Mahjong Connect · How to Play
How to Play Mahjong Connect: The Rules in Plain English
The rules of Mahjong Connect fit in one sentence: tap two matching tiles, and if you can link them with a line that turns no more than twice, they disappear. Sounds easy. It takes a sharp eye, though. Let's walk through it together, and you'll be ready to play in a few minutes.
On this page
Meet the board
All the tiles lie face up, side by side, in a rectangle. The medium board is 12 × 7, so 84 tiles. Every tile comes in exactly 4 copies, which means everything can always be paired off.
New to mahjong tiles? No problem. You don't need to know how to play mahjong at all. You just need to spot two tiles that look the same. If you're curious where dots, bamboo and characters come from, take a look around Mahjong Academy.
Step 1: Tap a tile
Tap any tile. It lights up with a blue border, which means it's selected. Tapped the wrong one? Tap it again to cancel. Tap a different tile instead and the selection simply moves over.
Step 2: Connect a matching pair
Find another tile just like it and tap it. The game checks whether a line can be drawn between the two:
- The line only goes straight: across or up and down, never diagonal;
- The line only passes through empty spaces, never through other tiles;
- The line has at most three segments, so no more than two turns.
The easiest case: nothing sits between the two tiles, so a straight line does it.
One turn looks like an L:
Two turns is the most common case, and the easiest to miss. The line steps around the tiles in the way, then comes back.
The line can go outside the board
You can't see it, but there's an empty ring around the whole board, and the line is allowed to use it. So two tiles in the top row can still connect over the top, even if the row between them is packed:
This rule is super handy. Tiles on the edge are usually easier to clear than tiles in the middle.
When tiles won't connect
If the line would need a third turn, or a tile is boxed in on all four sides, the pair can't connect. When that happens, the second tile gives a little shake to tell you to try another pair.
Boxed in doesn't mean stuck forever. Clear the tiles next to it and the path opens up.
Matching seasons and flowers
Regular tiles have to be identical, like 3 Dots with 3 Dots or East Wind with East Wind. Seasons and flowers are more relaxed:
- The four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter): any two match;
- The four flowers (Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum): any two match too;
- But a season can't match a flower.
Want to see the four steps as pictures again? Head back to the play Mahjong Connect online homepage.
Clear the board to win
Every pair you clear takes one off the "left" counter at the top. Empty the board and you win. You'll see how long the game took, and your best time for that board size gets saved.
Stuck? Here's what to do
- Hint: lights up a pair, and it's always a pair that still leaves the board solvable;
- Undo: puts the last pair back, perfect for a slip of the finger;
- Auto-shuffle: if there are no moves left, the remaining tiles get reshuffled in place, and the new layout always has a solution.
The computer solves every board once before you ever see it. So as long as you keep going, you can always clear it. Want to use fewer hints and play faster? Check out the Mahjong Connect tips.
Daily Puzzle and Free Play
The Daily Puzzle is the same board for everyone in the world, and it changes every day at midnight UTC. It's great for racing friends, and when you're done you can copy your result and paste it in a group chat. The details are on the Daily Puzzle page. Free Play lets you pick a small, medium or large board and play as many games as you like.
If you've played Shisen-Sho from Japan or a "connect" game on your phone, the rules are pretty much the same. We lined up the differences in Shisen-Sho vs Mahjong Connect vs Mahjong Solitaire. Ready? Go back to the free online Mahjong Connect homepage, or just start a game.
FAQ
Do I have to make a turn?
Nope. Zero, one or two turns all work. Just don't go over two.
Two matching tiles are right next to each other. Can I clear them?
Yes. There's nothing between them, so that's zero turns, and they clear right away.
Can the line pass through spots I've already cleared?
Yes. A cleared spot becomes empty space, and the line can go right through it. That's why the board gets easier as you go.
Can Spring match Plum?
No. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter are one group. Plum, Orchid, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum are another. Tiles only match inside their own group.
Do hints affect my result?
The clock keeps running as usual, and the results screen shows how many hints, undos and shuffles you used. When you share a Daily Puzzle result, those numbers come along too, so your friends know how you did it.
Keep reading
Tips
Clear the edges first, think in fours, and watch out for crossed pairs: seven habits for fewer hints and faster times.
Shisen-Sho vs Solitaire
All three match mahjong tiles. The difference is whether tiles are stacked, how a connection works, and how flowers pair up.
Daily Puzzle
One board a day for the whole world: when it changes, how the timer works, and how streaks and shared results work.
Ready for a round?
Mahjong Connect — Play Mahjong Connect free in your browser: match two identical tiles joined by a line with at most two turns. A new daily board every day, every board solvable, hints and shuffles. No sign-up, phone and desktop.