Classic Mahjong

Classic Mahjong is the tile solitaire in its plainest form: 144 pieces stacked into a different formation each time, traditional suits, and no theme art to read past. Restaurant Games describes its remake as a version of one of the most popular games in computer history, and adds a blunter observation — the board looks easy and punishes inattention. The Tap 3 pile asks the same question of a taller pile.

The only rule you need is what counts as free. A piece can be lifted when nothing rests on top of it and at least one side, left or right, has no neighbour. Everything after that is arithmetic you do in your head: which pair opens the most tiles, which pair strands its twin under a bridge, and whether the two remaining dragons are both buried in the same column. The Number board lays the same tiles out in another silhouette.

Hints and shuffles are unlimited here, which changes the character of the game. There is no scoring penalty to weigh, so the challenge is self-imposed — how far you get without reshuffling a formation you argued yourself into a corner on. The board sits at 1280 by 768, expands to full screen for the fine strokes of the character suit, and takes mouse clicks or taps equally. The same free-tile rule governs the Solitaire Juicy pile.

1. Look for two identical pieces that are both free: nothing stacked on top, and at least one of the left or right sides clear.
2. Click one, then the other, to lift the pair off the formation.
3. Work down through the stacked layers rather than across the flat edges, so the buried pieces come into play.
4. Call a shuffle when the formation deadlocks, since there is no limit on how often you may use it.
5. The board is done when all 144 pieces are gone.

• Count the fours — each design appears four times, so when three are visible, decide which two you pair before the fourth gets locked.
• Free the bridges early — the long single row spanning the formation blocks a whole layer beneath it.
• Unlimited hints are a crutch — nothing docks you for using them, but the pattern reading that solves later formations only develops when you look for yourself.
• Expand to full screen — the bamboo suits differ by a single stroke, and window size is where misclicks come from.
• Shuffle before you are stuck — a reshuffle with twenty pieces left rarely helps, one with sixty still on the table usually does.