Mahjong Solitaire Rules

Mahjong Solitaire is a single-player matching game played with a set of 144 tiles. The goal is simple: clear the board by removing matching pairs of tiles until none remain. The rules take a minute to learn, yet the strategy can take a lifetime to master. This page is the complete, plain-language guide to every rule, from what counts as a match to how the bonus tiles work.

The goal of the game

You win when the board is empty. To get there, you remove tiles two at a time, always a matching pair. If you clear every tile, you win; if you reach a position where no legal move remains and tiles are still on the board, the game is stuck and you can undo or shuffle.

What counts as a matching pair

Two tiles match when they are identical in face. That means the same suit and the same value. A 5 of Bamboo matches another 5 of Bamboo, a Red Dragon matches another Red Dragon, and an East Wind matches another East Wind. Most tiles appear four times in the set, so each face forms up to two pairs.

The free-tile rule

This is the single most important rule. You can only remove a tile that is free, and a tile is free only when both of these are true:

• Nothing on top. No other tile covers any part of it, even a corner.
• One side open. At least one of its left or right neighbours is empty.

If a tile is buried under another, or wedged between tiles on both sides, you cannot select it, even if its matching partner sits free elsewhere on the board. The whole skill of the game is choosing which free pair to remove so that new tiles become free in a useful order.

The three suits

Most of the 144 tiles belong to one of three suits, each running from 1 to 9 with four copies of every value:

• Bamboo — vertical green sticks; the 1 of Bamboo is often shown as a bird.
• Dots (Circles) — round spots arranged by number.
• Characters — a Chinese numeral on top, the value written below.

Honour tiles: winds and dragons

Beyond the suits there are two honour groups. The four winds — East, South, West and North — each appear four times. The three dragons — Red, Green and White — also each appear four times. Winds match only their own wind, dragons only their own dragon.

Bonus tiles: seasons and flowers

Eight bonus tiles complete the set: four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) and four flowers (Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, Bamboo). These are the exception to the identical-pair rule. Any season matches any other season, and any flower matches any other flower. Because they are so flexible, treat them as wild cards and save them for buried pairs that have no other partner.

The in-game tools

• Hint — highlights one available pair when you are stuck.
• Undo — takes back your last move; use it to test a line of play before committing.
• Shuffle — rearranges the remaining tiles when no legal move exists.

A simple winning approach

• Work from the top down: free the highest tiles first so layers below open up.
• Clear long horizontal rows from their ends inward.
• Hold seasons and flowers for difficult buried pairs.
• Before each move, glance for any tile type that only has two copies left and make sure at least one stays reachable.

Go deeper

Ready beyond the basics? These related guides go further:

• How to Play Mahjong Solitaire — the complete beginner walkthrough.
• Mahjong Tiles Meaning — every suit, honour and bonus tile explained.
• Mahjong Solitaire Strategy — seven pro tips to win faster.
• Tips hub — strategy patterns for every layout.
• All games — practise the rules on different layouts.

Ready to play? Open the Turtle layout, apply these rules, and clear your first board.