Mahjong Tile Games - Play Free Online

Below are links to Mahjong Tile Games on this site. Play them online anytime with no restrictions. For more types of games, see the Free Brain Games main page.

The Mahjong tile games above are fun, plus they train brain skills such as concentration and visual perception. Clear matching tiles from the board before time runs out.

Mahjong is known by many other names, including Mahjongg, Majong, Mah-jong, Mahjong Solitaire, Chinese tile games, and Shanghai Games. No matter what you call it, this ancient Chinese puzzle game is a great workout for your brain.

Mahjong Tile Games - The Rules

The cool Mahjong tile games above offer many variations in how the tiles are stacked, the images on the tiles themselves, and other features such as hints, shuffling, and so on.

But the rules for Mahjong are basically the same regardless of which online Mahjong game you play or even if you play with real tiles.

The game of Mahjong consists of a collection of same-size tiles stacked in any configuration you can imagine. The total number of tiles can vary.

Every tile has a twin that has exactly the same symbol on its face, although some versions of the game include a few special tiles that can be matched with more than one symbol.

The collection of tiles is stacked into a tower configuration that can be any shape (pyramid, butterfly, etc.). The individual tiles are placed randomly in the tower.

Due to the tower shape, some tiles lie on the edges or top of the tower, while most are covered either partially or completely by the other tiles.

The object of Mahjong is to remove paired tiles until all the tiles have been removed from the board and the tower is gone. However, a pair of tiles can only be removed if both tiles are "free", meaning uncovered and not boxed in by other tiles.

Mahjong is said to date back over 2,500 years to the time of the Chinese philospher Confucius. This tile game was supposedly created during the reign of the King of Wu.

According to legend, Mahjong was invented by a princess or other upper-class woman who was living in seclusion for unknown reasons. To relieve boredom, she conceived the Mahjong tile game and carved the first pieces herself from bamboo and ivory.

For hundreds of years afterward, only the ruling class were allowed to play Mahjong tile games. Common people caught playing were executed.

Today, of course, Mahjong is enjoyed and appreciated worldwide by millions. Known as the "game of a hundred intelligences," Mahjong is played not only for fun but also to train concentration and other brain skills.

Published: 04/29/2010
Last Updated: 10/09/2023