We wish both players the very best luck at the tournament!

Its not too late to enter – there are two tournaments this weekend:

Main Event Challenge : 24 July 2010 14:00 CET

Riichi Event Challenge : 25 July 2010 14:00 CET

These are of course followed by the big event itself – the World Series of Mahjong at the Venetian Resort in Macau on 19-22 August. With prizes in the millions this promises to be the best ever World Series of Mahjong!

Mahjong Club has committed  to purchasing the seats and will pay the winner regardless of how many (or few) challengers there are for it.  For the mathematically inclined amongst you, for the Main Event we would need to have 65 players to cover the cost of the seat. Anything less and you are getting an exceptional deal!

Main Event Challenge : 11 July 2010 14:00 CET

Riichi Event Challenge : 25 July 2010 14:00 CET

World Series of Mahjong : 19 – 22 August 2010 at the Venetian hotel in Macau.

Get your seat for as little as US$1 by playing any Main Event Challenge Qualifier or Riichi Event Challenge Qualifier prior to the Challenges on 11 and 25 July.  For full conditions please see the tournament lobby. Note that these tournaments are exclusive to Mahjong Club and cannot be played on any other sites on the Mahjong Logic network.

Mahjong Club will run online  feeder tournaments to WSOM, and aims to be the largest online Mahjong operator present at the competition.  “Mahjong, like poker, is a skill game that is played both casually and for significant amounts of money in evironments from the kitchen table to this tournament in the Venetian” saif Adriaan Brink – CEO of Mahjong Club.  “Mahjong Club will be running feeder tournaments to the World Series, our goal to have a significant number of the participants sponsored by Mahjong Club.”

Mahjong Club recently opened up for real money play and is rapidly becoming the premier destination for lovers of this time-honoured game.  With a significant presence both on the internet and on Facebook through its Mahjong Club facebook application Mahjong Club’s player base is growing significantly.  “We are thrilled with the rapid growth experienced by Mahjong Club, and are very excited and looking forward to participating in the World Series”, Brink added.

(MACAU, January 20, 2010）The World Series of Mahjong (WSOM) will return to Macau again this summer after the amazing success of the last two events. The third-annual WSOM will be held from August 19-22, 2010 at the prestigious The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel. WSOM continues to be the world’s largest mahjong tournament in terms of player participation and prize money.

(left) Mr. Mark Russell and (right) Mr. John Hardyment

The 2010 WSOM will include three separate tournaments, namely the 3-day single-elimination Main Event World Championship, a US$5,000 buy-in High Rollers Event and the US$1,000 buy-in Reach (Riichi Rules) Event. The buy-in for the Main Event is HK$5,000 (US$650), plus HK$500 registration fee. Prize money will be based on the number of participants in each tournament. The total maximum prize pool for the combined 2010 WSOM events is US$1,000,000, and prize money will be paid to the top 32 places in the Main Event. All tournaments are open to any mahjong player who is at least 21 years of age. Official registration for the 2010 WSOM will begin on May 1, 2010. For more details, please visit the new WSOM website at www.wsom168.com.

“We are happy to bring the World Series back to Macau this year, and excited to be working with The Venetian® Macao as our official venue partner. Over the last two World Series events we saw extraordinary mahjong players emerge at these tournaments, with an amazing level of skill and competition. This year’s event is expanding its size and reach to bring together some of the top mahjong players in the world and provide them with a brand new tournament experience at a world-class venue. Last but not least, we wish to sincerely thank The Venetian® Macao for their enthusiastic support of WSOM,” said Mr. John Hardyment, CEO of World Mahjong Limited, the owners of the WSOM.

The Venetian Macao is proud to be bringing the third annual Worlds Series of Mahjong tournament to Macao in August. It is the first, largest and the only true championship mahjong tournament in the world. Hosting this prestigious event is part of our continuing commitment to bringing world class sporting and entertainment events to Macau,” said Mr. Mark Russell, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel.

The Venetian® Macao will work hand in hand with World Mahjong Limited to promote and support the annual World Series of Mahjong. In addition, The Venetian® Macao will sponsor a new qualifying series of tournaments this year, “The Venetian® Macao Mahjong Tour”, which includes events in Taipei, Tokyo and Sydney. The Taipei tournament will be on March 20, 2010 with the final dates for Sydney and Tokyo to be confirmed. The top eight finishers in each qualifier will be entitled to free entrance to the 2010 WSOM Main Event, plus complimentary travel and accommodation at The Venetian® Macao.

“I have been waiting anxiously to play in the WSOM again. The last event was a dream for me. Nothing could be compared to the excitement of matching my skills against all the good players from different parts of the world. I have made very good friends with some of the players after the event.  Also, I have been spreading the good words about WSOM to all my fellow mahjong friends. We are planning to participate in the tournament together and I will beat them at the mahjong table this year!” said Mr. Alex Ho Kwok-hung, the champion of WSOM 2008.

Champion of Second World Series of Mahjong, Mr. Alex Ho

The WSOM features the world’s best mahjong players from around the world competing for cash prizes in the exciting tournaments being held annually in Asia’s gaming capital. Given the diversity of mahjong rules as played in Asia and other parts of the world, the WSOM employs a simplified rule and scoring system that is fair to all, simply and easy to learn, systematic and consistent, and emphasizes the playability of the game as a competition of skill. A detailed description of The World Series of Mahjong Rules® is available at www.wsom168.com.

The WSOM was created by World Mahjong Limited in 2006.  The principal partners and management team are international media veterans and entertainment industry practitioners. Headquartered in the Greater China Region, World Mahjong Limited organizes major, high-quality international sports and entertainment events. Details about the event – enrolment, format, rules and scoring system– are available at www.wsom168.com.