The first levels of Mahjong Elite play like classic mahjong solitaire with a tile tray: tap free tiles, match identical pairs, clear the board. As you progress, new tile types appear one at a time, each with a short tutorial the first time you meet it. This guide explains how each one works and how to deal with it.
If you are new to the tray, start with how the tile tray works.
Face-down tiles
What they are. Some tiles start face down, showing only the decorated back. They still have a normal face, and their partner is a regular face-up tile somewhere on the board. Two face-down tiles never pair with each other.
How they work. The first tap on a free face-down tile flips it over so you can see its face for about a second, then it turns back. Tap it again to send it to your tray, where it reveals itself.
How to beat them.
- Peek at a face-down tile as soon as it becomes free, even if you are not ready to collect it.
- Remember the face, then find its face-up partner before you commit.
- Do not collect a face-down tile into a crowded tray unless you know its partner is free.
Face-down tiles start appearing on every fifth level from early in the first world, and later levels hide more of them.
Frozen tiles
What they are. Tiles encased in ice.
How they work. When a frozen tile lands in your tray, it also freezes the empty slot next to it. Your 4-slot tray effectively becomes a 3-slot tray until the frozen tile is matched. Matching it breaks the ice and frees the slot again.
How to beat them.
- Collect a frozen tile only when its partner is free, ideally as the very next tap.
- Never send a frozen tile into a tray that already holds two unmatched tiles.
- When several frozen tiles are on the board, deal with them one at a time.
Chained tiles and the key
What they are. Tiles wrapped in chains, plus one glowing key tile.
How they work. Chained tiles are locked. You cannot pick them even if they are free. To unlock them, match the glowing key tile with its partner. Every level with chains is built so the key can always be reached first, so a chain can never trap you permanently.
How to beat them.
- Find the key at the start of the level and plan a route to it.
- Look for the key’s partner early. Matching the pair is what opens the locks.
- Until the key is matched, treat chained tiles as part of the scenery and work around them.
Countdown bombs
What they are. Tiles carrying a bomb with a number on it.
How they work. The number counts down by one with each move you make. Match the bomb tile with its partner before the counter reaches zero to defuse it. If it reaches zero, the level is lost.
How to beat them.
- Check every bomb’s counter at the start of the level. The lowest one is your first job.
- Count the moves you need to reach the bomb and its partner, and do not spend moves elsewhere until it is safe.
- Some levels have two bombs. Defuse the one with the lower counter first.
HARD levels (time attack)
What they are. Every tenth level is a boss level, shown with a HARD badge on the map.
How they work. HARD levels have a time limit. You must clear every tile before the clock reaches zero. The other rules stay the same, and special tiles can appear here too.
How to beat them.
- Spend the first few seconds scanning the board. A good plan saves more time than fast tapping.
- Send tiles in matching pairs, one after the other, to keep the tray clear.
- Keep a hint or shuffle in reserve for when you are stuck against the clock.
Where they appear
You will not meet everything at once. In the first world, face-down tiles arrive first, followed by frozen tiles, chains and keys, and finally bombs, with the mix growing denser towards the end of each world. HARD levels appear every ten levels from the start. Every level is built from a solvable order of moves, so there is always a way through.
Combining special tiles
Later levels mix several twists on one board. A good order of priorities:
- Bombs first, because they are the only thing that can end the level on its own.
- The key, because it unlocks more of the board.
- Frozen tiles, matched immediately once their partners are free.
- Face-down tiles, peeked at early and collected once you know their partners.
For more general advice, read our 12 mahjong solitaire strategy tips. Ready to test yourself? Download Mahjong Elite.
Frequently asked questions
- How do frozen tiles work in Mahjong Elite?
- A frozen tile in your tray also freezes the slot next to it, so the tray holds one tile fewer. Match the frozen tile to break the ice and free that slot.
- How do I unlock chained tiles?
- Chained tiles cannot be picked until you match the glowing key tile. Find the key's partner and clear that pair first.
- What happens when a bomb tile reaches zero?
- The bomb's counter drops by one with every move. If it reaches zero before you match it, the level is lost, so defuse bombs early.
- What are face-down tiles?
- Tiles shown from the back. Tap one to flip it and see its face for about a second, then plan where its partner is before you collect it.
- What are HARD levels?
- Every tenth level is a boss level marked HARD on the map. It has a time limit, so you must clear the whole board before the clock runs out.
