Mahjong Solitaire - Rules, History & Strategy Guide

Mahjong Solitaire is based on the Chinese tile game Mahjong, which dates to the Qing dynasty. The solitaire variant was popularized by Brodie Lockard's 1981 computer game and became one of the most-played casual puzzle games in the world.

Unlike traditional four-player Mahjong, the solitaire version is a single-player tile-matching puzzle where the challenge is finding and clearing pairs from a stacked layout.

The goal is to remove all tiles from the board by matching pairs.

1. Find two identical tiles that are both free (not blocked on left and right, not covered by another tile).
2. Click both tiles to remove the pair from the board.
3. Continue matching pairs until the board is clear or no more moves are available.
4. You win when all tiles have been removed.

Successful Mahjong Solitaire play is about seeing the whole board, not just the surface.

• Work from the top layers down to expose buried tiles.
• Prioritize matches that free the most new tiles underneath.
• Scan the entire board before matching — sometimes the obvious pair is the wrong one to take first.
• Keep your options open by avoiding matches that leave isolated tiles with no visible partner.

Popular layout variations include Turtle, Pyramid, Fortress, and Spider. Some versions add time pressure, shuffle power-ups, or seasonal tile sets.