Rules & Guides

Short, practical guides to the games on this site - how they actually work, and what usually trips people up.

• American Mah Jongg Rules — How It Differs from Chinese and Japanese MahjongThe four rules that make American mah jongg a different game: 152 tiles with jokers, no sequences, a card that defines legal hands, and the Charleston pass before play begins.
• How to Play Mahjong Solitaire — Rules, Free Tiles and LayoutsA plain-English walkthrough of mahjong solitaire: which tiles match, what "free" actually means, how the Turtle, Tower and Pyramid layouts differ, and the four buttons you get.
• Klondike Solitaire Rules — Draw One, Draw Three, and the Win Rate Nobody Agrees OnHow Klondike Solitaire actually works: the seven columns, the two draw modes, why an empty column only takes a king, and what "winnable" really means for a deal.
• Mahjong Rules Quick Reference — Chinese, Japanese, American and Solitaire Side by SideThe four games people mean by "mahjong", compared in one table: tiles in the set, jokers, hand size, whether sequences are allowed, how you win and how you score. Free to cite.
• Mahjong Solitaire Cheat Sheet — Free Tiles, Matching Rules and the Four ButtonsA one-page reference for mahjong solitaire: which tiles pair, exactly when a tile is free, what New Game, Hint, Shuffle and Undo each do, and the five mistakes that lose most games. Printable.
• Mahjong Solitaire Layouts Compared — Turtle, Pyramid and TowerExact tile counts and layer structure for all three layouts: turtle 144 tiles in 5 layers, pyramid 120 in 4, tower 76 in 5 — and why the smallest board is the hardest.
• Mahjong Solitaire Strategy — Why You Lose Boards You Could Have WonThe five habits that decide most mahjong solitaire games: clearing long rows first, holding bonus tiles in reserve, reading four-of-a-kind, and using undo instead of shuffle.
• Mahjong Tiles Explained — All 144 Tiles, Their Suits and Their MeaningsWhat every tile in a mahjong set actually is: 108 suited tiles, 16 winds, 12 dragons, 8 flowers and seasons, plus the 8 jokers that turn it into the 152-tile American set.
• Mahjong Tile Reference Chart — All 144 Tiles in One TableEvery tile in a mahjong set in one place: the 42 faces, how many copies of each exist, which tiles can pair with which, and how the American 152-tile set differs. Free to cite.
• Solitaire vs Mahjong Solitaire — Why the Same Word Means Two Different GamesThey share a name but nothing else. Here is exactly how Klondike Solitaire (cards) and Mahjong Solitaire (tiles) differ in equipment, rules, win condition, and the skill each demands.
• Sudoku Techniques for Beginners — Naked Singles, Hidden Singles, Pointing PairsThree logic techniques that solve most easy and medium Sudoku without guessing: the naked single, the hidden single, and the pointing pair, each with a worked example.