How to Play Tile Match: Rack Rules and a Simple Strategy

By Nesim Razon, independent Android developer

Tile Match is a calm puzzle with one scary rule: your rack holds only seven tiles. You tap tiles from a stacked pile, collect three of a kind and watch them vanish. This guide explains the rules, the order in which to pick tiles and the habits that keep the rack from filling up.

The goal

Collect every tile from the pile. You do this by tapping a tile, which sends it to the rack at the bottom of the screen. When the rack holds three tiles with the same picture, those three disappear and free up space. You win when the pile, the rack and the set-aside area are all empty.

You lose a level when the rack is full with seven tiles and none of them can be cleared. That is the whole challenge: every tap adds a tile, and only a complete triple removes tiles again.

How the rack works

• The rack has 7 slots. A new tile slides in next to tiles with the same picture, so identical tiles always sit together.
• Three identical tiles in the rack clear at once. You do not have to do anything extra.
• If your seventh tile completes a triple, it clears right away and you are safe. The level only fails when the rack is full and nothing clears.
• Flowers match each other and seasons match each other, even though each flower and each season looks different. Three flowers of any kind clear together, and so do three seasons.

When you lose, a window called The rack is full appears. You can undo your last move, set rack tiles aside, or restart the level.

Which tiles can you tap?

You can only tap a tile that is not covered. A tile is covered when another tile from a higher layer overlaps it, even a little. Covered tiles look darker, so the free ones stand out. Unlike classic Mahjong Solitaire, the left and right sides do not matter here. Only the tiles lying on top count.

This means the order matters. Tapping a top tile may uncover two or three tiles under it. If you want to know how free tiles work in the Mahjong Solitaire mode, read our Mahjong Solitaire guide. In Tile Match the rule is simpler: nothing on top, tap it.

Strategy: manage the rack

• Look at the rack before every tap. If it shows two identical tiles and a third one is free, tap it first. That is the safest move in the game.
• Next best is a tile whose picture is already in the rack once. It is good to make pairs.
• A picture that is not in the rack yet is the riskiest tap, because it uses a new slot. Do it only when the rack has plenty of room.
• Count the singles in the rack. When you have four or five different pictures waiting, slow down. Seven slots go fast.
• Keep one thing in mind: every picture appears in multiples of three on the board. If you see a picture three times, you need all three of them.

Strategy: plan ahead

Before you tap a lonely tile, ask where its two partners are. If both are free now, or will be free after one or two taps, the tile is a good pick. If they are buried under many layers, wait. A tile whose partners are deep will sit in the rack and take a slot for a long time.

Also look for taps that uncover partners. Sometimes the best move is not a match at all, but a tile on top of a stack, because under it waits the picture you need. Scan the whole pile, not only the tiles near your finger. On big boards, you can pinch with two fingers to zoom between 1x and 4x, drag to move around, or use the plus and minus buttons.

The four helpers

• Undo takes back your last move. It is great for a quick mistake.
• Hint shows the tile you should tap next. It looks ahead, so it avoids traps that a quick glance would miss.
• Shuffle mixes the pictures of the tiles that are left on the pile. The new mix is made so that the level can still be finished, and it takes the rack into account. It is not available while tiles are set aside.
• Set aside takes the oldest tiles from the rack, up to three, and puts them in a small area next to it. Tap a set-aside tile later to bring it back into the rack. The area holds three tiles at most, and the pile is not finished until those tiles are used too.

You get 3 uses of each helper per day, and they refresh every day. When one runs out, you can watch a short ad to earn 2 more. In the first Tile Match level, the game also shows glowing tiles for your first five taps. Those tutorial taps do not cost anything.

Levels, stars and the daily trio

Tile Match has 300 levels, and you unlock them one by one. Early levels have about 24 tiles with 6 different pictures and only two layers. The last levels have 120 tiles, 24 pictures and six layers. Every tenth level is a boss level and is a little harder.

You can choose Relaxed or Timed on the level map. In Relaxed mode, stars depend on how many helpers you used: none gives 3 stars, one to three uses give 2 stars, more gives 1 star. In Timed mode, stars depend on your speed. A fast clear gives 3 stars, a slower one gives 2 or 1. Every level is built so that a solution exists.

The daily trio gives one Solitaire, one Connect and one Tile Match board that are the same for everyone. If you leave a level, the game saves it, and you can continue from the home screen.

Common mistakes

• Tapping the nearest tile instead of the best one. Always check the rack first.
• Starting too many different pictures at once. Five singles in the rack leave almost no room.
• Using Set aside too late. It is easier to use it while the rack has four or five tiles than at seven.
• Forgetting that a covered tile cannot be tapped. If the third tile of a picture is buried, clear the layer above it first.
• Using Shuffle as the first answer. Try Undo and a calm look at the board first.

If you like pairs and patterns, Tilelings also has Mahjong Solitaire and Connect modes. Try Tile Match when you want a quick, thoughtful puzzle with a clear rule.