International appeal
Alex Levin, a 59-year-old software developer and mahjong enthusiast who was born in Russia and has been living in Canada for more than 20 years, was part of the Canadian team.
"Mahjong has been a big part of my life for the last eight years," said Levin, adding that his love of the game began on a family vacation in 2016. His introduction to mahjong was at a ski resort, where he noticed people playing in a restaurant.
Levin and his family were impressed by the colorful tiles and bought a mahjong set to teach themselves how to play. But Levin soon realized that learning the game was not that easy.
"We opened the box and saw the rules, but couldn't understand them at all," Levin said.
He then studied the game online, as well as the international standard rules, and has continued playing by them since.
"It's not really about winning; it's more about the experience of doing something challenging and learning from it," he said.
"In today's world, with all the trouble, I think people should sit down and play mahjong. It's a peaceful way to communicate."
He has created several mahjong-related websites and participates in projects that benefit the mahjong community.
Levin also hopes to compete in tournaments in Europe in the future. "I've never been to Europe to compete, but I'd love to go," he said.
Ma said hosting the event had its own challenges. "It's not easy to host an event like this without a lot of sponsorship," he said.
More than 40 mahjong tables were set up, and each table had 10 games played on it.
Ma noted that "mahjong has traditionally been a game for the Chinese and Asian communities at large, but there is growing interest in mahjong from non-Asian players".
"This is just the beginning," he said. "We've proven that mahjong can flourish here. Now we need to carry the momentum on, not just within the Chinese community, but throughout Canada."
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