Mahjong Connect: how to play

Mahjong Connect is a free online tile matching game. Tap two tiles with the same picture: if a line with no more than two turns can join them without crossing another tile, they vanish. It plays like mahjong connect classic, through five calm places with Bao, a sleepy panda, and the boards are new every day and the same for everyone.

How to play

• Tap or click a tile, then another tile with the same picture. If a line of at most three straight parts (two turns) joins them through empty spaces, the line flashes and both tiles go. The line may run round the outside of the board.
• Clear every tile before the clock runs out. Running out costs one of your three hearts and gives you half the time back.
• Stuck? Hint (or H) shows a pair for 50 points, and Shuffle (or S) mixes the tiles for 10 seconds. If there are no moves left at all, Bao shuffles for free. Every board can be cleared.
• With a keyboard, the arrow keys move a cursor and Enter or Space picks the tile under it.
• Points: 20 a pair, times your combo when you match again within 5 seconds (up to ×5), plus a board bonus of 100 × the level and 2 for every second left. Three stars a level: clear it, keep all your hearts, and beat the target time.

The five levels

1. Bamboo Grove: a small board with six pictures, to learn the two-turn line
2. Lotus Pond: a bigger board with twelve pictures, where lines often go round the outside
3. Tea Garden: shaped boards with gaps that lines can pass through
4. Lantern Bridge: the tiles slide down after every match (to the right on an upright phone), so the board keeps changing
5. Cloud Peak: the biggest board, with look-alike coin and stick tiles to count, and the tiles still slide

Clear Cloud Peak and the five places come round again with new boards and a shorter clock: 80% of the time on lap 2, 64% on lap 3, and never under 60%. You have three hearts for the whole run, and the game is the same for everyone each day, so you can compare scores. Press M to turn the sound off or on.

Tips

• Start with pairs near the edges: their lines can go round the outside of the board.
• Clear the tiles that block long rows and columns first to open the board up.
• On the sliding boards, a match pulls the tiles above it down, so look again after every match.
• Coins and sticks have a small number in the corner: check it before you tap.

Questions

Is Mahjong Connect free?

Yes. Mahjong Connect is free to play online in your browser: no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy.

Can I play Mahjong Connect on my phone?

Yes. Tap the tiles with your finger. On an upright phone the board turns on its side so the tiles stay big, and it works on tablets and computers too.

Is this mahjong connect classic?

It follows the classic mahjong connect rules: matching pairs joined by a line with no more than two turns, lines may go round the outside, and later boards slide. The tile pictures are our own.

Can every board be cleared?

Yes. Each board is checked by a solver before you play it, and if you ever have no moves left, Bao shuffles the tiles for free into an order that can still be cleared.