Magnet Mahjong Solitaire
About the Magnet Layout
The Magnet board takes the shape every child draws when asked to picture one: a thick horseshoe U, two heavy parallel arms joined by a curved bend at the bottom, with two flat, blunt pole ends staring up at the top. The arms are wide bands of tiles, a couple thick and stacked slightly for solidity, and the rounded base sweeps between them in a smooth arc, leaving a clear empty channel down the middle where the field would be. The two pole tips often read as the lighter and darker ends, and the figure has a pleasingly chunky, symmetrical heft that says 'magnet' at first glance.
On the table it settles into a relaxed two out of five. The open mouth of the U and the two exposed pole ends give you free tiles right away, and the symmetry means whatever you can do on the left arm you can usually mirror on the right, which keeps the game flowing. The thickness of the arms is the only thing standing between you and a quick finish, since those bands stack enough to hide a few tiles until their neighbours clear. It is a soothing, balanced board with no nasty surprises, well suited to a calm session where you want a satisfying shape to slowly take apart.
Difficulty: Medium (2/5) | Tiles: 112
How to Clear the Magnet Layout
Open from the top of the U. The two flat pole ends and the inner and outer edges of the open mouth are the most exposed tiles on the board, each with a free side, so begin there and feed downward into the arms. Because the channel up the middle is empty, both the inner and outer flanks of each arm are accessible, giving you two open faces to chip at as you descend.
Play the two arms symmetrically. The magnet's left and right halves mirror each other, so bringing them down together keeps a steady supply of free edges on both sides and avoids stranding tiles on one arm while you over-dig the other. If a match on the left has an obvious twin on the right, taking both keeps the figure balanced and the exposed surface large.
The crux is the curved base where the two arms meet. That bend is the thickest, most layered part of the U, and its tiles only free up once the arms above have been peeled down to it. Treat the base as the last thing you dismantle: work both arms all the way down before committing to the curve, and clear it from its outer edge inward so no tile gets pinned in the bottom of the bend.
Come the endgame, the remnant is almost always that bottom curve. With just a small arc of tiles left, the only genuine danger is matching away both halves of a pair you needed as a bridge across the base, so scan for twins before each late match. Should the curve lock up, Shuffle re-deals the remaining tiles into a solvable arrangement, so the magnet always comes fully apart.
The Story Behind the Magnet Layout
The horseshoe magnet is a wonderful case of an icon outliving its everyday usefulness. Bending a bar magnet into a U brings its two poles close together and concentrates the pull, which is why the shape was a workhorse of early electromagnets and physics demonstrations, and it is from those classroom props that the red-and-grey horseshoe lodged itself in popular imagination. Today we are far more likely to use flat or ring magnets, yet ask anyone to draw a magnet and you will still get this U almost every time.
That deep cultural memory is what makes it such a strong tile shape: instantly recognised, with a little spark of science-lesson nostalgia. The form is a gift to the layout designer too, since its clean symmetry and hollow centre create a board that is balanced and breathable rather than cramped. There is a gentle irony in slowly pulling apart a thing whose entire purpose is to attract and hold together, which gives the Magnet board a quiet wink of personality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Magnet layout easy or hard?
It is a relaxed two out of five. The open mouth of the U and the two pole ends offer free tiles immediately, and the board's symmetry lets you mirror moves on both arms. The only mild challenge is the thickness of the arms, which hides a few tiles until their neighbours clear.
Where is the best place to start on the Magnet?
Start at the top, with the two flat pole ends and the open mouth of the U. Those are the most exposed tiles, and because the centre channel is empty you can work both the inner and outer faces of each arm as you feed your way downward.
Why do the tiles at the bottom curve stay locked?
The curved base where the two arms join is the thickest, most layered part of the shape, and its tiles only free up once the arms above are peeled down to it. Treat the bend as the last section you dismantle, clearing it from the outer edge inward so nothing gets pinned.
What if the final tiles at the base will not match?
Press Shuffle to re-deal the remaining tiles into a fresh, still-solvable layout. A late stall almost always comes from using up both tiles of a pair you needed as a bridge across the curve, so in the last dozen tiles check where a pair's twin sits before taking it.
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