How to win at Mahjong Solitaire

The rules in thirty seconds

Mahjong solitaire is a one player game played with mahjong tiles stacked into a pile. You remove tiles two at a time, and a pair has to be two matching tiles that are both free. A tile is free when nothing sits on top of it and at least one of its long sides, left or right, is open. Whether the top or bottom edge is touching something doesn't matter.

Tiles match when they're identical, with two exceptions that catch new players out: any flower matches any other flower, and any season matches any other season. A full set is 144 tiles that fall into 36 matching groups of four, so on a full board every tile you see has three possible partners somewhere.

You win by clearing every tile. You get stuck when no free pair is left. Everything below is about avoiding that second outcome.

Why boards get stuck

There are only two ways to lose. The first is a buried pair: two matching tiles where one sits directly on top of the other, or both are trapped in the same row, so neither can be freed while the other is still there. The second is simply running out of free tiles because the ones you needed were left under a tall stack until the end.

Both problems are created early, by taking pairs that are easy instead of pairs that are useful. The board looks fine for a while, then the last twenty tiles turn out to be in the wrong places. So the habit to build is simple: before you take a pair, ask what it frees.

Nine tips that win more boards

1. Take the pair that frees the most

If two different pairs are open, prefer the one that uncovers tiles below it or opens the end of a long row. A pair that sits on the flat edge of the board with nothing under it can wait. It will still be free later.

2. Start with tall stacks

A tile under three layers needs three things to happen before you can touch it. Work on the peaks and the thickest parts of the pile early, while you still have lots of other choices. Leaving the deepest stack for last is the most common way to lose.

3. Open long rows from the ends

In a long horizontal row only the two end tiles are free. Every pair you take from one end frees the next tile along. A row of twelve tiles is twelve moves of work, so start chipping at it before it becomes the only thing left.

4. When all four are free, take both pairs

If you can see all four tiles of one kind and they're all free, clearing them as two pairs is always safe. Nothing else on the board depends on which two go together.

5. With three free, think before you tap

Three free tiles of a kind is the classic trap. You can only take two, and the third is stranded until its partner, the fourth tile, is freed. Take the two that are blocking the most, and leave the one whose partner is easiest to reach.

6. Watch for a tile sitting on its twin

If a tile is stacked directly on top of a matching tile, and the other two of that kind are also buried, you have a problem coming. Plan to free one of the other two first, so the top tile has somewhere to go.

7. Don't rush the flowers and seasons

Because any flower matches any flower, these tiles are flexible. That makes them a good spare to keep in your pocket when a board gets tight, rather than something to clear the moment you see two.

8. Count what's left of a kind

If two tiles of a kind are already gone, the last two must be matched with each other. If one is free and the other is deep in a stack, you know exactly which stack needs digging next.

9. Look at the whole board first

Take five seconds before the first move. Find the tallest stack, the longest row and any matching tiles stacked on each other. That quick read tells you where the game will be decided.

How Mahjong Cloud Steps helps

In Mahjong Cloud Steps every board is built backward from a real solution, so every deal you get can be cleared. Blocked tiles are shaded darker, so the bright tiles are the free ones, and every suited tile shows its number so you never sort by color alone.

Above the board sits a 4 slot holding tray. Park a free tile there and it lifts off the board, which uncovers whatever was underneath. A parked tile can still be matched with any free tile of its kind. That's the perfect tool for the tile-on-its-twin problem from tip 6. Use it for digging, not storage: a tray full of tiles with no partners in sight leaves you with nowhere to go.

Hint, Shuffle and Undo are free and unlimited. Hint only shows a pair that keeps the board winnable, so it's also a good teacher. Shuffle mixes the faces still on the board, and the shuffled board can always be cleared. Undo takes back as many moves as you like, and neither Undo nor Shuffle costs a star.

Playing for three stars

Each level gives one star for clearing it, one for clearing it with no hints and one for beating the par time. Matches score 10 points times your streak, and the streak climbs to x5 if you keep matching within about four seconds, so speed pays twice.

• Play it slow first. A level always deals the same way, so the first clear is for learning where the trouble is.
• Then replay for the time star. On the second run you already know which stack to open, and the streak keeps the score climbing.
• Save hints for real dead ends. Undo a few moves instead. It keeps the no hint star and usually shows you the mistake.
• Use Zen garden to practise. No clock and no score, just a fresh board whenever you want one.

For the full rules, tile list and the six worlds, see our Mahjong Cloud Steps guide. If you like calm tile puzzles, Trinket Trio is a gentle match game, and Mosaic Logic is pure logic with no luck at all.

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