This month we are spotlighting Italian player Marco Bazzocchi (username: bammath). Marco is a skilled and accomplished MCR player who has competed in 15 EMA sanctioned events, and earned 3rd place in the 7th Austrian open. Marco also holds a strong 20th position in Mahjong Time’s top 100 MCR players with a brown belt - two black stripe rank. We had the chance to ask Marco some questions:

Q: How did you originally discover multiplayer Mahjong?
A: I live in northeastern Italy and multiplayer Mahjong is very popular. You can find many people playing mahjong in Bars. So I began when I was very young even if the game rules were so different from MCR.

Q: How often do you play online?
A: I play every day when I have free time. Sometimes is very difficult for me to stop and do something else! I play more often in summertime, even many hours a day.

Q: How long have you played at Mahjong Time?
A: Since 2009.

Q: What do you like the most about Mahjong Time?
A: It' s very simple to use and there are always many people online to play with. Graphic is very nice and the single match is rapid. I like to travel in europe playing in international tournaments so it' s nice to find on mahjongtime people that I met playing live. Sincerely I don't like the tablet app of mahjongtime.

Q: Tell us more about yourself! What would other Mahjong Time players be surprised to know about you?
A: I'm a math teacher: this is the reason of my strange nickname. I love everything concerning mathematic, even logical games. I like to travel, Cinema, and to read detective stories. I'm crazy for the technology and I spend part of my free time reading computer magazine.

Q: Which style of Mahjong do you like best? Why is this your favorite?
I play only MCR even because in Italy we use to do international live tournaments only with this style. I plan to learn even RICHY style.

Q: What is better: playing live or playing online?
A: I love both for different reasons. I like to play live because it's a way to meet my friends. By the way I can play online whenever I want.

Q: On the subject of online play, what kind of advice would you give to the online player?
A: I don't have any advice to give.