Olympic Rings Mahjong Solitaire
About the Olympic Rings Layout
Olympic Rings recreates the world's most recognisable sporting emblem in tile form: five rings, three across the top row and two slung below, interlocked in the familiar chain. With 68 tiles the rings are rendered as open loops, each a roughly circular band of tiles surrounding a hollow centre, and where two rings overlap the tiles double up and weave together. The result is instantly readable and a little playful, a board that announces itself the moment it appears, with its alternating high-and-low arrangement giving it a bright, ceremonial bounce.
At 3 out of 5 the difficulty is genuine but fair, and it springs almost entirely from those four interlock points where neighbouring rings cross. Around the open curves of any single ring, tiles are nicely exposed and easy to clear, so much of the board flows pleasantly. The knots, though, are where tiles from two different rings overlap and lock each other in place, and learning to untangle them in the right order is the heart of the puzzle. It feels like dismantling a chain link by link.
Difficulty: Hard (3/5) | Tiles: 68
How to Clear the Olympic Rings Layout
Begin on the open arcs, away from the crossings. Each ring has long stretches of curve where its tiles are exposed and carry nothing on top, and these are your easy early matches. Clearing the open parts of all five rings first is the right move because it isolates the difficulty down to just the interlock points.
The four crossings are the real puzzle, so treat them with care. At each one, tiles from two adjacent rings are layered over each other, and freeing them usually requires clearing the surrounding arc of one ring before the overlap tile of the other becomes accessible. Work out which ring sits on top at each knot and peel that one back first.
Sequence matters because of how the rings chain together. The three top rings and two bottom rings share their crossings, so opening one knot often loosens the arc leading into the next. Rather than fully finishing one ring, move along the chain undoing crossings in order, the way you would work a tangle out of a necklace from one end.
For the endgame, hold back matches for the tiles buried in the interlocks, since those are the last to come free. Flowers and seasons are especially handy at the crossings because any flower matches any flower and any season any season, giving you a flexible out when an overlap leaves few legal moves. If two knots deadlock each other, Shuffle re-deals the remaining tiles into a solvable layout.
The Story Behind the Olympic Rings Layout
The five interlocking rings were designed by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, and unveiled in 1913. They are usually said to represent the five inhabited continents united in sport, while the interlocking itself stands for the meeting of athletes from around the world. The familiar colours, blue, yellow, black, green and red on a white field, were chosen so that at least one appeared in the flag of every nation at the time, a quiet bit of universal design.
Rendering that emblem as a Mahjong board is a neat fit, because the rings are defined by their overlaps, and overlaps are precisely what makes tile-matching interesting. The crossings that symbolise unity and connection become, on the board, the knots you must patiently untie, so the very feature that gives the rings their meaning is also what gives the layout its challenge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Olympic Rings board tricky?
The four points where the rings interlock. There, tiles from two different rings overlap and block each other, so they must be cleared in the right order. The open curves of each ring are easy by comparison, which means the whole challenge concentrates at the crossings.
How should I approach the interlock points?
Clear the open arcs of the rings first to isolate the knots, then at each crossing work out which ring's tiles sit on top and peel that ring back to expose the overlap beneath. Undo the crossings in sequence along the chain rather than all at once.
Are flowers and seasons useful on this layout?
Very. Because any flower matches any flower and any season any season, they act as wildcards, and they are most valuable saved for the interlocks where overlapping tiles can leave you with very few legal matches.
Can the rings get permanently stuck?
No. Every deal is built backwards from a solved board, so a full solution always exists. If two knots end up deadlocking each other, the Shuffle button re-deals the remaining tiles into another solvable arrangement.
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