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| Left to right: Sandra Bondoin (2), Marianne Croeze, Blom1234 (1), Yukari Kugimiya (3). |
The 2008 edition of the
Paris International Mahjong Tournament took place on April 25th, 26th and 27th in the Rossini rooms of town hall, 9th district in the French capital.
This third year tournament was organized by two Parisian clubs,
Magic Mahjong Social Pung and
Fleur d’Orchide?e, with the
French mahjong federation and the
European mahjong association.
Tournament observed a dramatic rise in the playing intensity of Mahjong lovers and cleared that the event has become one of the major Mahjong events in Europe.
Opening and player welcoming ceremony were held on Friday the 25th, which was followed by two days of competition on the 26th and 27th. The competitions consisted of 6 rounds, 2 hours each (4 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday). At stakes were the title of winners, European ranking points, and the title of French champion for 2008. 80 players seated across 20 tables were there for the show, marking a remarkable increase in geographical origins for this year’s competition. There was a strong French representation, amongst which were several players from the island of the Reunion. The tournament's real originality came from its truly European draw (
France, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain), along with American and Japanese players. 1656 games were played over the whole tournament, out of which only 64 ended on a blank score. Playing level was high, with a suspense that lasted until the very last round for the first places.
The winner of the 2007 edition, Marianne Croeze (Blom1234 on MahjongTime), confirmed her liking for the Paris tournament by winning once again. Thanks to a very consistent, high level of play over the entire six rounds. The Frenchwoman from Magic Mahjong Social Pung grabbed second place in her very first entry in an international tournament. Sandra Bondoin thus became French champion 2008. Yukari Kugimiya of Japan took third place. The “Knitted” won the competition by team: it was made up of Robert Rijnders (Netherlands, Dumarest on MahjongTime), Paula Pereira Gomes (Portugal, Derai), Bo Lang and Mei Hwa Felder (Switzerland, Roxan and hwa).
The next French events will be the first ever Open French Mahjong Championship Online on
Mahjong Time in June 7-8, and the Reunion Island Tournament in September 20-21.
You can find full results on the tournament website: http://mahjong.paris.free.fr.
