Mahjong Bay › Layouts › Arena

Arena Mahjong Solitaire

• 70tiles
• 3layers
• 31free at the start
• 17.1pairs open on a fresh deal, average
• 25%of boards lost by random clicking in my test runs

Arena is the friendliest board on the site. An oval ring of stands, one tile high with a second tier on the long sides, surrounds a small field that stacks three layers deep. Because the ring is open on both faces almost everywhere, 31 tiles are free on the first move and there is nearly always something to do.

The catch is the field. It is only fifteen tiles wide at the base and it is where the depth lives, so the last pairs of the game are usually there. Clear the ring too fast and you can find yourself with two matching tiles stacked in the field and nothing left to pair them with. Take the field's top layers while the ring still offers alternatives.

In my runs a random clicker loses 25 boards in a hundred, the lowest of the classic shapes, which is why I suggest Arena to anyone who has just learned the tile faces and wants a win before trying the Turtle.

Other layouts

• Turtle144 tiles, 5 layers
• Harbor72 tiles, 3 layers
• Three Sails94 tiles, 4 layers
• Pyramid108 tiles, 4 layers
• Fortress114 tiles, 3 layers
• Crab74 tiles, 3 layers
• Arena70 tiles, 3 layers
• Bridge72 tiles, 4 layers
• Cat68 tiles, 4 layers
• Dragon88 tiles, 3 layers