Jiangsu player wins mahjong championship

The World Series Mahjong championship, held at the Venetian Macau over the weekend, saw Zhao Jian from Jiangsu Province defeat some 200 players and take home the first prize. The mainlander was awarded a cash prize of HKD 400,000, a golden mahjong tile-shaped necklace and a guaranteed lifetime entry to future editions of the competition.
“I just feel I am lucky. I don’t think I’m much better… It’s just my hobby,” 36-year-old Zhao told reporters. He was awarded with the championship after accumulating the most points over the course of the 20 hours that he spent gaming on the weekend.
Zhao celebrated the victory by waving a Chinese flag that he had brought to the competition, according to AFP. Other participants told reporters that they enjoyed the competition. Sun Yuexian, 80, from mainland China said that he felt playing mahjong stimulated his brain.
Another player, based in Japan, said: “I play almost every day. I feel really at home at the mahjong table. It’s my favorite place to be. So I love being a pro.”
Mahjong has been promoted outside of China in recent years in an attempt to become a more globally-recognized game. In 2013, after three editions in Macau, the World Series moved to Sydney, Australia.