Mahjong: Deep Well
How to play Mahjong Deep Well
Mahjong solitaire is a tile-matching puzzle for one player in which you clear a stacked layout of mahjong tiles by removing free tiles in matching pairs.
Walls three tiles high stepping down to a hollow in the middle.
136 tiles, 3 layers
About Mahjong Deep Well
Deep Well has 136 tiles in three nested walls. The outer wall, 8 tiles by 9 with its corners cut off, stands three high; inside it a second wall stands two high, and inside that a third lies flat on the floor around a hollow of 2 by 3. Every tile sits squarely on the one beneath, so taking one uncovers only the tile directly under it.
34 tiles are free at the start, one fewer than on the Turtle: the outer side walls, the ends of the outer top and bottom rows, and the sides of the inner walls. The rows across the top and bottom of the two inner walls are pinned at both ends. They open from the outside in: dig an outer side column down to the floor, then the middle wall beside it.
The layers hold 62, 48 and 26 tiles, and 74 lie under others when the deal begins. In waves that each take all the free tiles, Deep Well would empty in six, two fewer than the Turtle. The last to come free are eight floor tiles, the middle two of each row across the top and bottom of the two inner walls.
The goal of Mahjong
Mahjong solitaire is a tile-matching puzzle for one player, not the four-player game. Clear the board by removing its tiles in matching pairs; you win when no tile is left.
How to set up Mahjong
A full set has 144 tiles: bamboo, characters and dots from 1 to 9, four winds and three dragons, four of each, plus four flowers and four seasons. Some layouts use fewer tiles. A new board is dealt at random and may be impossible to clear, unless you turn on Winnable under New game. Even a winnable board can be lost by matching the wrong pairs.
Mahjong rules
Select two free tiles that match and both leave the board. Tiles match when they show the same face, but any flower matches any flower and any season matches any season.
A tile is free when nothing lies on top of it, even partly, and its left or right side is not touching another tile on the same layer. Only the left and right sides count. You can have free tiles highlighted in the settings.
Hint shows a pair to take, chosen to keep the board winnable when a winning line can be found. Undo takes back a match, and Restart deals the same board again. There is no reshuffle: if tiles remain but no free pair matches, you are stuck and can undo, restart or start a new game.
The full Mahjong guide, with strategy tips and common questions