08-08-07

Mahjong Time (www.mahjongtime.com) has signed an exclusive agreement with The European Mahjong Association (EMA) to host the first ever Online Open European Mahjong Championship, to be held over the weekend of the 8th and 9th September 2007.

William Sutjiadi, CEO of Mahjong Time explained, “By hosting this exciting event and with others in the pipeline, Mahjong Time continues to break new ground and backs up its credentials as the most advanced, innovative, competitive and reputable mahjong site on the Internet.”

The move follows the company’s successful sponsorship of the land-based version - the Second Open European Mahjong Championship (OEMC) - held in Copenhagen earlier this year.

The format of the Online tournament will be based on the land version, with three rounds played on the Saturday, three on the Sunday and the top four players then competing in the seventh and final round to decide the Champion. Each round consists of 16 hands or 90 minutes of play, whichever comes first.

The EMA, which is the Official Partner of Mahjong Time, has given the company’s online tournaments formal status, meaning that a win in the tournament, is worth two ranking points in the Mahjong Online Ranking System (MORSE).

Uwe Martens, President of the EMA, added, “As part of our ongoing relationship with Mahjong Time, we are thrilled to be able to bring the first ever Online Open European Mahjong Championship to the blossoming online mahjong community and satisfy its growing appetite for regular tournament play.”