Ghost Mahjong Solitaire
About the Ghost Layout
The Ghost board is a soft, friendly apparition: a rounded dome at the top for the head that flows down and widens into a billowing body, finishing in a scalloped, wavy bottom edge meant to look like the hem of a floating bedsheet. There are no sharp corners anywhere; the whole silhouette is curves, from the smooth crown to the gentle scallops at the foot. It is one of the more openly recognizable shapes in the holiday set, an unmistakable cartoon spook.
At two out of five this is the gentlest board in the batch and a genuinely relaxing play. The shape is mostly broad and shallow, with tiles spread across the wide body rather than stacked into deep towers, so free pairs are easy to find throughout. The scalloped hem at the bottom adds a row of little exposed bumps that practically hand you matches. It feels light and breezy, a perfect choice for unwinding or for a newer player finding their footing.
Difficulty: Medium (2/5) | Tiles: 96
How to Clear the Ghost Layout
Start at the wavy hem. The scalloped bottom edge is a string of small rounded tabs, and each tab tip sticks out with open sides, so the entire base row is essentially free from the first move. Clearing across the scallops gives you a quick, confidence-building run of matches.
Open up the body next. The widening middle is broad and only lightly layered, so sweep it from the outer curves inward. Because the ghost has no tight corners, you rarely get a tile boxed in on both sides, which keeps options flowing and makes this board forgiving of imperfect ordering.
The only mild crux is the head dome. The rounded crown stacks a little deeper at its center than the airy body does, so a pair or two can sit under a cap up top. Leave the very crown for after the body around it has thinned, and it will surface with open edges instead of staying pinned.
For the endgame, finish from the hem upward so the last tiles end up in the open head rather than buried beneath the shoulders. This board rarely deadlocks given how shallow it is, but if the dome ever does lock, Shuffle re-deals the remaining tiles into a fresh solvable layout.
The Story Behind the Ghost Layout
The white-sheet ghost is one of the most charming accidents in costume history. It grew from old European burial customs, the body wrapped in a winding sheet or shroud, and stage productions then dressed their phantoms in simple draped cloth because it was cheap and read instantly from the back row. By the time newspapers and early films picked it up, a ghost simply meant a figure under a sheet with a wavy hem.
That draped, floating form is what makes such a pleasant Mahjong board. The flowing curves and the scalloped bottom translate into smooth, open rows with very few traps, so the layout feels as soft and unhurried as the ghost looks. It is the rare spooky shape that is actually soothing to clear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Ghost considered an easy board?
Its shape is wide and shallow rather than tall and stacked, so tiles spread out instead of piling into deep towers. That leaves lots of free edges at any moment, which is why it earns a two out of five and suits relaxed or newer players.
Where should I make my first matches?
Along the scalloped hem at the bottom. Each little wave is a tile tab that pokes out with open sides, so the whole base row is free immediately and gives you an easy opening run.
Is there anything tricky about this layout at all?
Only the head dome. The rounded crown stacks slightly deeper at its center than the rest of the body, so save the very top for after the surrounding tiles clear and any capped pairs will then be exposed.
Can I get stuck on the Ghost board?
It is unlikely because the board is so shallow, but every deal is built backwards from a solved state and is guaranteed to have a full solution. If the dome ever locks, the Shuffle button re-deals the remaining tiles solvably.
See more Holiday Mahjong boards, or browse all layouts.
