World Riichi Championship
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
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 August, 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
General qualification varies by country and association. Players from various nations refer to their national organization for qualification.
List of World Riichi Championships
Main event
| Year | Host country | Host city | Organizer | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Countries | Participants | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 |  France
|
Puteaux | Tri Nitro Tiles (TNT) |  Hiroshi Yamai (JPN)
|
Kazuhiko Nishijima (JPN)
|
Jun Nishikawa (JPN)
|
23 | 120 | |
| 2017 |  United States
|
Las Vegas | United States Professional Mahjong League (USPML) | Masaharu Tomotake (JPN)
|
Ryūichi Masuda (JPN)
|
Hiroyuki Yamada (JPN)
|
25 | 224 | |
| 2022 |  Austria
|
Vienna | Kasu | Keijun Nara (JPN)
|
Satoshi Fujisaki (JPN)
|
Valentin Courtois (FRA)
|
34 | 152 | [1] |
| 2025 | Japan
|
Tokyo | Japan Professional Mahjong League (JPML) | Kotaro Uchikawa (JPN)
|
Masaharu Tomotake (JPN)
|
 Junseok Yoon (KOR)
|
38 | 256 | [2] |
| 2028 | United States
|
New York City | TBA |
Team event
| Year | Host country | Host city | Organizer | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Teams | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Japan
|
Tokyo | Japan Professional Mahjong League (JPML) | .svg.png){kind=small}  Portugal/Spain
|
 China B
|
Japan Full National Team B
|
45 | [2] |
| 2028 | United States
|
New York City | TBA |
See also
References
- ^ "Welcome to the 2022 World Riichi Championship". Retrieved 2022-01-09.
- ^ a b "WRC | World Riichi Championship". 4th World Riichi Championship website. Retrieved 2025-07-07.