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Yesterday, I was in a Japanese online game (囲碁) forum and before a game started an opponent asked me:

あんた、マジできる？

I only know マジ as a colloquial way of emphasis, so I couldn't figure this out. Was he asking me if "I'm any good"? It also turned out that he was very bad at the game - to a degree where he probably didn't know the rules. Maybe he was asking me if I knew how to play?

Can someone please explain how the マジ fits in there?

Tilo
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This sentence is ambiguous, and can mean both of the followings.

  • Can you really play go?
    (マジ means really (not lying), できる means can play)
  • Are you (in fact) a very good player?
    (マジ means really (emphasis), できる means competent/good)

Before you play, if an opponent doubt you know the rule, he may say this in the first sense. After you showed your good go skill, the same opponent may praise you using this phrase in the second sense.

Well, if I were in the same situation, I might ask the meaning. — どういう意味ですか？ ルールを知っているかという意味ですか、上手かという意味ですか？

naruto
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If you know how it is used for emphasis, you should be aware of its meaning "seriously". This dictionary entry (one) has:

serious (not capricious or flirtatious)

There are two ways to interpret your line in question.

One is

Can you play seriously? (= Let's not go easy on each other)

The other is

Can you actually play? (=Do you even know how to play?)

Considering it was asked before a match, I would believe your opponent is asking the former, though it's not a good way of asking

Jimmy
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  • 個人的な感覚ですが「マジでできる？」なら「真剣に指せるか」の意味にとれますが、「マジできる？」はそういう意味にとれない気がします。 – naruto Jan 05 '17 at 02:45
  • @naruto 確か自分もこの書き方だと「本当に出来る？」になると思うけど、最近のインターネット上での書き方が色々省略するからねぇ…　うーん、深読みしすぎでしょうか？ – Jimmy Jan 05 '17 at 03:30