ANNOUNCEMENT
We are very excited to announce that World Riichi has formalised its arrangements with four major Japanese professional organisations. This is an opportunity for mahjong and our groups to grow even further and offer even more benefits to our members.
Today I am taking a moment to share my gratitude and appreciation for this man: Dave Bresnick, the man behind @USPML & the American side of @WorldRiichi 🀄️Most people don’t see the work this man has put into the US riichi mahjong community for YEARS & his efforts to support our players and their growth. I am blessed to have him as my friend and so honored that he would trust me to manage the Vegas leg of the M.LEAGUE x World Riichi US Tour & to appoint me as the US Director of WRL. We’ve got lots more to come, my friend!
M.LEAGUE x World Riichi 2026 U.S. Tour
全てのイベント日程が終了しました✨
色んな方と交流&麻雀出来て、色々な所に連れて行って貰えて、本当に良い思い出になりました。きっと一生残る思い出です😊
また2年後の世界麻雀で皆さんと再会出来ますように✨
ありがとうございました❣️
Following the recent M-League x World Riichi event, I would like to share a few reflections on my journey in Mahjong, my evolving perspective on the game, and the responsibilities of a professional player.
I would like to start with how I first became a fan of M-League. Three years ago, when I first started learning mahjong, I had this mistake of ponning every yakuhai pair regardless of how good or bad my hand is. And my coach said to me, you should go watch Takaharu Ooi’s commentary in Aiko Hinata’s video series “Mahjong no Takumi” (Artisans in Mahjong). His famous quote “if you want to win in mahjong, then you should not want to win in mahjong” first introduced the concept of offense-defense balance to me, but what’s more, I was amazed at how he was able to extract so much information from the discards. “I do commentary work, so I can express more of my thoughts than average pros, but I think I’ve only conveyed 50% of my thoughts in the videos”, as he said. What a remarkable person! Where can I watch more of his games? That’s how I found out about M-League, and naturally I became a fan of the team Shibuya Abemas.
Next I want to share with you why I like mahjong and why I like playing mahjong. Before mahjong, I was a competitive bridge player and Texas Hold’em player. There is this same concept of mangan cutoff, and vulnerable / invulnerable situation maps to mahjong’s dealer / non-dealer. The concept of offense-defense balance is the same as poker’s aggressor / defender. Being asymmetric information games, they share the same ultimate goal of approaching Nash Equilibrium, GTO. Mahjong is a four-player game, so unlike the standard poker heads-up situation where there’s one unique Nash Equilibrium point, there could be multiple Nash Equilibrium points, which leads to variance of play-styles. Last but not least, there is this mathematical beauty of the complex shapes. When I first got introduced to the shape 22334557 actually being 233457 ryanmen-kanchan + 25 wing shape pairs, I felt like I was looking at Mona Lisa: this kind of hidden and asymmetric beauty really fasinates me.
This analytical background, however, fostered a restrictive mindset. To me, mahjong has never been any sort of entertainment. Mahjong to me is an interesting math problem that needs to be researched and solved. And therefore, I used to think that M-League is a group of elite players exhibiting peak technical execution. I prioritized the game's purity while entirely neglecting its human element.
I was very strict with beginners. I used to say things like “why don’t you read these chapters in these books”, “why don’t you use NAGA more often”, and “why do you care about yakuman at all”. I felt absurd watching people laughing over the most unreasonable kan. But as the saying goes “with great power comes great responsibility”. I failed to recognize that engaging with the community is a fundamental task for professionals.
But observing the M-Leaguers interacting with the US fans profoundly altered my perspective. I remember on Saturday’s after hour event, Uchikawa-pro despite being very physically uncomfortable, still finished all the games and laughed and interacted with all the players. I remember some of the M-Leaguers despite being exhausted at the autograph session, when people come to ask for their autographs they immediately switch to smiling and passionately offering kind words. They demonstrated that professional responsibility extends far beyond technical mastery; it demands elevating and welcoming the community. Moving forward, my focus will not only be on refining my strategic skill, but also on cultivating the character required of a true professional.
I extend my sincere gratitude Dave for organizing this amazing event, and helping me become a better mahjong pro. Many thanks to other staff—Laura, Jenn, and so many others—and to the M-Leaguers for traveling all the way here. I’m looking forward to seeing you again in the 2028 New York WRC.
The WRPM folks haven’t been doing so great. 2-0 in football terms… but there’s three more matches to go.
Come join us for the come back!
https://t.co/ZdnbBkfWqx
(日本語は下方にあります)
Huge congratulations to Hei Pro for winning the table, and many thanks to Jim, Nate, Kelvin, and Kaiser for the amazing commentary!
As a member of JPML, I firmly support WRPM in bringing the pro Riichi experience to players around the world. I encourage everyone to follow and support their amazing work!
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改めて、Heiプロ、1位通過おめでとうございます!
そして広東語解説のKelvinプロ、Kaiserさん、英語解説のJimプロ、Nateプロも素晴らしい配信をありがとうございました!
連盟員として、こうした素晴らしい機会を創り出してくれるWRPMを全力で応援していきたいです。皆様もぜひ、今後のWRPMの発展を楽しみにしていてください✨
The M.LEAGUE x World Riichi US Tour arrived in New York City yesterday and the After Hours event was a night filled with exciting play! Our final event, the East Side Showdown, will stream live with commentary later today on our YouTube channel.
Riichi mahjong is so exciting in the US right now but we still have lots going on in other places! The WRC HK Cup is starting tomorrow and streaming on YT in English and in Chinese.
https://t.co/2WOJ9ZCufh