What is the Difference Between Mahjong and Mahjong Solitaire?

Though they share a similar name and game pieces, the difference between Mahjong and Mahjong Solitaire is that they are two completely different game styles. It’s like comparing Poker to Solitaire from a card game standpoint; completely different games while using the same deck of cards.

Mahjong is a multiplayer turn-based game that works with dealt hands of tiles. Mahjong Solitaire is a single-player game that consists of the player removing matching tiles from a pattern constructed from every tile in a set.

Origins and History

The following is a quick breakdown to explore the beginnings of each game. As you’ll see, the differences between Mahjong and Mahjong Solitaire are not just from gameplay.

Mahjong

Mahjong is a game that originated in China during the mid-1800s, though it is thought to be based on an ancient game called Madiao (also originating in China). The game was closely related to gambling, which is why the Dots tiles are also referred to as coins, as they reflect the stakes involved with this form of play.

But it wasn’t the only reason the game was played. It became a favorite amongst friends and family, was a staple at gatherings, and played for fun socially. Before long, the game’s popularity spread across the Orient, eventually reaching worldwide attention.

Mahjong Solitaire

Mahjong Solitaire was first introduced to the world in 1981 as a computer game. Brodie Lockard, associated with the PLATO System, is credited as the creator of the game. In an interview, he mentioned that many of his ideas were influenced by an ancient Chinese game called Turtle. This could explain the “turtle” shape in which the Mahjong tiles are stacked in most online versions of the game.

The game eventually became popular enough to become included with versions of Windows (Windows Vista, Windows 7, and so on), among other popular minigames. Now, there are free browser-based versions available online, keeping Mahjong Solitaire just as popular as ever.

Game Equipment and Setup

Between the two games, Mahjong is more fluid in its sets than Mahjong Solitaire due to different tile variations depending on the country’s style being played.

Mahjong

The traditional Mahjong set includes 144 tiles in total (not including Jokers)

  • Three suits, numbering from 1 to 9, and has four sets of each suit.
  • Two types of Honor tiles that have 4 different patterns each. There are four sets of these as well.
  • There are 8 Joker tiles included in a set (though some iterations use more, 8 is considered the norm).
  • There are 4 Season tiles and 4 flower tiles.
  • Dice are included in a Mahjong set as it is a part of the game.
  • Push and tile racks also come with the game to assist in setting up and containing hands.

Mahjong Solitaire

Since this is a computer game, there is no need to have anything like push and tile racks, and since it is a single-player game, there’s no turn-taking (meaning no dice). You need a device with the game already installed, or a laptop, PC, smartphone, or tablet with internet access to play online.

The board is pre-arranged in a turtle pattern, stacked no taller than four tiles high, with the layers dropping down to a single layer by the time you reach the outer edges of the pattern.

Rules and Gameplay

Since the nature of the two games is different, each has its own set of rules.

Mahjong

Mahjong is most often a four-player game, and the object is to be the first player to collect four sets of tiles (called melds) and one pair in your hand. The player to accomplish this wins the game.

  • Players begin the game by rolling two dice to determine who the East Wind (the dealer) will be, making the player to their right the South Wind, who will be the one going first.
  • 13 Tiles are dealt to each player.
  • South Wind picks up a tile to begin turn-taking. If they can use the tile picked up, they’ll keep it; if not, it can be returned to the center. If they keep it, one has to be removed from their hand and returned to the stack.
  • Turns continue until players begin scoring tile combinations such as Pong, Kong, or Mahjong.

Mahjong Solitaire

Having nothing to set up since the game begins pre-arranged, players can jump directly into gameplay. The object of the game is to match and remove open tiles from the board until there are none left. When it’s cleared, the player wins.

  • Select an open tile with the left mouse button, and select its matching tile with the same mouse button to remove it from the pattern.
  • Only open tiles can be selected. Open tiles are those that have no adjacent tile touching one long edge. When the long edge of the tile is open, it can be selected for a match and removed from the board.

Conclusion

As stated above and proven after comparing the two, these are two very different games with different objectives and rules. The only similarities that bind these two are the tiles at play and the name. Otherwise, it’s like comparing apples to oranges.