Power Symbol Mahjong Solitaire

0:00

Play Levels — Campaign Browse Layouts This board More Home How to Play Rules

About the Power Symbol Layout

The Power Symbol board renders the familiar on/off icon in tiles: a circular ring with a small break at the top, and a short vertical line rising up out of that gap to pierce the circle. The ring is a hollow loop, open in the middle, with a clean notch where the two ends almost meet at the top, and the upright bar sits in that notch like a key in a lock. It's a crisp, geometric, modern-looking layout, all clean curves and one bold vertical stroke.

At 2 out of 5 this is an easy, breezy board, well suited to a quick game or a gentle reset. Like most ring shapes it keeps a generous number of tiles free at any moment, because the loop exposes edges along both its outer and inner curves. The only mild complication is the little cluster where the vertical bar meets the gap in the ring, where tiles sit close together. Otherwise it's a smooth, relaxing clear that rewards an unhurried eye.

Difficulty: Medium (2/5) | Tiles: 74

How to Clear the Power Symbol Layout

Work the ring first and let the gap do half your job. The break at the top of the loop hands you two free tile-ends right away, one on each side of the notch, and you can start unzipping the circle outward from there in both directions. Tiles along the ring are free whenever a left or right side is clear, and the hollow interior keeps the inner edge open too, so matches come easily.

Treat the vertical bar as its own small task and chip it down early. It's a short stack of tiles, and because it rises into the gap it overlaps the most crowded part of the board. Pulling its tiles as soon as they're free keeps that bar from sitting on top of the ring tiles below the notch and pinning them.

The crux, such as it is, lives right where the upright line plants into the gap between the two ring-ends. Three structures converge there: the bar and both tips of the broken circle. When a tile in that little knot becomes available with a partner, clear it promptly to keep the junction from tightening up while you finish the rest of the loop.

For the endgame you'll usually be left with the lower arc of the ring and maybe the base of the bar, all low and well exposed, so they drop in a quick final sweep. This board rarely stalls, but if it ever does, it's guaranteed solvable and Shuffle re-deals the remaining tiles into a solvable layout, which is more than enough to close out a Power Symbol.

The Story Behind the Power Symbol Layout

The power symbol is everywhere in modern life, glowing on phones, laptops, monitors, and remote controls, yet most people never think about where it came from. It's actually a stylized blend of the binary digits 1 and 0, on and off, with the line representing one and the circle representing zero; the international standards bodies settled on the broken-circle-with-line version we know today. It may be the most universally understood icon ever drawn.

That clean engineered geometry is what makes it such a satisfying Mahjong shape. The ring gives you the smooth, edge-rich playability that loops are loved for, and the single vertical stroke adds just enough asymmetry to make the board instantly readable as the power icon rather than a plain circle. Simple, modern, and pleasant to clear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Power Symbol layout beginner-friendly?

Very. At 2 out of 5 it's among the easier boards. The ring keeps plenty of tiles free at once, and the gap at the top gives you an obvious, low-pressure place to begin.

What's the best opening move?

Use the break at the top of the circle. It exposes a free tile-end on each side of the gap, so you can start clearing the loop outward in both directions immediately, while the hollow center keeps the inner edge open too.

Does the little vertical bar cause problems?

Only if you ignore it. Because it rises into the gap, it overlaps the most crowded spot on the board. Chip the bar down early so it doesn't pin the ring tiles beneath the notch.

Where does this board get its shape from?

It's the standard on/off power icon, a broken circle with a vertical line, which is a stylized combination of 1 (the line) and 0 (the circle). The single upright stroke is also what makes the layout instantly recognizable rather than just a plain ring.

Browse all layouts or play the classic Turtle board.