Mahjong Match

How to play Mahjong Match

Mahjong Match is a fast one-on-one mahjong duel. Draw and discard tiles, claim the computer's discards to pung or chow, and be the first to complete three sets and a pair.

• You and the computer each start with ten tiles. On your turn you draw one tile, then discard one.
• Complete three sets — three of a kind or three in a row — plus one pair to win. That is eleven tiles in all.
• When the computer discards a tile you already hold twice, press Pung to claim it. Two tiles that run in sequence can be claimed with Chow.
• A claim replaces your draw, so after claiming you must discard straight away.
• If the wall runs out before either side completes a hand, the round is a draw.

Tips that actually help

• Keep your pairs — two matching tiles are already halfway to a set.
• Tiles that sit next to each other in the same suit are worth holding; a lone tile is the first one to throw.
• Pung early if the computer is racing ahead. A set banked is a set you no longer have to draw.
• Read the computer's discards. What it throws away is what it does not need.

What is Mahjong Match?

Mahjong Match is a two-player mahjong game you can play in a browser against the computer. It keeps the heart of real mahjong — drawing, discarding, and building sets — and strips away the parts that need a table of four.

The goal

A winning hand is three sets plus one pair. A set is either three identical tiles (a pung) or three tiles of the same suit in a row (a chow). The pair is any two identical tiles. Eleven tiles, arranged that way, is mahjong.

How a turn works

You draw a tile from the wall, then discard one. If the tile you discard is one the computer already holds twice, it may claim it — and the same goes for you. Claiming a tile skips your draw, so you discard immediately afterwards. The round ends the moment either hand is complete, or when the wall runs out.

Why two players instead of four

Classic mahjong seats four. That works around a table but not on a phone, and it makes a casual game long. Two players keeps every decision that matters — what to keep, what to throw, when to claim — and finishes in a couple of minutes.

Frequently asked questions