What is Dragon layout?
The Dragon is a layout of all 144 tiles drawn as a dragon in flight, seen from above. Its head and two horns point up the board, the wings spread to both sides, and a narrow tail curls away at the bottom. Along the dragon's back the tiles rise in a ridge five layers high, with a single tile at the very top.
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.
The wings and the tail are flat and spread out, so far more tiles are free at the start than on the Turtle, and the opening offers plenty of choice. The ridge along the back is where the game is decided: its five stacked layers hide the tiles beneath them, and the tiles on either side of it stay blocked until the ridge comes down.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Mahjong Solitaire | Dragon layout |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Standard Mahjong SolitaireThe Turtle: a broad block of tiles that rises in steps towards the middle. | Dragon layoutThe Dragon: head and horns, spread wings, a raised back and a tail, 15 tiles across at the wings. |
| Layers | Standard Mahjong SolitaireFour layers: 82, 40, 18 and 4 tiles. | Dragon layoutFive layers: 70, 44, 20 and 9 tiles, with one tile on top. |
| Free tiles at the start | Standard Mahjong Solitaire32 of the 144 tiles. | Dragon layout55 of the 144 tiles, mostly on the wings and the tail. |
| Other options | Standard Mahjong SolitaireShuffles, a time limit and the random deal can be added in the setup. | Dragon layoutThe same options work on the Dragon: 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. That version had one layout, which its publisher presented as an old game called the Turtle.
Later versions added more layouts, usually named after their shapes. David Norris wrote a version of the game in 1990, and the documentation of a later release lists a Dragon among the extra layouts that came with the program and calls it the hardest of them all. A widely used version from the late 2000s offered a Dragon among its six layouts too. No two programs draw their Dragon alike: there is no standard Dragon layout, and the one here is our own design.