Published in The Student Standard Sep 17 2008
Mahjong, a competitive sport
Mahjong is a family game in Hong Kong. But there are also people who play competitively-the Mahjong pros. This weekend they will be competing in the World Series of Mahjong.
From 19-21 September the World Series of Mahjong will be held in Macau. The top prize is US$500,000. They will be playing the World Series of Mahjong rules, developed by Hongkonger Alan Kwan.
Twenty-five year old Jenn Barr will be competing in that tournament. Originally from Seattle, she now lives in Japan and is a Mahjong pro. She says, “Mahjong is a passion and a career for me.” She moved to Tokyo for college and started playing Mahjong. “I started training with some of the top professionals and a year after that I was in the league and featured in Konami’s Mahjong Fight Club game.”
She entered the World Series last year and came 114th , she says she didn’t train enough and made some errors.
“I made a read on a hand and ignored it at one point and that really killed my score. I won’t make that mistake this year.”
Local retiree Hui Chung Lai won the World Series when he beat three other finalists with a total score of 423.11 points.
He told The Student Standard, “I felt like [I was] dreaming when they announced my name as the champion. I have never participated in any international or regional mahjong contest. Last year was my first time to join such an event. I think I am just lucky!”
He has been playing since he was 13 years old; that’s over 50 years. He still plays with his friends, who now rely on his Mahjong prowess even more than before.
“Whenever they have arguments or questions on playing mahjong with their own friends, they will ask me for advice and regard me as the “judge”.”
He has been in training to retain his title: “I have practised more frequently with my friends, especially with those who knows how to play with the World Series Mahjong rules. I have also bought a new set of mahjong which looks similar to those used in the tournament, with [the] numbers on the corner of each mahjong tile.”
Jenn Barr hopes to do a lot better this year, she will be spending two weeks in Hong Kong before the event, training and practising.
“I’ve come up with some new strategies for these rules. I am sure that I will do better this year than I did last year. I know that if any of the top pro’s from Japan come to play then they will go very far. Most of us play 5-8 hours a day, 5-6 days per week, so we see a lot more hands than most of the recreational players.”
Her tips for new players include having “nerves of steel”. She says, “It takes a lot of practice and patience to be good. No player can win every single hand, so you have to know when to let someone else win and conserve your losses. You also have to know when to go for the big hands and when to go for the quick hands.”
Jenn Barr and Hui Chung Lai will be playing against 350+ other players from over 12 different countries in Macau. Mr Hui says,
“It is a precious opportunity for me to [be involved in] such a large-scale international event. I did not expect to gain so much experience from it. I have also met a few new good friends at the tournament.”
BOX 1
History of Mahjong
There are several stories about the origins of Mahjong. The first is that Confucius invented it around 500BC. Another more likely theory is that Mahjong is derived from a card game (probably played with tiles) called Madiao. It was developed during the Ming Dynasty and it bears a lot of similarities to Mahjong.
In the late 18th century the modern game became popular. It might have been created by Army officers, two brothers in Ningpo or a noble in Shanghai. Nevertheless, it quickly spread all over China and was exported to the West soon after.
In 1949, Mahjong was banned by the Chinese Communist Party as it was a gambling game and represented the excesses of capitalism. The game was slowly revived after the Cultural Revolution and was made a national treasure and national sport in the 1990s.
BOX 2
WSoM Etiquette
1. No chatting during play.
2. Try to keep discussions quiet in between hands.
3. Don’t bang your tiles about during play.
4. No standing or leaving your seat during play.
5. Check with the Judge if you need to bend down or collect something from beneath your chair.
6. No phones or electronic devices allowed during play.
7. You may be subject to a body search if you do something suspicious during play.
BOX 3
Gambling, an addiction
Betting on games can be a fun past time to play with friends and family. However, people do become addicted to gambling and neglect their work, family and friends in favor of chasing the elusive big win. They may even play with money they don’t have or go into debt to finance their gambling habit.
Glossary
gamble (v) to risk money on an outcome, usually on games of skill and/or chance
do something suspicious (phrase) when someone’s behaviour or actions suggest illegality or misconduct
debt (n) something that is owed, when you owe more than you possess
derive (v) to be traced from a point of origin
pro (n) a slang term for something who plays sports professionally, as their full time job
shuffle (v) to mix cards into a random order
entrepreneur (n) starting and running your own business against the odds
etiquette (n) rules of conduct, social behaviour
prowess (n) exceptional ability, skill
lit. (abbr) literally
literally (adv) meaning, translated word for word
