The 12th UK Open Riichi Mahjong Championship held on the 12th and 13th August 2023 was generally accepted to be very successful and most enjoyable. Sixty players from 10 countries filled the Masonic Hall in Godalming, Surrey, hoping to play well and to benefit from good luck whilst comforting themselves with good food and drink when disappointed.
For some, though, there was no disappointment, particularly in the case of Chris Endicott from Cambridge, who won 7 of the 8 Hanchan he played (3rd in the other), including taking an early lead at Hanchan 1 through the writer’s generosity. Never headed after that, he had an unbeatable lead at the start of Hanchan 8 and annoyingly consolidated his position with a Yakuman to finish.
There were three other Yakuman scores during the tournament, and many other impressive performances, with the prize winners being:-
| 1st | Chris Endicott | 244,300 pts |
| 2nd | Anton Chekanov | 132,900 pts |
| 3rd | Daria Ilina | 123,100 pts |
The popularity of this event and that hosted in Richmond in March means that we are looking forward to welcoming even more players to the Open next year and will probably need to find a larger venue.
