Onwards and upwards! The biggest field ever assembled for the UK Riichi Open met on 2nd/3rd August to contest the fourteenth iteration of the event. With 72 players competing, it was also the largest field for any UK event, just pipping the Solihull event played in the Spring. The record won’t last long, though – it seems likely that Bristol’s first tournament in October will attract a full house of 80 players to set another new benchmark!
As luck would have it, the final hanchan pitted two of the leading contenders, Tom Pearson and Chris Endicott, together at table 15. This confrontation created the opportunity for others to come through the pack to snatch the top prize. However, none would prove close enough to do so, and Philip Bielby retained his third place overall by earning a 2nd place finish at his final table 1. In the battle for top spot, Tom Peason extended his narrow lead to take the title of UK Open champion, to add to his recent accomplishments of being the top performing UK player in both the most recent European and World riichi events. Quite a roll!