Mahjong Solitaire vs Mahjong Connect: what is the difference?
Both use the same tile set, both are played alone, and both end when the board is clear. Beyond that they test different things, and people who love one often bounce off the other.
The split comes down to a single question each game asks about a pair of tiles.
Play Mahjong SolitaireSolitaire asks: is this tile free?
The layout is stacked several layers high. A tile can only be taken if nothing sits on top of it and one of its long sides is open, so most of the board is locked at any moment.
The skill is ordering. Take tiles from the top of the stacks first, and when three of a kind are showing, pair the two that free the most beneath them.
Connect asks: can I draw a line?
Every tile sits in one flat layer, so nothing is buried. Instead, two matching tiles can only go if a clear path joins them, travelling horizontally and vertically, turning no more than twice, and crossing no other tile.
The skill is space. Clearing the outside first opens lanes into the middle, and a pair trapped behind a wall of tiles has to wait until something moves.
Play Mahjong ConnectWhich is harder
Solitaire can be lost without you noticing, because a careless match early can strand two tiles under a stack with no way out. Connect is more forgiving in that respect but more demanding to read, since you are tracing routes rather than looking at heights.
If you want to plan ahead, play Solitaire. If you want to scan quickly, play Connect.
Both are free, both run in the browser with nothing to install, and both use the real tile faces rather than a redrawn set.
Play Mahjong Solitaire