Mahjong Solitaire Christmas Mahjong Christmas Bell Mahjong
Christmas Bell Mahjong
Christmas Bell Mahjong stacks the 144 tiles into a bell: a small handle on top, a rounded dome, straight sides that flare out into a wide rim, and a clapper hanging underneath. It is part of our Christmas Mahjong collection.
It is the hardest of the six Christmas layouts, about as hard as the classic Turtle. The rim is a solid row twelve tiles long, and the middle of the bell is stacked four high.
How to play
The rules are the same on every layout. Click two free tiles with the same face to remove them. A tile is free when nothing sits on top of it and its left or right side is open. Any flower matches any flower, and any season matches any season. Clear all 72 pairs to win. The how to play guide has pictures.
How the Christmas Bell layout is built
The handle is two tiles stacked two high. Below it the dome widens from four tiles to six, then runs straight down for three rows before flaring out to ten tiles and then to a rim of twelve. The centre column of the bell is three high, rising to four in the middle. Two tiles stacked three high hang below the rim as the clapper.
Tips for Christmas Bell Mahjong
- Work down from the handle. The tiles in the middle of the bell are the highest and they sit on top of everything else.
- The rim is the longest row on the board. Only its two end tiles are free at the start, so clear in from both ends rather than one.
- The clapper is free from the start and stays free. Leave it until you need a partner for something else.
Christmas Bell layout at a glance
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Tiles
- 144 (72 pairs)
- Layers
- 4
- Board size
- 12 tiles wide, 9 rows deep
- Free at the start
- 30 tiles
- Cleared in our tests
- About 50%
The Christmas Bell layout stacks its 144 tiles in four layers: 56 on the table, 56 on layer 2, 30 on layer 3, 2 on top.
How we rate difficulty. We had the computer play 200 games on each layout, picking moves the same way our Hint button does. On Christmas Bell it cleared the board without a shuffle in about 50% of games. That is about the same as the classic Turtle. People who plan ahead do better than that, but the order of the layouts stays much the same. The full list is on the all layouts page.
More Christmas layouts
Six festive shapes, all with the same 144 tiles and the same rules. Each one is a little different to clear.
Christmas Tree MahjongEasy A tall tree with a star on top, a trunk and a pot. 
Snowman MahjongEasy A hat, a round head, a body and a big round base. 
Christmas Stocking MahjongEasy A stocking with a raised cuff and a foot pointing right. 
Christmas Wreath MahjongEasy A round wreath with a bow tied at the bottom. 
Christmas Present MahjongEasy A wrapped box with a raised ribbon and a bow. See all six Christmas layouts or all 24 year-round layouts
Questions people ask
Is Christmas Bell Mahjong hard?
It is a medium layout, the hardest of our Christmas set and about as hard as the classic Turtle. Our test player cleared it without a shuffle in about half of its games.
How many tiles are in Christmas Bell Mahjong?
144 tiles, or 72 pairs, stacked up to four high in the middle of the bell.
Is it free?
Yes. Christmas Bell Mahjong is free to play in your browser, with no download or account.