How to play Mahjong Solitaire
Remove all the tiles by taking matching pairs.
You can only take a tile that is free: nothing on top of it, and nothing touching its left side or its right side (one side is enough).
Tap one tile, then its match. Any flower matches any flower, and any season matches any season.
Stuck? Shuffle is free and unlimited on puzuru, and a shuffle always leaves a way to clear the board when one is possible.
Tips
Open the long rows first. Tiles at the ends of long rows block the most others.
Clear the tall stacks early. Tiles under them can't move until the top is gone.
When three or four of the same tile are free, think before you pick: take the pair that frees more tiles.
Layouts
| Layout | Tiles | What to expect |
|---|
| Hill | 34 | Three low layers. A quick first game |
| Twin Peaks | 68 | Two hills. Choose which side to open |
| Pyramid | 82 | Four layers. Start from the top |
| Steps | 120 | Five steps. The tall end hides tiles |
| Fortress | 128 | Five layers. A long, careful game |
| Turtle | 144 | The classic 144-tile layout |
The tiles
Three suits numbered 1 to 9: characters (萬), circles and bamboo. Four of each tile.
Winds (East, South, West, North) and dragons (red 中, green 發, white frame). Four of each.
Four flowers and four seasons. Any flower matches any flower; any season matches any season.
Playing on puzuru: layouts and buttons
Pick a layout from the row above the board. They are listed from smallest to largest, and bigger ones earn more on the monthly leaderboard: a Hill clear (34 tiles) is worth 1 point and a Turtle clear (144 tiles) is worth 12. Hill and Twin Peaks are good for a short break. Pyramid and Steps stack higher, so more tiles start out hidden. Fortress and Turtle are the long games, and Turtle is the classic shape most people picture when they think of Mahjong Solitaire.
The free-tile rule and which tiles match are in the rules box below. Tap a tile to select it, then tap its match. If you picked the wrong one, tap a different tile and the selection moves, or tap it again to deselect.
Below the board you get four buttons: Undo, Shuffle, Hint and New game. Hint lights up one pair you can take right now. Shuffle mixes the tiles that are still on the board, and it tries to leave you a way to finish. All three helpers are free with no limit. One note if you care about the rankings: a game where you used Hint doesn't post a time, while shuffles are allowed and shown next to your time. Your game is saved in this browser, so you can close the tab and come back to the same layout later.
Tips to clear more boards
Before your first move, scan for pairs that are both free and ask what each one opens up. A pair that frees two or three tiles underneath or beside it is usually worth more than a pair sitting off to the side that frees nothing. Spending your early moves on the tiles that are holding others in place tends to keep more options open toward the end.
Watch for tiles that block their own match. If two identical tiles sit one on top of the other, or side by side in the same row, the top or outer one often has to go with a different copy first. Before you use up the free copies elsewhere, check where the others are. Only Turtle uses the full set with every tile four times; on the other layouts a tile may show up only twice, so count what you can see instead of assuming.
Flowers and seasons are the flexible tiles: any flower goes with any flower, and any season with any season, but a flower never matches a season. Because of that, they are often worth saving for a moment when they free something useful. Also try to work on more than one area at a time. Finishing one corner while the tall middle is still untouched is a common way to get stuck, and if you do, Undo a few moves before you reach for Shuffle.
FAQ
Is Mahjong Solitaire the same as Mahjong?
No. They use the same tiles, but Mahjong is a four-player game where you draw and discard to build a winning hand. Mahjong Solitaire is a one-player matching puzzle: you remove the tiles in pairs until the board is empty. You don't need to know any Mahjong rules to play it.
Why do the small layouts seem to be missing some tiles?
A full set has 144 tiles, and only Turtle uses all of them. Smaller layouts like Hill and Twin Peaks use part of the set, picked at random in pairs, so some tiles may appear only twice and some not at all. Every tile on the board still has a match.
Can I play with big tiles on my phone?
Yes. The Big Tile page uses the three smaller layouts (Hill, Twin Peaks and Pyramid) and draws each tile as large as your screen allows. You can also choose a larger text size in Settings on any layout.
Can every game be cleared?
Every deal starts with at least one way to clear it, because puzuru builds each deal from a winning order. Your choices can still lead to a dead end; if that happens, Shuffle or Undo helps.
Is shuffle free?
Yes. Shuffle, hints and undo are free and unlimited. No ads to unlock them, no coins.
Which tiles match?
Identical tiles match. Any two flower tiles match each other, and any two season tiles match each other.
Can I make the tiles bigger?
Yes. In Settings, choose a larger text size. The tiles grow and you can scroll the board.
Is it free?
Yes. All layouts are free and unlimited. No sign-up.
