Street Talk: Chan Tak-kwan, World Series of Mahjong champion
Chan Tak-kwan is the current World Series of Mahjong champion. He tells Yanis Chan how he defeated 200 players from more than 10 countries last August to claim the title and take home $180,530 in prize money.
HK Magazine: How did you get into mahjong?
Chan Tak-kwan: When I was a kid I used to enjoy playing with the tiles, especially at banquets. I often used to watch my neighbors playing. It’s what people did back in the day to kill time. I am self-taught: Every loss is a lesson you literally have to pay for.
HK: What were you doing before winning the title?
CT: I was, and am still doing, furniture sales. My life hasn’t changed much, because the cash prize was a lot less than the previous two years: it used to be US$500,000. That’s because the year I won, the prize was linked to player numbers, which were low. Winning lots of money doesn’t guarantee a good future, right? I’m into photography though, and have been able to pick up some new equipment with the prize money.
HK: Did the competition look like it does in Cantonese movies such as “Kung Fu Mahjong” or “Fat Choi Spirit”?
CT: They are too dramatic! I have never seen players doing those kinds of weird cheating tricks. But in some ways my winning the competition might sound like a movie plot in that I was the dark horse, losing the first two rounds before coming from behind to ultimately triumph.
HK: What’s your best memory of the tournament?
CT: My friends self-financed themselves to join the WSOM just to keep me company, which was really nice of them. The best moment was that when I won the competition, they were there with me. They are the mahjong buddies I usually lose my money to!
HK: Did you hold any mahjong titles before this?
CT: No, and to be honest, I rarely win when I play with friends! But since claiming the title, I’ve been playing more because they keep challenging me. Winning or losing isn’t really a huge deal to me though, and we never bet big anyway.