About Mahjong Classic
Mahjong Classic is tile solitaire done properly. You clear a three-dimensional stack by removing matching pairs, and a tile can only be taken when it is free: nothing covering it, and at least one of its left or right edges exposed. Clear the whole board and you win; run out of legal pairs and the game is over.
The feature that matters most here is invisible: the level generator only produces layouts that have a solution. In a lot of mahjong implementations a board can be dealt dead, meaning no amount of good play will clear it. That is not the case here, so every loss is genuinely a consequence of the order in which you removed tiles. It turns the game from a coin flip into an actual puzzle.
You get a solid spread of classic layouts (Turtle, Fort, Crab, Spider, Cat and Dragon among them) and because the arrangement is randomised each time, a favourite shape stays playable indefinitely. Three boosters take the edge off: Undo reverses your last pair, Hint surfaces an available match, and Spotlight highlights which tiles are currently free.
How to play Mahjong Classic
- Look over the stack and identify which tiles are free: nothing on top of them, and either their left or right side unblocked.
- Click two free tiles bearing the same symbol to remove the pair from the board.
- Flower tiles all count as matching one another, and season tiles likewise. They do not need an identical twin.
- Keep removing pairs to expose the tiles buried underneath.
- Use Undo to take back a move, Hint to be shown an available pair, or Spotlight to highlight every currently selectable tile.
- Clear every tile to win. If no legal pairs remain, the game ends.
Controls
- Desktop: Click a free tile to select it, then click its match to remove the pair.
- Mobile: Tap a free tile, then tap its matching tile.
Tips and strategy
- Always remove tiles from the highest layers first. Tiles on top block the most other tiles, so clearing them opens up the widest range of future moves.
- When you can see three or four identical tiles, think before matching. Pairing the wrong two can leave the remaining pair permanently blocking each other.
- Prioritise long horizontal rows. The tiles at the ends are free, but every tile in the middle stays locked until the row is eaten from both sides.
- Use Spotlight early rather than as a last resort. Seeing the full set of legal moves lets you plan a sequence instead of taking the first match you notice.
- If two identical tiles are stacked directly on top of one another, treat the top one as effectively spent. You will need a third and fourth copy to clear both.
Mahjong Classic FAQ
Can a Mahjong Classic board become unsolvable?
The board is always dealt with at least one solution available, so no layout is impossible from the start. You can still reach a dead end through the order in which you remove pairs, which is what the Undo booster is for.
How do flower and season tiles work?
Unlike ordinary tiles, which need an exact match, any flower tile pairs with any other flower tile, and any season tile pairs with any other season tile. This is standard mahjong solitaire convention.
Which layouts are available?
The game includes a range of traditional shapes such as Turtle, Fort, Crab, Spider, Cat and Dragon, among others. Because tile placement is randomised, each layout can be replayed indefinitely.
Is Mahjong Classic the same as the four-player Mahjong game?
No. This is mahjong solitaire, a single-player tile-matching puzzle played with mahjong tiles. The traditional four-player Chinese game of Mahjong is a different game with entirely different rules.
