Object of the Game

The object of Mahjong solitaire is to clear the board by removing all the tiles from the layout. Layouts can differ in pattern, size and height. Player must remove the tiles in pairs. A pair consists of two tiles which both are "free" and identical or of the same type.

A tile is "free" when:

1. no other tile is lying above or is partially covering it
2. a tile has at least one side (left or right) free

Two tiles are identical if they look exactly the same. Except for the Flowers and Seasons tiles. They are non-identical matching tiles and belong to the same type. All the Flowers and Seasons tiles match one another inside their group type.

The tiles

A Mah-Jongg set consists of 144 tiles. These are split in seven groups. The three first sets are numeric and they are called suits. These suits are Characters, Bamboos, Circles, Dragons, Winds, Seasons, and Flowers.

Each tile appears four times in a standard solitaire mahjongg game. Again an exception for the Flowers and Seasons tiles who appear only once each during a game.

The 9 circle tiles - their numerical values are represented by the number of circles shown on the tiles. There are four tiles of every circle tile (36 tiles total).

The 9 bamboo tiles - their numerical values are represented by the number of bamboo sticks shown on the tiles. There are four tiles of every Bamboo (36 tiles total).

The 9 characters tiles - their numerical values are represented by the red and black Chinese numeric symbols. There are four tiles of every Character (36 tiles total).

Please note, all tiles in this game implementation have additional Arabic numbers to help players to identify matching tiles.

The four seasons tiles appear once each in a game (4 tiles total). Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Printed above is the the corresponding abbreviations for the seasons. In mahjong solitaire any season will match another season.

The four wind tiles also appear once each in a game (4 tiles total). East, South, West and North. Shown on every tile is the Chinese symbol for the according wind. The first letter of the wind is printed using Latin characters. There are four tiles of every wind (16 tiles total).

The dragons tiles. Green Dragon, White Dragon and Red dragon. There are four tiles of every dragon (12 tiles total).

Mahjong Solitaire Strategy

1. Identify as many matching pairs as possible on one move. Check for tiles that need to be unblocked.
2. Beware three matching free tiles - choose carefully which pair you remove. Leave the one that's blocking the least important tiles.
3. Remember that there are four of each tile. When removing a pair, remember that an identical pair exists in the layout. Is it trapped by your removal of the first pair? Choose wisely.
4. If all four of a tile are available, remove them all to unclutter the field.
5. Concentrate on removing pairs that will unblock the most tiles.
6. Try to keep as more surface irregularities in your layout as possible.
7. Concentrate your efforts on long rows and tall stacks.