Sports Mahjong Connection

Footballs, basketballs, rackets and whistles make up the tile set in Sports Mahjong Connection, laid out flat across a 900-by-600 board.

The rule WillingGames.com states is precise: two tiles carrying the same item join only if the path between them turns no more than twice, and each turn is a right angle. That is the whole game, and it is also why a board that looks nearly solved can still be locked. The Easter board keeps the path rule and changes the pictures.

Levels run on rather than stopping at a fixed number. The studio frames it as a question of how far you can get, with each stage tighter than the one before, and clearing every tile is what opens the next. The reasoning behind the move order is in the onet explainer.

Hints and a shuffle are available when the legal pairs run out. The board answers to mouse and touch, and full screen is the practical setting here, since several of the ball icons are round and similar and separating a volleyball from a basketball is easier when the tiles are not thumbnail-sized. Reading the edges first works in the Connect 2 board too.

1. Spot two tiles showing the same piece of sports equipment.
2. Check the path, which may bend twice at most and only at right angles.
3. Click both tiles to clear them.
4. Reach for the shuffle when no legal pair is left on the board.
5. Clear the whole board to unlock the next level.

• Trace before you click — a third bend makes the pair illegal even when both sports tiles are in plain sight.
• Edges are generous — routes along the outside of a 900-by-600 grid rarely need more than two turns.
• Clear crowded columns early — the deeper Sports Mahjong Connection gets into its levels, the fewer detours a line can take.
• Group the round icons — balls from different sports share a shape, so match by pattern rather than by outline.
• Use full screen — the equipment icons are drawn small, and the wider view makes near-identical balls distinguishable.