Mahjong Connect Rules: Two Turns, Timers and Shuffles
Updated
In mahjong connect you clear a flat board of picture tiles in pairs. Pick two identical tiles, and they disappear if a line can join them through empty space with no more than two turns. Clear every tile, often before a timer runs out, and the level is done.
The game is also known as Shisen-Sho, its Japanese name, and as Onet or link games. It shares the pair-matching idea with mahjong solitaire, but the rule for which tiles you can take is completely different.
How to play mahjong connect
- Look at the whole board: the tiles sit side by side in one flat layer, not in stacks.
- Find two tiles with the same picture.
- Check the path between them. It must run only horizontally and vertically, pass through empty spaces, never cross another tile, and turn no more than twice.
- Click or tap both tiles. If the path works, the game draws the line and removes the pair.
- Each removed pair opens space, so new paths become possible.
- Clear the board to finish the level. If no pair can be connected, the game shuffles the tiles, offers you a shuffle, or ends the level, depending on the version.
The two-turn rule
The path is the whole game. A turn is a 90-degree change of direction, so a valid path has at most three straight segments.
| Path between the two tiles | Turns | Allowed? |
|---|---|---|
| Tiles side by side, or a straight line through empty space | 0 | Yes |
| An L shape | 1 | Yes |
| A U or Z shape | 2 | Yes |
| A path that needs four straight segments | 3 | No |
| Any path that crosses a tile | any | No |
Some games describe the same rule in lines instead of turns. Onet Puzzle says you connect tiles with up to three lines, which is the same thing as two turns.
The edge of the board matters too. If your version lets lines run through the empty margin around the tiles, two tiles on the same outer edge can be joined with a U-shaped path. Watch where the game draws its lines on the first few matches to see what it allows.
Mahjong connect vs mahjong solitaire
People often mix the two up, since both use mahjong-style tiles and both remove pairs.
| Mahjong connect | Mahjong solitaire | |
|---|---|---|
| Board | One flat layer | Tiles stacked in layers |
| Which tiles you can take | Any two identical tiles joined by a path of at most two turns | Only free tiles: uncovered, with the left or right side open |
| Pressure | A timer on many levels | Often no clock |
| When you are stuck | Shuffle, hint or a lost level | Undo, shuffle or a new deal |
The rules of the stacked version are in how to play mahjong solitaire.
Timers, hints and shuffles
Many versions put a clock on each level, and many give you some help when you are stuck. This is what the games' own descriptions say.
| Game | What its description says |
|---|---|
| Animals Connect | 18 levels; finish a level within the time limit for an extra bonus |
| Birds Connect Deluxe | 15 levels, with a time bonus for finishing early |
| Woodventure | Three bonuses: a hint shows a possible match, a bomb blasts a random pair, a reshuffle mixes all tiles |
| Autumn Cottage Connect | The timer is always running; Hint, Shuffle and Freeze Time boosters help |
| Link 2 Balls | Hint and Shuffle buttons, and you earn more of both by clearing a level |
| Happy Easter Links | 27 levels; in some, the tiles float toward the bottom, the top, a side or the center |
A shuffle moves the remaining tiles to new positions. It does not change which tiles are left, so it can rescue a blocked board but cannot undo a pair you took too early.
Tips for clearing the board
- Take the easy pairs first: identical tiles side by side, or on one line with nothing between them.
- Work from the outside in. Removing tiles at the edges opens corridors for the tiles inside.
- Pick one picture and find every copy of it before moving on. Scanning for one shape is faster than scanning the whole board.
- When three or four copies of a picture are left, think before you match. Make sure the two copies you leave behind can still reach each other.
- Watch for crossed pairs, such as two cats and two dogs set in an X, where each pair blocks the other. Open space around them early.
- Save shuffles and hints for when you are truly stuck. A shuffle also scatters any pairs you had already lined up.
- On levels where tiles float, as in some Happy Easter Links levels, look at the board again after every pair instead of planning far ahead.
Play mahjong connect online
Every game below uses the two-turn rule, as its own description or instructions state. Halloween Link has 21 levels, and Happy Food Link calls itself a mahjong connect game with paths of up to two turns. Easter Link adds a clock: clear the board before time runs out.
More tile games, stacked and flat, are in the mahjong collection and the puzzles category.
Mahjong connect FAQ
What is mahjong connect also called?
Shisen-Sho is the Japanese original, sometimes called Shisen, Four Rivers or Rivers. Browser versions often use the names Onet, connect or link.
How many turns can the line make in mahjong connect?
Two at most, which means up to three straight segments. A path that needs a third turn does not count, however short it is.
What happens when no moves are left?
That depends on the game. Many versions offer a shuffle or a hint, free or as a limited bonus, and in others the level is lost.
Can you match flowers and seasons in mahjong connect?
In versions that use real mahjong tiles with single flower and season tiles, flowers normally match each other and seasons match each other, as described in the Shisen-Sho rules. Picture versions with animals, fruit or food simply ask for two identical tiles.
Once the two-turn rule clicks, every board becomes a question of which pair to open first.
