Mahjong Connect – how to play

Mahjong Connect is a tile game played alone. 144 tiles lie face up in one flat grid, and you remove them in pairs: two matching tiles leave when a line can join them. Clear the grid and you win.

How to play, step by step

Step 1

The tiles on the table

You play with 144 tiles in one flat grid, 18 across and 8 down. On a phone held upright the grid is 8 across and 18 down. Nothing lies on anything: every tile is in view and every tile may be picked. The tiles you have removed pile up in the top right corner.

Step 2

The tiles

There are three suits with tiles from 1 to 9: circles, bamboos (the 1 is a bird) and characters (the number in the corner says which). Then the winds (four Chinese signs), the dragons (red, green, and white in a blue frame), 4 flowers and 4 seasons. Every ordinary tile comes 4 times, every flower and every season once.

Step 3

Join two matching tiles with a line

Click a tile: it gets a yellow frame. Then click a second tile that matches it, and both leave the table. You can also drag one tile onto the other. The game allows the pair only when a line can join the two tiles through empty places. The line runs straight along rows and columns, and it may turn at most twice. After every pair the game shows the line for a moment.

Step 4

At most two turns

A line of one, two or three straight pieces is fine: that is two turns at most. When the two tiles could only be joined with three turns or more, or other tiles are in the way, the pair has to wait until you clear a way. Every pair you remove opens new ways, so a pair that is blocked now may be free a moment later.

Step 5

Round the outside

The line may leave the grid: it can run along the free space round the outside and come back in. So two tiles on the same edge of the grid can often be joined round the outside, even when the tiles between them are still there.

Step 6

Flowers and seasons

There are two exceptions. Any flower (a red sign with a blossom in the corner) matches any flower, and any season (a blue sign with a sun) matches any season. A flower and a season do not make a pair.

Step 7

Hint and no moves

Can't see a pair? Click “Hint” (the bulb in the bottom bar): two tiles a line can join get a blue frame for a moment, and each hint costs 10 points. When no pair can be joined any more, the game shows the “No moves” window by itself. There you can shuffle the tiles that are left at no cost: they move to new places and there are pairs again. You can also undo a move or start a new game.

Step 8

Winning

You win when you have removed all 144 tiles. Every deal can be solved, but pairs taken in a bad order can block the game. Then undo a few moves and pick another pair.

The rules in this game

Here the rules above apply.
Every deal can be solved to the end.
The line may run round the outside of the grid.
Every flower matches every flower, and every season every season.
A hint costs 10 points; a shuffle in the “No moves” window costs nothing.
The tiles stay in place: nothing slides after a pair leaves, and there are no levels and no time limit.

Scoring

Move	Points
A pair of tiles	+10
Hint (a pair shown)	−10
Shuffle when no move is left	0

With timed scoring (the default) you lose 2 points for every 10 seconds of play, and a quick win earns a time bonus. You can switch to standard scoring in the Options.

Tips

Start in the middle of the grid: a tile at the edge can nearly always be joined round the outside later.
Take pairs that open a whole row or column: a cleared line becomes a road for many other pairs.
Don't take a pair only because it is there: first look at which tiles it frees.
When you are stuck, undo a few moves, or play the same deal again (“Retry game”).