Butterfly Mahjong Solitaire Layout
The Butterfly spreads the puzzle across two wings connected by a compact center. The separated groups make cross-board pairs especially important.
Read two wings as one puzzle
Separated wings make it tempting to solve each half independently. Their symbols can depend on each other, however. Scan both wings and the connecting region before removing a pair. Similar shapes do not guarantee identical symbols or matching freedom.
Opening plan: advance both sides usefully
Compare a same-wing pair with a cross-wing pair. Ask which one releases positions in both areas and which leaves a reachable partner for covered copies. A cross-wing match is not always better; its value comes from the access it preserves.
Protect the connection
When a central position restricts access, consider its dependencies alongside the wing edges. Clearing convenient outer matches may leave a central stack controlling the remaining routes. Keep reserve pairs that do not interfere with the next useful release.
Common trap: assuming symmetry solves the board
Do not mirror your moves automatically. One wing may have a valuable bottleneck while its visual counterpart releases nothing. Reassess the tile distribution after each removal and coordinate the two regions by matching symbols.
Stage variations
The Butterfly name is a catalogue family, not a fixed diagram for every stage. Mahjong Imperial changes silhouettes during progression. Look for the separated-region decision in the board you are playing instead of expecting a permanently mirrored layout.