Advent Mahjong

A calendar in puzzle form: each cleared board moves a day closer to Christmas, and the boards tighten as the date approaches.

Each cleared level in Advent Mahjong moves the calendar a day closer to Christmas, and bestphysics ties the difficulty to that count: the nearer the date, the tighter the boards become. The structure gives a run a destination instead of an open-ended sequence of layouts.

It is a connect game rather than a stack. Two matching festive tiles clear when a line can be drawn between them with no more than two bends and no other tile on the path, so the board is solved by keeping routes open rather than by digging downwards. Mahjong Connect puts the same rule on a board of a different size.

Nothing counts down, which suits a calendar game — the pressure is the arrangement, not a clock. A shuffle handles the layouts that lock up, and the standard opening is to strip the outer tiles first, because the pieces on the rim are the ones whose routes need the fewest corners. The connect-tips guide answers the questions this board raises.

The 2021 stage is a wide 1280 by 720 and the festive art is dense, so full screen keeps a long two-bend route visible from one end to the other. Touch input works, which means a day of the calendar can be cleared on a tablet. Another board from the same undemanding group is the Woodventure grid.

Controls

Mouse on desktop, or tap one festive tile and then its match on a touchscreen.

How to Play

Pick out two identical festive tiles on the board.
Trace the line between them: two bends at most, and no other tile in the way.
Connect the pair, then work outward from the space it leaves.
Clear every tile to complete the day and move one step nearer Christmas.
Shuffle when the remaining tiles have no route between them.

Tips & Tricks

Take the rim first — outer tiles need the fewest corners, and removing them opens routes into the middle.
Expect the squeeze — the levels get harder the closer the calendar gets to Christmas, so early habits matter.
Two bends, no more — a route with a third corner is refused however clearly the two tiles match.
No clock, so read the board — with nothing counting down, a full scan before the first connection is free.
Use full screen on the wide stage — at 1280 by 720 a route across the whole board is hard to follow in a window.