Mahjong: Seven Pyramids
How to play Mahjong Seven Pyramids
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.
Four large stepped pyramids on the corners and three small ones down the middle.
144 tiles, 4 layers
About Mahjong Seven Pyramids
Seven Pyramids stacks 144 tiles four layers high and has the tightest opening of any layout here: only the seven peaks are free at the start. Every tier sits half a tile in from the one beneath, so each tile above the floor rests across four below it, and every lower tile stays partly covered until the tiles over it are gone.
The four corner pyramids hold 30 tiles each, the middle one 14 and the small ones at the top and bottom 5 each. The pyramids never touch, and taking any peak frees the four tiles under it, so a match of two peaks opens eight. Look for peak pairs first, then spread your digging over several pyramids so enough faces stay free to find matches.
Of its 144 tiles, 137 begin beneath other tiles, more than on any other layout. Removing every open tile together, wave after wave, the board would give up 7, 28, 30, 47 and 32 tiles, so it would be clear in five: hard to start, quick once the peaks and the tiers under them are gone. That makes the first few matches the ones to think hardest about.
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