Mahjong Solitaire rules: free tiles, matching, and shuffles

Why can I see a tile but not select it?

A visible face does not always mean a tile is free. Look for a tile with nothing covering it from a higher layer and space on at least one horizontal side. An open top or bottom edge alone does not count. Blocked tiles appear darker and cannot be selected.

Both tiles must meet this rule before you can remove them. If a matching tile is underneath the one you selected, clear the covering tile with a different free match first. Selecting a free tile once highlights it; selecting it again clears the selection. Escape also clears it.

Which tiles match each other?

The number and suit both matter. One dot matches another One dot, not One bamboo. Winds and dragons also need an exact match. Read the small label under the symbol when two faces look similar.

Flowers and seasons are the exceptions. Any two flowers form a pair, even when their pictures differ. Any two seasons form a pair too. A flower cannot pair with a season. The Bamboo flower and the One bamboo tile belong to different groups despite sharing the bamboo symbol.

Check what a pair will uncover

Before removing a pair, look below and beside it. Removing a tile from a higher layer may uncover a useful face. Removing the end of a row can open the side of the next tile. A pair standing away from the rest of the layout may open nothing.

For example, suppose you can remove either two free East winds on row ends or two free dragons beside empty space. If removing the winds would expose a needed match, try them first. That is a reason to choose the pair, rather than a guarantee that the rest of the board will clear. Use Undo to compare the result with the other move.

A hint shows a legal pair, not a complete solution

Each new deal is built with at least one sequence that clears all 144 tiles. Your choices can still leave the remaining tiles blocked. A solvable starting board does not mean every available pair leads to a win.

Hint highlights one currently available matching pair. It does not check the full route to the end of the game or rank pairs by how useful they are. Treat it as help finding a move, then check what that move would uncover. Hints do not spend a shuffle.

What to do when no free pair remains

Use Undo to reverse a recent choice. You can undo several actions while the game is unfinished. Undoing a match returns its two tiles and reduces the match count by one; it does not turn back the timer.

Each new game starts with three shuffles. Shuffle rearranges the faces on the remaining positions into a solvable deal, keeping the same remaining tiles. It does not refill the board to 144. If your last action was a shuffle, Undo restores the previous arrangement and returns that shuffle use.

When no free pair remains, a hint cannot make a blocked tile playable. Try Undo or Shuffle. Once you clear the board, Undo is disabled; New game starts another deal.

Controls, timing, and saved wins

Click or tap a free tile, then its match. H requests a hint, U undoes the last action, and N starts a new game immediately. New game replaces the current board, so finish the deal first if you want to keep playing it.

The Time display counts upward. There is no countdown that ends the game. A full board takes 72 matching pairs to clear. Your win total is saved in this browser when local storage is available, but the unfinished board is not saved. Reloading the page starts a fresh deal.

Common questions