Free board and card games

Mahjong Basics

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Object of the Game
  • The object of the game is to clear the playing area of tiles by matching pairs of tiles.
  • Players can remove only those matching pairs of tiles where each tile has at least one side (left or right) free and no o ther tiles placed on top.
  • Matching tile pairs can be removed by clicking on each tile in the pair.
  • Reshuffle button can be used when no moves are available. A maximum of 5 reshuffles per game is allowed.


Playing the Game

If no moves are made for at least 15 seconds, the game prompts which tiles can be swapped: 2 tiles blink for 2 seconds. The prompt does not necessarily indicate the optimal move -- just a possible move.

A player can only remove the tiles one pair at a time. There are a total of 72 pairs in a game of MahJong Solitaire. Like cards, the tiles have standard suits. These suits are Characters, Bamboos, Circles, Dragons, Winds, Seasons, and Flowers. The table below shows all of the tiles.

Characters
(4 of each)		 Bamboos
(4 of each)		 Circles
(4 of each)		 Dragons, etc.
(4 of each)		 Winds
(4 of each)		 Seasons
(1 of each)		 Flowers
(1 of each)


When matching pairs, Seasons and Flowers are the only suits you do not need to match exactly. Any Season or Flower combination counts as a pair because there is only one of each tile.

Each time you start a game, you are granted 5 shuffles. When no pairs are left, you may use a shuffle. When you have no more pairs and no more shuffles, the game is over. If you clear the board, you move to the next round, which will have a different layout.



Strategy Tips

  • Although each tile layout requires a unique approach, the general strategy is to keep removing matching tiles in such a way that each removal would open up more possibilities for future tile matching.

  • In certain situations obtaining matching tiles after reshuffling can be either theoretically impossible or highly unlikel y. The key is to avoid getting into positions where the above is likely to happen.



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