Road to Riverside - mock tournament - Saturday 6th September
Are you registered for Riverside Riichi, our European Mahjong Association (EMA) ranked tournament in October? Whatever the answer, if you want a taste of how a day at a riichi tournament might feel, in a lower stakes environment, this is the event for you!
- Where: Bristol Bridge Club
- When: Saturday 6th September - schedule below
- Who: see below
- Cost: free (lunch/snacks not provided)
- Signup required - form below
- Attendees accepted in groups of 4 only
- Initial player cap of 24 (may be expanded)
About the event
This will be a 4-hanchan tournament run to EMA Riichi 2016 rules.
The tournament will be run to the same standards as an EMA ranked tournament. We intend to use this as a rehearsal for Riverside Riichi and iron out any snags. In particular (and unlike our winter team events, for those who have attended those), penalties like dead hands and chombos will be applied according to EMA riichi rules.
Your club chair and co-chair, Tom and James, will be non-playing referees and substitutes.
No food or hot drinks are included with entry. I will liaise with the Bridge Club to ensure that hot drinks and snacks will be available or purchasable during break times. Water will of course be available. You may like to consider bringing your own lunch or scheduling an order through a food delivery app to arrive in the lunch break. There are also convenience stores and takeaways available in the surrounding Hotwells area.
Schedule
| 09:00 | Registration |
| 09:50 | Tournament briefing & Hanchan 1* |
| 11:30 | Break |
| 11:45 | Hanchan 2 |
| 13:15 | Lunch |
| 14:15 | Hanchan 3 |
| 15:45 | Break |
| 16:00 | Hanchan 4 |
| 17:30 | Pack away |
| 17:45 | Results and goodbyes |
| 18:15 | Close |
| Optional pre-booked dinner |
* You may receive a penalty to your tournament score if you are not present by 09:50 for the start of the briefing.
Who this event is for
This event is for you if:
- you’re interested in progressing to riichi tournament play and want a taste of what it feels like
- you already signed up for your first EMA tournament (maybe it’s Riverside Riichi!), but want a trial run to know what to expect
- you don’t fancy a ranked tournament, but would like a nice day of focused riichi
- you’re already a tournament player and you’re hungry for more!
As you might surmise, this event is not intended for complete beginners; however, you don’t have to be a professional!
The level required to play in this tournament is the same as that required to play in any EMA ranked tournament. The good news is that EMA tournaments have a strong emphasis on accessibility and being welcoming to newer players.
Before playing in this event, you should be able to:
- set up a hand (build walls and draw the initial hands)
- take your turn (draw, discard and make calls including riichi)
- win a hand (you know at least the common yaku and can declare a valid win)
- play to the furiten rule
- play at a pace close to the rest of the table (pausing to think is totally acceptable but this should not happen on every turn)
And you do NOT necessarily need to know:
- scoring - other players at the table can help you with this (or a referee, in a pinch)
- all the rare yaku
(Needless to say, learning the above will certainly help you in the long run!)
Transport and accommodation
Bristol Bridge Club is in the Hotwells area, about a 30 minute walk from the city centre, along the scenic Floating Harbour.
By public transport
Bristol’s main train station is Temple Meads, which is a 45 minute walk from the venue along the harbourside.
To skip the walk, the m2 and number 9 buses should get you to the venue in about 30 minutes.
You could also hire an e-scooter or e-bike using the Dott app and ride it along the relatively quiet Cumberland Road - just be sure to prepare the app in advance (you must submit your driving license to ride the scooters).
By car
Parking around the venue is limited but feasible (compared to Riverside Riichi, where the longer run time and higher attendee count means it was not feasible).
Hotwells has a few small local car parks. The fee is £1 per hour. The max stay is 4 hours, so you would need to plan to move your car at lunch. This Parkopedia link has more information.
Be aware that this lies within Bristol’s Clean Air Zone and that some vehicles incur a £9 daily charge - check at https://www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones.
Park and Ride is available from Long Ashton in southwest Bristol. (This is outside the Clean Air Zone.) Parking is free and the bus fare is £2.40 single. The m2 bus departs every 15 minutes and will deliver you to the Cumberland Basin bus stop in just 5 minutes. From there it’s a further 5 minute walk to the venue.
