The layout
Tiles are laid out in a flat grid, face-up. Unlike Mahjong Solitaire there is no stacking, so every tile is visible from the start — the challenge is entirely about which ones you can legally connect.
The path rule
To remove a pair, the two matching tiles must be linked by a continuous path that runs only through empty space or outside the edge of the board, and that path may turn at most twice.
- No turns: the tiles are on the same row or column with clear space between them.
- One turn: they are on different rows and columns, and the corner point is empty.
- Two turns: the path leaves one tile, bends, travels, bends again, and reaches the other.
- The path may travel around the outside of the grid, which is what makes diagonal-looking connections possible.
That last point is the key to the game. Two tiles that look hopelessly separated can often be joined by a path that slips off the top or side of the board and comes back in. Do not dismiss a pair until you have checked the outside route.
How a round plays out
- Scan for matching tiles that are also adjacent — those are always safe.
- Clear edge pairs early, because they open up outside-path routes for everything else.
- Work from the outside in. Central tiles are the hardest to connect and the ones that strand you.
- Keep a mental note of the last few pairs you saw. A pair that was blocked a moment ago may be reachable now.
Strategy
- Every removal changes the paths, so a blocked pair is never permanently blocked. Recheck before you decide the board is dead.
- Do not tunnel through the middle to reach a convenient pair if it will wall off several others. Clearing the grid evenly keeps your options alive.
- When you have two possible moves, take the one that removes tiles from the centre. Edge tiles are easy to reach at any time; central ones are not.
- Watch for the board’s natural lanes. Rows and columns that stay mostly empty act as highways for two-turn paths.
How it differs from Mahjong Solitaire
| Mahjong Solitaire | Mahjong Connect | |
|---|---|---|
| Stacking | Layered, many tiles covered | Flat, all tiles visible |
| Rule for selecting | Tile must be free | Pair must join by a 2-turn path |
| Feel | Slow, careful, spatial | Fast, pattern-scanning |
Play Mahjong Connect for the faster version, or Mahjong Solitaire for the classic stacked board. The rules of the stacked game are in Mahjong Solitaire rules.
