The OEMC2005 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands was the number 1 MERS tournament. Bruck upon Mur in Austria is the number 100. What has changed in between, and what has remained the same? Mahjong News looks back and ahead.

COPENHAGEN/BRUCK UPON MUR (Austria) - What’s the most striking difference between the first MERS tournament (the European championship 2005 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands) and the one hundredth (Bruck upon Mur in Austria, September 24~25, 2011)?
The increased skill level, according to Tina Christensen, president of the European Mahjong Association (EMA).

The first tournaments were friendlier, admits Otto Myslivec, a respected and successful player from Austria. “Mainly because most of the players were not briefed well in the rules, so they only played for fun.” Now they all know the rules and regulations quite well and they play more seriously. “A normal evolution”, according to Otto.

The level of play has increased significantly, says Dutch player Anton Kösters. Of all mahjong players, Anton is the one who has played the most MERS tournaments, so he is supposed to know what he’s talking about. (He even made rankings of the best venue, the best lunches and the best side-program - click here to check). Anton: “I believe tournaments are better organized these days. Good mahjong sets, tables, uniform score-sheets. There is a common understanding about the equipment you need for a tournament.”

Friends

There will not be many festivities during the 100th MERS-competition. “Nothing particular planned by me”, says Tina Christensen, who supposes the local organizers will ‘mark the event’.
That was quite different at the start of ‘Nijmegen 2005’. The Open European Mahjong Championship 2005 was the very first event where mahjong players from Europe, China and Japan gathered to play mahjong, to talk about mahjong, to make mahjong friends, to meet with people from other countries who also appeared to be addicted to that weird game from China.
Most people who were there, still recall the friendly atmosphere and the helpful players at the table. They were shocked when they heard about one particular player who insisted that someone who wanted to pick an additional tile for a flower after the game had started, be punished with a dead hand. Behavior like hat was just ‘not done’.
Two years later, during the OEMC2007 in Copenhagen, Denmark, this had not changed much. One player recalls: “I drew the winning tile from the wall, and I was so happy that I cried out: ‘Yes!!!’ One of the players at the table called the referee and asked him to decide that I would be punished with a dead hand, since I should have said ‘hu’, according to the rules. I did get that dead hand indeed.”

Clash

It was a clash of cultures. At one side, a group of players who loved a friendly game. Many of them, e.g. the Germans and the Dutch, had played mahjong for years in the old style: some variant of the classical Chinese rules. They loved to chat a lot during the game and make fun.
At the other side, the young and eager players, especially from Denmark, Austria, and, later on, from France. These players, with less ‘mahjong history’, liked a more serious game. They called for the referee for what other players regarded ‘minor mistakes’: accidentally picking a tile from the wrong end of the wall; first claiming ‘pong’ and, in the same turn, calling ‘hu’; involuntary knocking over a tile of one’s own, etc.
Six years and 99 MERS tournaments later, there is hardly, if any discussion about things like these at the mahjong tables. A number of ‘recreative players’ has left the tournament battle field. One sad example is the Belgian championship, ‘the Green Dragon of Flanders’, organized by Jan and Linda Thomassetti. The tournament shifted from the Chinese classical rules to the competition rules and the Thomassettis were shocked by the changed atmosphere. The Green Dragon of Flanders has never been heard of since.

Relaxed

But most of the players have got used to the more strict way of playing. There’s no more chit-chatting at the tables, and no one protests anymore against getting a dead hand after taking a wrong tile from the wall. On the other hand, also fanaticism had decreased. You forget to take the winning tile after a ‘hu’ declaration? Originally, you would be punished with a dead hand, and your hu became invalid. Now, your hu is still valid and you only get 10 penalty points. “The players have become more secure in the rules, meaning fewer mistakes or confusing situations”, says EMA-president Tina Christensen. “This leads to a more relaxed atmosphere. Tournaments are Fun, Friendly and Fair-play.”
The atmosphere at tournaments hasn't really changed, says Anton Kösters. “It has always been good. Now, there is a better understanding and acceptance of the rules by players from different countries. At first, we basically only agreed upon the score-table. Nowadays, almost everybody knows the rules and how to apply them. This saves a lot of discussion during rounds.” And - call it a coincidence or not - the results of the players from Germany and Holland are getting better and better.

Breaks

New players are nowadays instructed beforehand by their national organizations and know well what to do. Still, says Anton Kösters: “Wherever you go, there may always be somebody who isn’t really prepared yet for a big tournament. But as long as these players accept that and do not obstruct the game, that’s fine as long as they learn from the experience.”
Otto Myslivec does not think that there is less friendship nowadays. During gameplay things go seriously, “and in the breaks or after a round we have fun. Maybe this is the difference with the past”, he says. “My first tournament was Feldkirchen 2006 and I think there has been no change in friendship since these past five years.”
Anton Kösters sees a lot of friendships between players of different countries. “Lots of players like to travel abroad to meet again with their mahjong friends from other countries.”
According to Anton, Mahjongtime has meant a lot here. Many players met at the virtual tables of this mahjong server and make appointments there to meet in real life.