World Riichi Championship
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The World Riichi Championship (WRC) is a worldwide competition of Japanese Mahjong (also known as riichi) held every 3 years since 2014. The competition is nominally open to people of all ages, men and women alike. Participants generally consist of Japanese professional Mahjong players and foreign amateur players selected by national organizations from Europe, North America, and elsewhere around the world.
History
[edit | edit source]The first edition of WRC was organized by two brothers, Quentin and Valérian Thomas, founders of Tri Nitro Tiles (TNT), a French Riichi Mahjong Club in 2014.
On July 16–20, 2014, the 1st Championship was held in the Mairie de Puteaux (city hall), in the Paris, France region.
The second edition was organized by the United States Professional Mahjong League (USPML) in 2017. On October 4–8, 2017, the WRC was held at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The third edition was hosted in Vienna, Austria. The original date was in 2020, but concerns over the coronavirus pandemic prompted planners with postponement. The third edition was finally held at the Intercontinental Hotel Vienna in Vienna, Austria on August 25-28, 2022.
The fourth edition was held at Nihombashi Mitsui Hall in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan on July 1-6, 2025, organized by the Japan Professional Mahjong League (JPML), and specially sponsored by Earth Corporation as part of the business for its 100th anniversary. Team event was introduced from this edition.
The fifth edition will be held in New York City in 2028. Details to be Announced.
Qualification
[edit | edit source]General qualification varies by country and association. Players from various nations refer to their national organization for qualification.
List of World Riichi Championships
[edit | edit source]Main event
[edit | edit source]| Year | Host country | Host city | Organizer | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Countries | Participants | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | File:Flag of France.svg France | Puteaux | Tri Nitro Tiles (TNT) | File:Flag of Japan.svg Hiroshi Yamai (JPN) | File:Flag of Japan.svg Kazuhiko Nishijima (JPN) | File:Flag of Japan.svg Jun Nishikawa (JPN) | 23 | 120 | |
| 2017 | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Las Vegas | United States Professional Mahjong League (USPML) | File:Flag of Japan.svg Masaharu Tomotake (JPN) | File:Flag of Japan.svg Ryūichi Masuda (JPN) | File:Flag of Japan.svg Hiroyuki Yamada (JPN) | 25 | 224 | |
| 2022 | File:Flag of Austria.svg Austria | Vienna | Kasu | File:Flag of Japan.svg Keijun Nara (JPN) | File:Flag of Japan.svg Satoshi Fujisaki (JPN) | File:Flag of France.svg Valentin Courtois (FRA) | 34 | 152 | [1] |
| 2025 | File:Flag of Japan.svg Japan | Tokyo | Japan Professional Mahjong League (JPML) | File:Flag of Japan.svg Kotaro Uchikawa (JPN) | File:Flag of Japan.svg Masaharu Tomotake (JPN) | File:Flag of South Korea.svg Junseok Yoon (KOR) | 38 | 256 | [2] |
| 2028 | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | New York City | TBA |
Team event
[edit | edit source]| Year | Host country | Host city | Organizer | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Teams | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | File:Flag of Japan.svg Japan | Tokyo | Japan Professional Mahjong League (JPML) | Portugal SpainPortugal/Spain | ChinaChina B | JapanJapan Full National Team B | 45 | [2] |
| 2028 | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | New York City | TBA |
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