Mahjong Games
About Mahjong Games
Mahjong began as a four-player game of tiles in nineteenth-century China, but most people who play mahjong online today play mahjong solitaire, the one-player tile matching game. The tiles are stacked in a layout several layers deep, and you remove them in matching pairs. Only free tiles can be taken: a tile is free when nothing lies on top of it and at least one of its long sides, left or right, is open.
That one rule is the whole strategy. Taking the first pair you see can trap the twin of a tile you need under a stack, so good players clear the tall stacks and the long rows early and keep track of where the second tile of each pair is hiding.
Mahjong Minute is mahjong solitaire with no clock: tap two matching free tiles to clear them, keep the pairs coming within a few seconds of each other to build a combo up to ×5, and clear board after board on stacks up to five layers tall. Locked tiles are dimmed so the free ones stand out, and every deal can be solved. When no free pair is left, one of your three shuffles deals the tiles into a solvable position again (every third board cleared gives one back); with no shuffle left, the run is over. The tiles are the classic set of dots, bamboo and characters with winds, dragons, flowers and seasons.
It is free in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer. For more, see the solitaire games, puzzle games and brain games.
Frequently asked questions
What is mahjong solitaire?
A one-player game played with mahjong tiles. The tiles are stacked in a layout, and you clear it by removing pairs of matching tiles that are free: nothing on top of them and at least one long side open.
Which tiles match in mahjong solitaire?
Two identical tiles, as long as both are free. Flowers and seasons are the exception: any flower matches any other flower, and any season matches any other season.
Can every game of Mahjong Minute be won?
Yes. Every deal is built so it can be cleared, and if you take pairs in an order that leaves no match, one of your shuffles deals the remaining tiles into a solvable position again.
Is mahjong solitaire the same as mahjong?
No. Classic mahjong is a four-player game closer to rummy, with draws, discards and winning hands. Mahjong solitaire only borrows the tiles.