Mahjong guide

Mahjong best practices

Tips for playing well, the most useful first.

Every board can be cleared. If you get stuck, an earlier choice closed a door, so undo back to it and try a different pair.
Before you tap a pair, ask what it opens. The best match frees the most blocked tiles; a pair that opens nothing can wait until you need it.
Look over the whole board before you match. The first pair you notice is often not the best one.
Work down the tall stacks early. The tiles underneath are the ones that strand you if they’re uncovered too late.
Open long rows from their ends. A tile in the middle of a row waits until one of its sides is clear.
In the Turtle, the lone tile on the left and the two on the right block the middle rows, and the top tile covers the four in the center. Free them early.
When all four copies of a tile are free, take both pairs. Nothing else can match them, so it’s always safe.
When three copies are free, match the two that uncover the most, and keep the third for the fourth copy still buried.
Watch for a tile sitting on top of its own match. They can’t pair with each other, so both need the other two copies; don’t use those up elsewhere.
Flowers and seasons are the most flexible tiles. Keep a free pair for a tight spot, unless it’s blocking tiles you need.
Shuffle always leaves a board you can clear, but it ends your streak. Try undo first.