, five layers high.
Tips
Prefer pairs that free up more tiles: tiles on top of stacks and at the ends of long rows.
If all four of a tile are free, take them in two pairs straight away: nothing can go wrong.
When only two of three free matching tiles can be taken, pick the pair that unblocks the most.
Clear long rows from the ends evenly rather than finishing one side first.
A tile you can take. It needs nothing on top of it (not even partly) and at least one open side: either nothing directly to its left or nothing directly to its right on the same layer. A tile in the middle of a row, with neighbours on both sides, is blocked.
Which tiles match?
Identical tiles match: two 5 of bamboo, two east winds, two red dragons. The flowers are the exception: any flower matches any other flower, and any season matches any other season, even though the pictures differ.
Can every board be cleared?
Yes. Each board is built backwards from an empty layout, two free tiles at a time, so there is always at least one way to clear it. You can still get stuck by taking pairs in an unlucky order; then Shuffle deals the remaining tiles again in a way that can still be cleared, or Undo takes moves back.
Is this the same as mahjong?
No. Mahjong is a game for four players with its own scoring. Mahjong solitaire uses the same tiles for a one-player matching puzzle, which is what this page is.
Is the daily board the same for everyone?
Yes. Everyone gets the same 120-tile Pyramid board on the same date, so you can compare times, shuffles and hints. A new board arrives at midnight where you are.
