Mahjong Solitaire
Match free tiles off a stacked layout. Every board is dealt with a guaranteed solution, three layouts, plus hint, shuffle and undo.
The rules, and one honest caveat
- A tile can be taken only when nothing sits on top of it and its left or right side is clear. Free tiles are the bright ones.
- Match two identical tiles to remove the pair.
- Every board dealt here has a full solution. It is built by playing the layout backwards — stripping free pairs off a full stack and recording the order — then putting a matching pair into each step. Replaying that order is a solution by construction.
- But a solution existing does not mean you cannot get stuck. There are four of each symbol, so you can match across the intended pairs and strand yourself. That is the genre rather than a fault — it is what Shuffle is for.
- Take from the ends of long rows and the top of the stack first. Tiles buried in the middle of a row only free up when one of their neighbours goes.
- If two pairs of the same symbol are both available, taking the pair that frees the most tiles is nearly always better than taking the convenient one.
How to use
- A tile can be taken when nothing is on top and one side is clear.
- Click two identical free tiles to remove the pair.
- Clear the whole layout to finish.
Frequently asked questions
Is every board actually solvable?
Yes, by construction. The board is built by playing the layout backwards — repeatedly stripping two free tiles off a full stack and recording the order — then putting a matching pair into each recorded step. Replaying that order is a legal solution, because the board at step ten while dealing is exactly the board at step ten while solving.
Then why did I get stuck?
Because a solution existing does not mean every route reaches it. There are four copies of each symbol, so you can match across the intended pairs and strand yourself. That is true of the traditional game too. Shuffle rearranges the symbols still on the board, and Undo takes back your last move.
When is a tile free?
When nothing sits on top of it and either its left or its right long side is clear. Blocked tiles are shown dimmed, so you can see at a glance what is available. Being surrounded above and below does not matter — only left, right and on top.
What is the best strategy?
Take from the ends of long rows and the top of the stack first, since tiles buried mid-row only free up when a neighbour goes. And when two pairs of the same symbol are both available, take the one that frees the most tiles rather than the one that is convenient.
Does shuffling count as cheating?
That is up to you — the timer keeps running either way. It exists because the alternative is abandoning a board you spent ten minutes on through no real mistake.
Are my times saved?
Your best time per layout is kept in your own browser. Nothing is uploaded and there is no shared leaderboard.
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