What is Castle layout?
The Castle is a layout of all 144 tiles drawn as the front of a castle. A battlemented tower stands at each end, a keep rises over the gate in the middle, and a curtain wall with a gap for the gateway runs between them. It is wide and low: 17 tiles across and only three layers high.
The rules are the standard ones. Take off two matching tiles at a time, as long as both are free: nothing lies on top of them and their left or right side is open. Clear the board to win.
Most of the tiles lie in the long rows of the wall, which can only be worked from their ends and from the gaps of the battlements and the gate. With little stacking, the board shows more of its faces than the Turtle does, but the long rows punish taking pairs from the wrong end.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Mahjong Solitaire | Castle layout |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Standard Mahjong SolitaireThe Turtle: a broad block of tiles that rises in steps towards the middle. | Castle layoutThe Castle: a tower at each end, a keep over the gate and a curtain wall, 17 tiles across. |
| Layers | Standard Mahjong SolitaireFour layers: 82, 40, 18 and 4 tiles. | Castle layoutThree layers: 104, 29 and 11 tiles. |
| Free tiles at the start | Standard Mahjong Solitaire32 of the 144 tiles. | Castle layout41 of the 144 tiles. |
| Other options | Standard Mahjong SolitaireShuffles, a time limit and the random deal can be added in the setup. | Castle layoutThe same options work on the Castle: shuffles, a time limit and the random deal. |
History
Mahjong Solitaire began on a computer: Brodie Lockard wrote it for a university computer system in 1981, and a commercial version made it widely known in 1986 with a single layout, the Turtle.
David Norris wrote a version of the game in 1990, and the documentation of a later release lists the extra layouts that came with the program as files to load: Pyramid, Castle, Bridge, Spiral, Cube and Dragon. Castle layouts have appeared in many programs since, each drawn differently, and there is no standard one. The Castle here is our own design.