UTRECHT - Somebody slavered over the 50,000 euro massive silver mahjong set! A long wire of drivel dropped from his mouth and fell on the worst possible place: the hand-written certificate, made by the silversmith’s daughter.

Janny Adelaar is very sad when she tells it. “She now has to do it all over again. I should have put it in a plastic map or just not have shown.”

The spot on the most expensive mahjong set in the world, which was proudly exposed during the three days of the World Mahjong Championship 2010 at the Dutch town of Utrecht, was about the only incident. Because, after the European Championship 2005, the Dutch Mahjong League again succeeded in organizing a flawless, huge major international mahjong event. It was amazing to watch how smoothly, almost invisibly, the Organizing Committee controlled a championship where so many mahjong players, and not always the most easy-going ones, were gathered. An incredible achievement for such a tiny company, which has hardly any budget.
I was on the spot at the two previous world championships: Tokyo 2002 and Chengdu 2007, and I was very much impressed. But the Dutch job, with less glamor and with a simpler approach, was second to none. There were even outstanding facilities for the press, so Mahjong News could provide the international mahjong world with as many updates as necessary - thanks for that!