The Last Ju of Chengdu 2007

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Created on Wednesday, 03 June 2009 20:04

Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 November 2012 18:00

Written by Martin Rep

Had something irregular happened?

Let’s listen to what Li Li commented to Mahjong News when asked about it:
“At the final session, I played pretty well, keeping the best combinations possible, and I had not made any mistakes. I had more than 300 points lead when I took mid-session break: Mahjong Competition Rules allow a five minutes mid-session break.”
According to Li Li, there were 1 hour and 15 minutes left when he checked his time. “So I asked a break to relax a little bit. I didn’t know that the Japanese player was angry until my teammates told me after the game”, says Li Li.
But he also says: “I had not encountered anyone during that break and I was back to my table in less than three minutes.”
Bystanders remember different. Li Li, on his way to the toilet, was accompanied by a number of Chinese players. Still: not forbidden according to the regulation of MCR.
The officials also claim that no irregularities have taken place. The main referee during the final, French Stéphane Parcollet, does not recall the incident. Some weeks after the WMC, in December 2007, he wrote to Mahjong News: “At the beginning of the final, one of the Chinese players - not at Li Li's table -  was feeling bad with his stomach. He asked for a break because he needed to go to the toilet. We asked to other players if they agreed. After a short negotiation, they agreed and we decided to give five minutes bonus to play after the end of normal time. If was the reason why they played a little bit more when the normal time was finished.”
Stéphane only recalls that the Chinese with the ‘bad stomach’ wore a blue shirt, and he says that it was not Li Li. During the final, Li Li wore a sweater - with blue stripes, but definitely not the sky blue shirts many other Chinese wore.