Flag Mahjong Solitaire
About the Flag Layout
The Flag layout draws a banner planted in the ground. A tall, narrow column of tiles runs straight up the center like a flagpole, and near the top a broad rectangular block flares out to one side as the cloth, with its trailing edge stepped slightly to suggest the fabric catching the wind. The base of the pole sits on a small foot of tiles, as if driven into the earth, while the banner itself is the densest part of the board, two and sometimes three layers thick where it billows. Seen all at once, the silhouette is unmistakable: a single proud standard raised against an empty sky of green felt.
This is a friendly board, rated two out of five, and it plays the way it looks: open and forgiving. Because the pole is long and thin, most of its tiles are exposed on a free left or right edge from the very first move, so you are rarely starved for choices. The only real concentration of overlap is the banner, where stacking hides tiles beneath the cloth. The pleasure here is rhythm rather than pressure; you can clear long runs down the pole almost on autopilot, then slow down and think when you reach the layered flag. It is a good layout for a warm-up, a coffee break, or easing a newer player into how stacked tiles peel apart.
Difficulty: Medium (2/5) | Tiles: 108
How to Clear the Flag Layout
Start at the foot of the pole and the very tip of the banner. The single column of the flagpole is your friendship in this layout: nearly every tile along it has a clear left or right side, so it is almost all immediately playable. Resist the urge to chew straight up the pole, though. Instead, use those easy pole tiles as a reserve and spend them deliberately to match tiles you free from the harder banner block.
The crux of the Flag is the rectangular cloth at the top. Its upper layers cover the tiles beneath, and a tile is only selectable when both a side is open and nothing sits on top of it. Peel the banner from its outer waving edge inward, taking the exposed outer column first so each removal uncovers the next tile under the fold. Try to keep the banner's two layers descending evenly rather than digging a deep hole on one side, which can leave a covered tile with no free neighbor.
Watch the junction where the pole meets the cloth. That seam is a natural pinch point: a few tiles there are pinned on both sides by the banner block and only become free once you have eaten back into the cloth from above. Hold a couple of easy pole matches in reserve for exactly that moment, so when a junction tile opens you already have its partner waiting and are not forced to break a useful pair elsewhere.
For the endgame, you will usually be left with the lowest run of the pole and the innermost banner tiles. These are low-layer and well-spaced, so the finish is gentle. If you do stall with a covered pair you cannot reach, remember that flowers match any other flower and seasons match any season, which gives you flexible wildcard pairings to slip out of a jam. And if the remaining tiles genuinely lock, the Shuffle button re-deals them into another solvable arrangement, so the board can always be completed.
The Story Behind the Flag Layout
A flag is one of humanity's oldest pieces of shorthand. A rectangle of cloth on a pole has rallied armies, marked the tops of mountains, claimed ships, and signaled surrender or celebration, all without a single word. That blend of simplicity and meaning is exactly what makes it satisfying to render in tiles: the form is instantly readable, yet it carries a little ceremony, the sense of something raised and declared.
As a Mahjong shape the flag is a small lesson in contrast. The long bare pole is all line and openness, almost meditative to clear, while the banner is a compact pocket of stacked complexity, the one knot you have to untie. That tension between the easy stem and the busy cloth gives the board its character and keeps a low-difficulty layout from feeling completely effortless, the way a good flag is both plain and proud at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Flag layout a good choice for beginners?
Yes, it is one of the more approachable boards at two out of five. The long pole means most tiles start out free and matchable, so you spend very little time hunting for a legal move. The only genuinely tricky region is the stacked banner at the top, and even that is small, making the Flag an ideal place to learn how layered tiles uncover one another without much risk of getting stuck.
What should I clear first on the Flag board?
Begin with the foot of the pole and the outer waving edge of the banner. The pole tiles are nearly all open from the start and act as a flexible reserve, while peeling the banner from its trailing edge inward steadily uncovers the tiles hidden beneath the cloth. Save a few easy pole matches to use when junction tiles between the pole and banner finally open up.
Why do some banner tiles refuse to be selected even though I can see them?
A tile can only be chosen when it has a free left or right side and no tile resting on top of it. In the banner, the upper layer of cloth covers the tiles below, so those lower tiles stay locked until you remove the ones above them. Work down through the stacked area evenly rather than digging one deep hole, and the covered tiles will free up in turn.
Can the Flag layout ever become unsolvable?
No. Every board is generated by working backward from a finished, solved layout, so a complete solution always exists. If you do reach a point where no legal matches remain among the leftover tiles, press the Shuffle button to re-deal them into a fresh, still-solvable arrangement. With careful play and the occasional wildcard flower or season match, the Flag can always be cleared.
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