Mahjong
Pair up the free tiles, clear the whole stack
How to play
Mahjong on Matsuri is free online mahjong solitaire, the classic tile matching puzzle: take free tiles off the stack in matching pairs until none are left, and every board can be cleared. It plays in any browser on phone or desktop and inside Telegram via @MatsuriGamesBot, no download. One daily board is shared by everyone, and a challenge link gives a friend your exact board.
This is Mahjong Solitaire with a classic tile set: dots, bamboo, characters, winds, dragons, and the four seasons and four flowers. A tile is free when nothing lies on it and its left or right side is open; tap two free tiles with the same face to take them off (any season matches any season, any flower any flower). Clear the whole stack to win. Pairs that use a tile the last pair just set free build a chain worth more points. Every board is dealt so it can be cleared; a hint, three undos and two shuffles help when you are stuck, each for a few points. Turtle, pyramid and butterfly layouts; the daily is the same board for everyone.
Also: Butterfly Mahjong
- Click two free tiles with the same picture to take them off. A tile is free when nothing lies on it and its left or right side is open (arrow keys + Enter work too).
- Seasons (green 春夏秋冬) match each other, and so do flowers (red 梅蘭菊竹). Pair a tile the last pair just freed to build a 🔥 chain worth more.
- Stuck? Hint (H), undo (U, 3 per run) or shuffle (S, 2 per run), each costs a few points. Clear the whole stack to win.
How to play Mahjong
Each board uses one of three layouts, turtle, pyramid or butterfly, with 100 or 104 tiles in three or four layers, sized so the tiles stay readable on a phone. The faces come from the classic set, four of each: dots, bamboo and characters from one to nine, winds and dragons, plus four season tiles and four flower tiles. A tile is free when no tile on a higher layer covers any part of it and its left or right side is open. Tap two free tiles with the same face to remove them; any season pairs with any season and any flower with any flower. Clear every tile to win.
A pair scores 10. If one of its tiles was set free by the pair before, it extends a chain worth 5 more per link, up to 30 for a pair. Clearing the board adds 1000. Helpers cost points: a hint 20 (never two in a row), an undo 30 plus what that pair earned (three per run), and a shuffle 50 (two per run), which re-deals the tiles still on the board in place. The run ends when no free pair is left and no undo or shuffle remains.
Mahjong strategy and tips
- Before taking a pair, count how many of that face are left and where they are. When all four are free, take both pairs. When only three are free, pick the two that uncover the fourth, or that leave the free one beside it.
- Work from the top and from the ends of the longest rows. The tall middle of a layout hides the most tiles, and one pair there can free three or four more at once.
- Seasons and flowers pair with any tile of their group, which makes them the easiest matches on the board. Take them when they open something, not just because they are free, and keep them as a backup move.
- After each pair, look first at the tiles it just set free. A chain built from those pays up to three times a plain pair.
- The hint costs 20 but points to a safe pair when one exists: a face whose remaining tiles are all free, so taking two strands nothing. Undo a pair you regret at once; keep shuffles for when no free pair is left.
Modes and difficulty
The daily board is the same for everyone and changes at 00:00 UTC, and only your first try counts on the daily leaderboard. Practice deals a fresh board whenever you like. After a game you can send it as a challenge: your friend plays exactly the same tiles with your score as the target. There are no difficulty settings; each board's layout comes with its deal.
Playing Mahjong on Matsuri
Every board is dealt along an order of pairs that clears it, so a board can always be won, yet the deal often puts tiles of a kind on top of or beside each other, so the order of your pairs matters. Seasons and flowers follow the traditional rule: any season pairs with any season, and any flower with any flower. Scores come from the server replaying your pairs, and in a Telegram group each game has that group's own leaderboard.
A little history
Mahjong solitaire uses the tiles of the four-player game mahjong but none of its rules. The first computer version was Brodie Lockard's Mah-Jongg on the PLATO system in 1981, and Activision's Shanghai in 1986 made it a home computer classic, which is why many people still call the game Shanghai. Its traditional layout, the turtle, holds the full set of 144 tiles.
In the same series: Mahjong and tile matching
- Tile Match: Match three treats, clear the whole pile
Update log
- · The hint looks ahead and steers clear of the deal's traps.
- · A switch for automatic hints: leave it on for a hand when you pause, or turn it off and tap the bulb only when you want one.
- · A classic look with real tiles: ivory faces, traditional dots, bamboos and characters, and small indices for anyone who doesn't read them. The default in most languages.
- · When no pair is left, you are told to shuffle.
- · Practice lets you pick the layout: turtle, pyramid or butterfly.
Questions
- Can I play Mahjong Solitaire free online without downloading?
- Yes. It is free in any browser on phone or desktop, with no download and no sign-up, and you can play it inside Telegram through @MatsuriGamesBot too. There are no ads.
- Is every mahjong board solvable?
- Yes. Every board is dealt along an order that clears it, so it can always be won, but careless pairs can still leave you stuck. A hint, up to three undos and two shuffles (which re-deal the tiles left so they can still be cleared, whenever the layout allows it) help out, each for a few points.
- Which tiles can I match? Do seasons and flowers match each other?
- A tile is free when nothing lies on it and its left or right side is open; tap two free tiles with the same face to take them off. Any season matches any other season, and any flower any other flower.
- Is there a daily mahjong puzzle with a leaderboard?
- Yes. Each day everyone gets the same board, on a turtle, pyramid or butterfly layout, and ranks on the daily leaderboard. Scores are checked on the server by replaying your moves, and you can send a friend the exact same board as a challenge.