
Hint – highlight two tiles that can be removed in the next move, as long as such tiles exist. Options – select background, tile shape and color, glyph styles, as well as other options like for example playing sounds. Select layout – allows to select layout, difficulty level, and deal number as well as to check statistics.


#SHANGHAI MAHJONG FREE#
If you have a choice of removing a tile standing free or a tile blocking others, you should choose the latter. 3) Try to maximize the number of available tiles. 2) If you notice two tiles belonging to the same class on top of each other, prioritize removing the top tile of this pair – if you remove the remaining two tiles from this class first, you will get stuck and the game will be lost. Three pieces of advice for beginners: 1) pay attention to the board and try to unlock those tiles that you will need. Both those classes can contain four different tiles, however in some tile sets tiles even in those classes are identical. The only exceptions are the class of plants and the class of seasons. Most classes contain four identical tiles. There are 36 classes of tiles, containing four tiles each, which adds up to the total of 144 tiles. In other words, available tiles are those which can slide left or right without moving other tiles in the meantime. If a given tile is covered by another tile or blocked both from left and right, it is unavailable and cannot be removed. Moreover, only available tiles can be removed. Tiles can be removed only in pairs, as long as both tiles belong to the same class. Last year a 30-year-old man in Guizhou province slipped into a coma after playing for 32 hours non-stop, state media reported.The objective of a Mahjong Solitaire game is to remove all tiles from the board. Unger said the game itself was addictive, which helps to explain why it can tax the health of even youthful participants. " there was a complete turnaround and they were trying to promote 'healthy mahjong'." "Initially the game was played in opium dens," pointed out Ruth Unger, president of the New York-based National Mah Jongg League and one of those who advised Chinese officials. They even asked for advice from enthusiasts in the United States, where the game is popular with middle-class women. "Their children and society in general should show more care to these people to keep them away from drugs … they need more activities, such as sports, to fill their spare time."ĭrug abuse among mahjong players will be disappointing to sports officials, who have tried to clean up the game's image in recent years. "More and more middle-aged and older people take drugs because they feel lonely and empty after retiring or losing their jobs," said Li Luyan, secretary-general of Shanghai Sports Association for the Aged. While most users are teenagers or youthful professionals, the proportion of drug addicts who are under 35 has declined from 77% nationwide in 2001 to just under 60% last year, the paper reported. They are often not well-educated and have little awareness of the harm caused by taking drugs," Zheng added. "Most of the older victims are unemployed or retired and so have plenty of spare time. The games frequently involve gambling, which is illegal on the mainland. The newspaper said many took cocaine and other stimulants during card-playing and mahjong sessions that often lasted all night. The addicts are often friends who have known each other for years," he told China Daily.

"The drug-taking mostly occurs among groups in card rooms, a place popular among the elderly where they can get together and play cards. Zheng Yuqing, spokesman for the Shanghai anti-drug commission, warned of a "significant increase" in cases among 40- to 60-year-olds.
