Cross Mahjong
Medium, 120 tiles. Match pairs of open tiles to clear the board.
Setting out the tiles…
About the Cross layout
Four arms around a raised centre. Clear the arm tips to free the middle. It uses 120 tiles on 3 layers. Difficulty: Medium.
- The tips of the four arms are open from the first move. Clear them toward the centre.
- The raised centre covers the middle of all four arms. Taking it early opens many tiles at once.
- Keep the arms balanced: emptying one arm completely can leave pairs stranded in the others.
How to play mahjong solitaire
Match two identical tiles. Tap or click one tile, then its twin, and both leave the board.
Only open tiles can move. A tile is open when nothing sits on top of it and its left or right side is clear. In this row the middle tile is blocked on both sides. Blocked tiles give a little shake when you tap them.
Flowers match flowers, seasons match seasons. The four flower tiles all match each other, even with different pictures. The four season tiles work the same way.
Clear all 120 tiles to win. If no pairs are left, press Shuffle to rearrange the remaining tiles, or Undo your last moves. Every board is dealt so that it can be cleared. Read the full guide.
Tips for clearing the board
- Open the long rows first. Tiles at the ends of long rows block the tiles beside them. Clearing the ends gives you more choices later.
- Uncover stacked tiles early. A tile that sits on top of others is worth more than a tile that blocks nothing. Prefer pairs that reveal new tiles.
- Choose carefully when three of a kind are open. Take the pair that frees the most tiles, and keep the third for later. When all four are open, remove them all.
- Save flowers and seasons. They match each other freely, so keep them for the moment you need to open a stubborn stack.
- Use the hint to learn. The hint suggests the pair that uncovers the most tiles, not just any legal move.
More layouts
TurtleMedium, 144 tiles. The classic 144-tile layout from the original mahjong solitaire, five layers high.
PyramidMedium, 120 tiles. Four square terraces stacked to a peak. Work the corners of each step first.
ButterflyMedium, 144 tiles. Two wide wings joined at the body. Open the wing tips early to keep both sides moving.
BridgeMedium, 144 tiles. Two stone towers joined by a long deck. The towers hide most of the pairs you need.
FortressHard, 136 tiles. A walled square with a watchtower in each corner. The wall locks in the courtyard.
DiamondEasy, 92 tiles. A tall, gentle diamond with low layers. A relaxed game that fits phones in portrait.
TowersHard, 132 tiles. Two square towers four storeys high, joined by a low wall. Dig down both towers evenly.
StepsMedium, 144 tiles. Three broad steps rising to the right. The high side holds the hardest pairs.
Little TurtleEasy, 66 tiles. A smaller turtle, three layers high. A quick game for a coffee break.
SquareEasy, 72 tiles. A flat, open square with one small second layer. The easiest board: great for learning.
Christmas TreeMedium, 104 tiles. A festive tree of 104 tiles: a star on top, three tiers of branches and baubles stacked on them.