Mahjong Solitaire looks like a matching game, but it is really a game about order. Every deal in Mahjong Solitaire can be cleared, yet a careless match early on can bury the tile you need at the end. These are the ideas that keep a board open.
Which tiles are free
A tile is free when nothing lies on top of it, even partly, and its left or right side is open. Tiles above and below it do not matter; only the long sides do. A tile hemmed in on both sides, or with any tile resting on it, is blocked.
On Aback Games blocked tiles are shaded, so the free ones stand out, and the Matches count shows how many free pairs there are right now.
Take the pairs that free the most tiles
When several pairs are free, prefer the one that opens the board:
- Tiles on top of stacks, which uncover a tile beneath them.
- Tiles at the ends of long rows, which free the next tile in.
- Tiles that sit across two lower tiles, which free both.
A pair that frees nothing new can wait. It will still be there later.
Count the tiles of a face
Each ordinary face comes four times. How many are free decides what to do:
- All four free: take both pairs. Nothing else can need them.
- Two free, two buried: usually safe to take, but check that one of the buried tiles is not stuck under its own partner.
- Three free: think. Leave the one whose removal frees the least, because the fourth tile will need a partner when it comes out.
The flowers and seasons are different: any flower matches any flower, and any season any season. That makes them flexible; there is no rush to take them.
Clear the tall stacks early
Tiles on the bottom layer are rarely the problem; they have plenty of neighbours to come free with. The trouble comes from tall stacks in the middle. On the Grand layout four layers rise in the centre, and on Fortress the towers in each corner are pairs that block the rows beside them.
Work on the stacks while there are still plenty of matches around them, rather than leaving them for the end.
Never bury a partner
The classic dead end is two matching tiles where one lies on the other, or both are locked in the same row with nothing between them that can leave. Before you take a pair, look at what will be left with the other two tiles of that face.
When you run out of matches
Undo is always free, and it does not stop a board counting as cleared. Step back a few matches and choose a different pair.
A shuffle deals the tiles that are left over the same places again, in an order that can be cleared. A hint finds a pair that keeps the board clearable when it can. Both are there when you need them, but a board finished with either does not count for your best time.
