Camera Mahjong Solitaire

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About the Camera Layout

The Camera board is dominated by a wide rectangular body, the kind of solid central slab that gives a layout real weight. Front and center sits a circular lens, built as a ring of tiles around a small stacked core, and perched on the top edge is a little raised viewfinder bump. The lens is the visual heart of the design and also where the tiles pile deepest, so the board looks balanced and symmetrical but hides its difficulty right in the middle.

Rated 3 out of 5, the Camera is a true middle-weight that rewards a clear plan. The broad body is forgiving and clears smoothly along its edges, but the round lens stacks tiles two or three deep in a tight circle, and that is where games are won or lost. It feels methodical rather than frantic: you spend the early game tidying the body and the late game carefully unwinding the lens. Players who like a satisfying central knot to untangle will enjoy this one.

Difficulty: Hard (3/5) | Tiles: 84

How to Clear the Camera Layout

Work the body before the lens. The outer edges of the wide rectangular body are loaded with side-free tiles, so sweep those first to bank easy matches and build a comfortable lead. This also peels tiles away from around the lens, gradually exposing the circular ring at the center.

Treat the lens as a ring you open from the outside in. The circle of tiles around the rim can only be reached once the body tiles beside them are gone, and the small stacked core in the very middle is the most buried spot on the board. Clear the rim evenly all the way around rather than punching through one side, because an uneven rim leaves the core capped longer than it needs to be.

Do not forget the viewfinder bump on top. It is a tiny raised cluster, easy to leave for last, but its few tiles are usually free early. Pull them when they come up so they are not sitting forgotten while you are deep in the lens, and so they are available to pair with stragglers from the body.

The endgame is the lens core. By the time the body is clear you want the rim fully gone so the central stack drops into reach. Mind any matching pair stacked directly on top of each other in that core, and free the upper tile first. If the lens locks before the core opens, Shuffle re-deals the remaining tiles solvably so you can take another run at it.

The Story Behind the Camera Layout

A camera works by gathering light through its lens and freezing a single moment, which is a quietly fitting idea for a puzzle frozen in place until you start to take it apart. The lens, all concentric circles, is the part that translates most beautifully into tiles: a round ring wrapped around a deep core is a shape pyramids and slabs almost never produce, and it gives this board its distinctive bullseye in the middle.

From the boxy plate cameras of the past to the lens in every phone today, the basic silhouette of body plus protruding lens has barely changed, which is why even a simplified tile outline reads instantly as a camera. That blend of a familiar rectangle with an unusual circular centerpiece is exactly what makes it an engaging board to solve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the Camera a 3 out of 5 difficulty?

The wide body is easy, but the circular lens in the center stacks tiles two to three deep in a tight ring around a buried core. That central knot is the real challenge and lifts the layout to a middling difficulty.

How do I clear the lens on the Camera board?

Open it from the outside in. Remove the body tiles beside the lens first, then clear the rim evenly all the way around before going after the small stacked core in the very center.

Should I clear the viewfinder bump early or late?

Early. The little bump on top has only a few tiles and they are usually free near the start, so take them when they appear and use them to pair with leftover body tiles instead of leaving them forgotten.

I cleared the body but the center lens is stuck. What now?

Make sure the entire rim around the lens is gone so the central core can drop into reach, and free any stacked matching pair from the top down. If it is genuinely locked, press Shuffle for a fresh solvable deal of the remaining tiles.

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