Mahjong: Small Portal
How to play Mahjong Small Portal
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.
Rectangles nested one inside the next, each a step higher, around an opening in the middle.
128 tiles, 3 layers
About Mahjong Small Portal
Small Portal uses 128 tiles in three layers. An 8 by 9 floor carries a 6 by 7 block, and on that stands a frame of 4 by 5 with its middle left open, so six second-layer tiles show through the portal. Every tile sits squarely on the one beneath, and 42 tiles are free at the start, seven more than on the Turtle.
The six tiles in the opening are uncovered but not free, since each sits in the middle of a second-layer row. To reach one, take the frame's side tile over that row, then clear the row from its end inward. The frame's side tiles are all free from the start, so they are the quickest way into the portal.
Its layers hold 72, 42 and 14 tiles, and 56 begin buried. With all its free tiles taken together on each pass, Small Portal would be clear in four passes, fewer than any other layout but Seven: 42 tiles, then 36, then 32, and last the 18 down the floor's two middle columns. Every row is eaten from both ends at once, and none is longer than 8 tiles.
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