Crab Mahjong

How to Play Crab Mahjong

In a nutshell: A broad shell, claws and legs - Pincers first, then the shell. You clear 128 tiles stacked up to 3 layers high, it's rated moderate to hard, and around 60% clear when claws and legs go before the shell.

Crab Mahjong sculpts its tiles into a broad-shelled crab with two big front claws and a fan of side legs. The claws and legs stick out with free tips, but the wide central shell is a raised, stacked mound that only opens once you have retracted enough limbs. That gives the Crab a two-stage feel: first you deal with the sprawling pincers and legs, then you crack the shell. It sits at the tougher end of the Picture-into-Challenge range because the shell can seal off if you clear limbs carelessly. The rules are the usual ones - match identical free tiles, Flowers and Seasons matching within their groups - but the shape asks you to sequence limbs and shell thoughtfully. Every Crab on Mahjong.now is generated solvable, so the shell always cracks for a player who clears in the right order.

Crab at a glance

Goal	Clear the whole crab - claws, legs and shell - by matching free tiles in pairs until nothing is left.
Tiles	128 mahjong tiles (64 matching pairs)
Layers	Stacked up to 3 layers high
Difficulty	Moderate to hard
Chance of clearing	Around 60% clear when claws and legs go before the shell
Family	Challenge Layouts

Step by step

History of Crab Mahjong

Sea-creature layouts - crabs, scorpions, turtles - are a Mahjong Solitaire favorite because their bodies naturally combine a solid central mass with sprawling limbs, and that combination makes a genuinely two-part puzzle. A crab in particular pairs a wide, stubborn shell with claws and legs that must come off first.

The design teaches staged solving. You cannot rush the shell; you have to clear the surroundings that hold it shut. That 'peel the outside, then crack the center' rhythm is one of the most satisfying structures in the genre, and the crab is its cleanest expression.

On Mahjong.now the Crab rounds out the Challenge family alongside the Tower and Gate: recognizably themed, but demanding of a player who can sequence a two-stage teardown from claws to shell.

How to Clear Crab: Strategy

💡 Top tip: Retract the claws and legs before you crack the shell - the shell only opens once its surrounding limbs give it free edges.

Winning tips, in order of importance

1. Work the two claws evenly and the side legs in opposite pairs so the shell stays balanced.
2. Clear each limb from its tip inward, since a limb frees one tile at a time.
3. Match fully-free foursomes on sight so no copy ends up trapped under the shell.
4. Trace the junctions where limbs meet the shell - those tiles pin both a limb and a shell edge.
5. Keep Flowers and Seasons as flexible pairs for when a twin is buried in the shell.
6. Use Hint when the shell genuinely stalls, but try to read the two-stage order yourself.

Advanced tactics for Crab

1. Solve the Crab in two acts: fully retire the limbs first, then treat the exposed shell as a small standalone mound to clear from its rim.
2. The limb-to-shell junctions are double-blockers; freeing them is what turns the sealed shell into an openable one.
3. The wide shell hides stacked twins near its crown - identify them as the limbs come off and plan which to free first.
4. Count pairs against open positions; if the limbs are gone but the shell is still sealed past halfway, you cleared limbs in the wrong order.
5. When two matches exist, prefer the one that opens a shell edge over the one that only shortens a claw or leg.
6. Keep a reserve pair on a couple of limbs so a late shuffle stays a choice, not a necessity.
7. If you shuffle, do it while limbs remain - the solver needs those tiles to rebuild a route into the shell.

Common Crab mistakes to avoid

• Cracking the shell before the limbs are off - the shell only opens once the claws and legs beside it retract, so clear limbs first.
• Retracting limbs unevenly - work the two claws and the opposite legs in pairs so the shell stays balanced and openable.
• Half-clearing several limbs - each limb frees one tile at a time, so fully retire a limb before starting another.
• Missing the limb-to-shell junctions - freeing them is what turns the sealed shell into one you can open.

Crab Variations

Shore Crab

The classic broad-shelled crab you play here, with two front claws and a fan of legs.

Spider Crab

A house variant with longer, doubled legs that each need a deeper retraction before the shell opens.

Hermit Crab

A version with a taller, more stacked shell over shorter limbs, shifting the challenge to the center.

Daily Crab

The shared daily version - the same solvable Crab for everyone, ranked on time.

Race Crab

The multiplayer version where two players clear identical Crabs and race to finish first.

Crab FAQ

Still have a question about Crab Mahjong? Browse the full Mahjong FAQ, look up a term like free tile or challenge layouts in the Mahjong glossary, or compare Crab with the other layouts in the rules for every Mahjong layout.

Last updated 2026-07-03.