Fierce competition

The bid by Ma and his team to host the event was ultimately successful over several other countries, including Japan.

"We promised to make this the best championship," Ma explained.

This year's championship attracted 160 competitors from 17 countries and regions, but China, the traditional mahjong powerhouse, had to withdraw because of visa issues. The competition was still fierce, with Canadian players capturing two of the top three places.

Team Canada featured champion Gao Erfei and the third-place finisher, Lin Hai. Gao said mahjong has become an indispensable part of his life, although he just started playing international standard mahjong last year.

"I've been playing mahjong for over 30 years," said Gao. "But international standard mahjong is different from traditional mahjong. It's more of a mental game, which attracted me a lot."

This victory surprised Gao, who admitted that he depended more on luck than preparation. "I didn't do anything special to prepare," he said.

Gao's calm demeanor served him well.

"I always stay calm," he said. "Even if I got penalized in a round, I was able to compose myself and continue to play. That's the nature of the game; there are wins and losses."

Gao said that playing mahjong at a competitive level requires mental sharpness and physical stamina.

"You need brainpower and stamina to compete, especially in long matches," he said.

Lin agreed that international standard mahjong is complicated. "I have been playing mahjong since college, but only got into international standard mahjong about a decade ago," he said.

He said he found the challenges of the international rules more appealing than traditional mahjong.

"There's a lot of calculation involved, and that's what makes it fun," he said.

Lin did well in the early rounds, but things got tougher toward the end of the championship. "My luck turned in the eighth and ninth rounds," he explained.

"There were problems with the mahjong table, and we had to change tables several times. That disrupted my rhythm," Lin said.