Mahjong

Goal

Clear the board by removing all 144 tiles in matching pairs. A tile is free when nothing is stacked on top of it and at least one side is open.

Rules

• A tile is free when no tile is sitting on top of it and at least one side (left or right) is open.
• Tap two matching free tiles to remove them as a pair. Most tiles match their identical copy (e.g. two 7-of-bamboo).
• The four Season tiles (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) all match each other, and so do the four Flower tiles (Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum).
• The board has multiple layers. Tiles stack on top of each other, so removing upper tiles exposes the ones below.
• The game is won when every tile is cleared. It's lost when no more matching pairs of free tiles remain.

Strategy

• Work from the top down. Tiles on upper layers block everything underneath. Clearing the peaks first gives you more options below.
• Look for tiles blocking the most. Some tiles sit on top of two or three others. Getting rid of those frees up the board fast.
• Keep your options open. If a tile has two visible matches, think about which pair frees up more tiles before you pick.
• Scan the whole board. It's easy to get tunnel vision. Check the other side — there's often a match over there that breaks things loose.

Tips

• Match tiles you can see all copies of. If three or four of the same tile are free or nearly free, clear them now before they get buried.
• Clear Seasons and Flowers early. Any Season matches any other Season and any Flower matches any other Flower, so they're the easiest pairs on the board.
• Don't rush. There's no timer. Look at the whole board before each move.
• Watch for dead ends. If a tile's only match is buried under a stack, make uncovering that tile your priority.
• Undo is your friend. If you spot a bad move, undo it. There's no penalty for backtracking.