Mahjong: Scales of Justice
How to play Mahjong Scales of Justice
A beam on a post with a pan hanging from either end.
68 tiles, 3 layers
About Mahjong Scales of Justice
Scales of Justice is the smallest layout, 68 tiles in three layers, so it deals only 34 of the 72 pairs and some faces may be missing. A beam of 9 with 7 on top crowns a post two tiles wide and five tall, standing on a foot of 5 by 2 with two tiles on it. One tile hangs under each end of the beam, and each pan is 3 by 3, then 2 by 2, then one tile.
24 of its 68 tiles are free at the start, a far larger share than the Turtle's 35 of 144. The post's ten tiles are all free and, like the two hanging tiles, block nothing, so pairing them with each other frees nothing; spend them as partners for the pans and the beam. Each pan opens only through its single top tile, so start on the pans early.
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