If one guide tells you to remove matching pairs and another tells you to draw and discard tiles, you have not missed a step. You are reading about different games.
Choose the version before learning the rules. Mahjong Solitaire is a solo matching puzzle. Multiplayer mahjong involves building hands against other players, and the rules differ between traditions and individual rulesets.
Find your starting point
| What you recognize | Where to start |
|---|---|
| A stacked layout that you clear by removing matching pairs | Mahjong Solitaire |
| A group referring to an annual card of approved hands and using jokers | Ask whether they play American mahjong under National Mah Jongg League rules |
| A group calling its game Chinese mahjong | Ask for the specific variant and scoring rules |
| Riichi, yaku and dora in the instructions | Japanese riichi mahjong; confirm the particular ruleset |
Mahjong Solitaire: matching free pairs
In Tabletop Wire’s free Mahjong Solitaire game, a tile is available when no tile covers it and either its left or right edge is open. Select two available tiles with identical faces to remove them. An open upper or lower edge does not make a tile available.
You win by clearing every tile. Our Garden layout uses 72 tiles; the Terrace and Daily Table use 144. Every starting arrangement is generated with a complete legal solution. That does not mean every possible sequence of moves will work.
If you reach a position without a matching free pair, use Undo or Shuffle. Shuffling preserves the remaining tile inventory and gives it a solvable arrangement. Hints identify an available pair, not a guaranteed complete path to victory. In our version, all flower tiles have the same design, as do all sun tiles; match each design with itself.
Those are the rules of our puzzle. They are not a shortcut to learning a multiplayer mahjong game.
American mahjong: establish which card your group uses
For National Mah Jongg League play, the annual card is central to identifying the permitted hands. The League currently offers its 2026 card. Bring the edition your group uses and consult the League’s own rules material for questions about calls, jokers and scoring. National Mah Jongg League
A decorative tile set’s quick-start sheet may include house rules. Before applying one at a new table, ask the host whether it is part of that group’s game. Owning the right tiles and knowing the group’s rules are separate requirements.
Chinese mahjong: ask one more question
“Chinese mahjong” is not enough information to settle how a hand scores or which special tiles are used. Ask your host for the variant’s name and the rule reference they follow. A general introduction can help you recognize the suits and tiles, but it should not replace that agreement. Shanghai’s introduction to mahjong
Before your first session, write down the answer to three questions: What counts as a winning hand here? When can I take a discarded tile? How does this table score a win? Keeping those answers together prevents you from accidentally mixing instructions from different variants.
Riichi: learn the winning requirements as well as the patterns
The World Riichi Championship’s 2022 rulebook specifies a 136-tile set and explains sequences, triplets, pairs, winning declarations and yaku. It is a named competitive ruleset, not a promise that every casual group uses identical options. Its published rules exclude red fives, for example. World Riichi Championship rulebook, 2022
For your first session, use your group’s recommended teaching material alongside its rules reference. Avoid switching between unrelated scoring charts while learning.
Before you buy tiles
Get the ruleset name first, then check the box contents. Tile counts, jokers and accessories differ, and extra pieces do not necessarily go into play. Our mahjong set guide walks through that check, including an itemized example of a 166-tile set.
If you simply want a quiet puzzle right now, take a seat at our Solitaire table. You can play without an account, pause whenever you like and return to your saved board on the same device.