WRC Announces More Quota Seats

So far only the players of countries in the European Mahjong Association have had any clarity on their chances of reaching the big event in Vienna next year. The World Riichi Championship have finally announced some more seats via their website, providing information for several other countries and regions.

The sum of these is still far short of the 200 seats scheduled for the full event. We know there are some seats not included in this quota that were won through one of the four WRC qualifiers held in France, London, Salt Lake, and Melbourne. We can also expect some special invitations by the WRC group itself to particular individuals.

It is only conjecture that the lion’s share of these yet unannounced seats have been set aside for the Japanese professionals. If true, that would make a tough playing field for non-Japanese players to hit the final tables, having to knock out professional players at each table to make it to the cut.

Gemma Sakamoto, President of WRC, was coy when asked. But promised that interest from Japan had exceeded expectations and that had delayed a final number and list being confirmed. She continued, “I think this will be the toughest field for the WRC to date. I recommend those that qualify don’t rest on their laurels; they’re going to need to train hard to get to the top tables next year.”

If you cannot see your region or country on here, you are encouraged to contact WRC through their contact form.