Mahjong's cultural status no guarantee of success

China finished 37th in the team competition and 30th in the individual event at the fifth Open European Mahjong Championship in Strasbourg, France between July 4 and 7.

The winner was Yoshihiro Suzuki from Japan with runner-up and European champion Michael Zahradnik from Germany.

The tournament was played over 11 sessions of two hours with the team competition being won by JMF, comprising three Japanese and a French player.

The championship is the oldest mahjong competition organized by the European Mahjong Association under international rules.

Established in 2005 it has since been staged biennially.

Mahjong has long been an integral part of Chinese culture and a popular leisure pursuit.