When it comes to games that help keep you sharp while having fun, Mahjong Solitaire has been a popular choice for all ages for decades. This tile-matching game has firmly established itself in the “classic game” genre, proving itself to be every bit engaging to new players as well as long-time lovers of the game.
Game Objective
The game’s objective is to clear the board by matching tiles of identical type and pattern.
Mahjong Tiles
Bamboo
Bamboo tiles have several bamboo shapes that almost resemble pillars.
Circle
Circle tiles have black or red dots, also called wheels or dots.
Character
Also known as number tiles or Wan tiles. These have Chinese characters representing a number on them.
Honor
These tiles have two types: the “wind” or “dragon” tiles.
Bonus Tiles
Bonus tiles consist of four pairs of flower tiles and four season tiles in any round. These may change from game to game.
How to play Mahjong Solitaire
Mahjong Solitaire is a single-player experience. This is one of the factors that makes it different from the original Mahjong game, which is often played by up to four players. The following will explain the game’s setup and show you how to get started playing.
Tile Setup
In an average or unmodified game of Mahjong Solitaire, there are 144 tiles total, stacked no higher than 4 tiles high, with the tile’s pictures facing up. Each layer of tiles is laid out in such a way that it creates a in appearance, meaning that each layer will have fewer tiles than the previous or lower layer, with fewer and fewer as they stack up.
Though this isn’t an issue players have to be concerned with when playing the game electronically, it is paramount that the layout (in this case, the turtle layout) is generated randomly. A random dispersal of patterns or suits is what makes the game worth playing! Otherwise, it would be predictable, boring, and no challenge at all.
Getting Started with a Game of Mahjong
After setup or board selection, it’s time to start removing tiles from the scene. This is done by spotting open matches of identical tiles, removing them from the scene, and revealing the tiles underneath. Note that I said “open matches,” this denotes that the two matching tiles are both “open.”
Open Tiles
Open tiles are found on an edge, exposing the long edge of a tile. A tile can be deemed open if the left or right edge is exposed (open) and not covered with another tile. Only when there are two identical open tiles can they be removed.
Shuffle the Tiles
As you progress through the game, removing matching open tiles, there may be a point where there are no further matches. This is where you may opt to use the “shuffle” option. Shuffle restacks the tiles in hopes that previously hidden matches become exposed, helping you to further your progress.
Shuffle Tip
It’s best to avoid using the shuffle option unless there are no more moves to make. The game will tell you if there are no possibilities for further matches and ask if you’d like to shuffle. In this case, shuffle is the only thing you can do to continue playing. You can use the shuffle option at any time, but give it some thought first. If the game isn’t telling you that there are no more options, a match is hiding somewhere in the stack that you’ve missed!
Undo Moves
Similar to the card variety of solitaire, you may wish to undo a move or two to change the game’s trajectory. But to avoid turning to the undo option, try to take your time and make sure you won’t be painting yourself into a corner, as the tiles you remove can affect further play.
Plan Ahead
See if you can plan ahead to make your moves work the best for you, creating a sequence of events that will open up more tactical areas. Sometimes, you might not want to remove a pair if they don’t open up subsequent moves. Just hold off and see if there is anything else you can do to make the subsequent tiles more valuable.
Though the undo button might appear to be a mistake eraser, using it won’t help you to get better at the game. A little more patience will be better for you in the long run.
Start from the Top
At the start of a game, a good strategy is to try to remove as many top-layered tiles as possible. This opens up tiles hiding underneath and helps you formulate a more educated plan, perhaps different paths to get toward the center or remove another layer.