Ankh Mahjong Solitaire
About the Ankh Layout
The Ankh layout traces the ancient Egyptian symbol of life: a tall vertical bar runs up the middle of the board, a short horizontal crossbar cuts across it near the top, and crowning everything is a rounded teardrop loop that sits like a handle above the cross. The result is a cross with a loop for a head, narrow and elegant rather than wide. The loop is drawn as a closed ring of tiles, the crossbar reaches out in two stubby arms, and the long stem drops straight down to the base, often with tiles doubled up along the trunk to give the figure some height and weight.
At 3 out of 5 this is a moderate challenge with a clear personality. The loop at the top is the busiest, most interlocked region and the part that demands the most thought, while the crossbar and the long stem are more forgiving. The vertical emphasis means the board plays top to bottom, and the satisfaction comes from cracking the loop open and then watching the rest of the symbol unzip beneath it.
Difficulty: Hard (3/5) | Tiles: 82
How to Clear the Ankh Layout
Begin at the outer edges, not the loop. The two tips of the horizontal crossbar and the very bottom of the vertical stem are the most exposed tiles on the board, so clear those first to create breathing room and to start thinning the structure from its extremities inward.
The loop at the top is the real puzzle. Like any closed ring its tiles brace against each other, so look for the spot where the loop meets the crossbar, that junction is usually the weakest link. Open the loop there and you can then unwind it around the curve. Avoid hammering only one side of the loop; work both shoulders of it so the ring comes apart evenly rather than leaving an awkward pinned arc.
If the stem is stacked two tiles deep, remember that only the top layer is free until you peel it, so the trunk must be cleared from the bottom upward and from the surface down. Do not bury a tile you need by clearing its neighbor and leaving its partner trapped under an upper-layer piece; check the layer above before you commit a match low on the stem.
The endgame typically comes down to the junction where the loop, crossbar, and stem all meet just below the head. Save a flexible pair or two for that knot, because it is the last region to fully free up. Flowers and seasons are your friends here since any flower matches any other flower and any season matches any season, giving you wildcard-like pairs to break a stubborn cluster. If you truly stall, Shuffle re-deals the remaining tiles solvably.
The Story Behind the Ankh Layout
The ankh is one of the oldest and most recognizable symbols from ancient Egypt, carried in the hands of gods and pharaohs in tomb paintings as the hieroglyph for life itself. Scholars still debate exactly what its looped-cross shape originally depicted, with theories ranging from a sandal strap to a knot to the union of opposites, and that air of mystery is part of its lasting appeal. It later traveled into Coptic Christianity and, much later, into modern jewelry and pop culture.
As a Mahjong board the ankh is a treat because it pairs a soft, rounded loop with hard straight lines, giving you two completely different kinds of solving in one figure. The looped head plays like a tight ring puzzle while the cross and stem play like open ladders, so the layout never feels monotonous. Its tall, slender silhouette also makes the finished clear feel like you have lifted a relic off the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I open the loop at the top before clearing the cross?
No. Start with the exposed tips of the crossbar and the bottom of the stem to gain free space, then attack the loop. The loop is the most interlocked part of the ankh, so you want easy room to maneuver before you tackle it.
Where is the best place to crack the loop open?
At the junction where the loop meets the crossbar just below it. That contact point tends to be the weakest link in the ring; once you remove a pair there, you can unwind the curve of the loop in both directions instead of fighting a fully closed circle.
The stem looks stacked. How do I clear doubled tiles?
Only the top layer of any stacked tile is selectable. Work the trunk from the bottom upward while peeling the surface layer first, and always glance at the tile above before matching a lower one so you do not strand its partner underneath an upper piece.
What makes the Ankh a 3 out of 5 rather than easier?
The looped head is a closed ring sitting on top of a junction where the loop, crossbar, and stem converge. That convergence is the last area to free up and the spot most likely to trap a pair, which lifts the difficulty above the gentler open-shape symbols.
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