Mahjong: Pyramid
How to play Mahjong Pyramid
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.
Three square tiers, each stepped in from the one below.
144 tiles, 3 layers
About Mahjong Pyramid
The Pyramid packs 144 tiles into only three layers: a floor of 10 by 8, a second tier of 8 by 6 and a top of 4 by 4. Each tier stands at least a full tile back from the edge of the one below, so every row on every tier has a free tile at each end, and 36 tiles are free at the start, one more than on the Turtle.
No tile sits half across two others and no stack is more than three deep, so taking a tile uncovers only the one straight beneath it. The work is in the rows: the floor's rows of 10 are the longest, and all but the first and last run under the tiers above. Clear the 4 by 4 top early, since its 16 tiles cover the middle of the second tier.
Its floor holds 80 tiles, the second tier 48 and the top 16, and 64 start under another tile. If you could take every free tile at once, round after round, the Pyramid would clear in five rounds where the Turtle needs eight, each round eating every row in from both ends until only the floor's two middle columns are left. It is broad rather than deep, so with many pairs free at once, the care goes into which copies of a face you use.
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