JPML Update
It’s been a while since I reported on the Japan Professional Mahjong League (JPML). Besides being absolutely way too occupied with WSOM all summer, when I finally got back to Japan, JPML was on a break! Now, especially since our podcast updates are running a bit late (we are recording them), I’d like to take a few minutes to introduce the leagues running this month.
Starting with good ol’ Pro League, we started the second season of the 2010 year this month and Garthe and I still remain in D1. On top of that we both posted negative for this session and I will likely be missing the 2nd session for a business trip, so don’t expect too much from us on that front this season. On the other hand, our good friend Shintaro Konno posted a big positive in C1 to take 3rd place in the first session. Right behind him is Shin Kamimura, another guest columnist at RM.com. Also in A2 Hiro Yamada is in 2nd more than halfway through their year-long season, nearly 18 points ahead of 3rd place to give him a real chance at making it to the big show next year.
And speaking of A1, Makoto Sawazaki, who took 6th place at the WSOM this year, is in first place after 6 session with 240.7 points. This guy is unstoppable this year! He’s ahead of former Phoenix Cup Champion Yudai Maehara by 32 points, but the good news for both of them is that the top 3 make it to the finals to battle Naoki Setokuma, so they are both in great shape. Third place holds a meager 208.1 points.
Alright, enough about league. There is plenty of other news in JPML and one of those is the 10-Tier finals. The winner was Masato Horiuchi (if you listen to the podcast you’ll remember his name) but check out this final table: Yudai Maehara and Naoki Setokuma (plus 2 more people). That’s two of the last two Phoenix Cup holders. While I do envy Horiuchi’s title, I do not envy the games he had to play to get there. Congratulations.
Also over the weekend Garthe and I played in the North Kanto League. I opted out of the Pro-Amateur Open League this season and left that to Garthe. We both did well in the Pro League though, myself posting around 50 points. I’m not sure how much Garthe got since the report isn’t up yet, but I think he said it was around 40.
There are plenty more leagues going on with Champions League and Women’s League and I’ll report more on that next week as information comes in. For now, keep cheering us on!
