Tournament Report
Wow, what a day! 6 tables, 6 hanchan, 7 Yakuman!
Check out the updated Hall of Yakuman here: https://didcot.riichi.page/hall-of-yakuman/
Thank you to all who came to support this small tournament, it was great fun to host and great to see lots of smiling faces playing something a little different! Aside from a small planning error regarding provided refreshments and some missing scoring sheets, all in all the event was relatively smooth sailing. As the ref, I ended up having to substitute in for a missing player, but in the end it was for the best since I had wanted to play anyway and I even made it to the podium! Congrats to George for taking the first place prize – Small trophy and a custom SanMatsuri 2026 riichi stick – and to Tomato for coming second (and also agreeing to join the tournament last minute!).
Final scores are shown below:
It was great to see a turnout of 72% coming from the Didcot club (regulars), with 7 players playing in their first tournament ever. While I know this tournament was a little bit different, and slightly more relaxed, I hope that it was good fun to take part in, and that more Didcot club members will be up for joining EMA tournaments soon!
Thanks again everyone, it was a great honour and pleasure to host the event. Thanks to Martin Lester for lending us all the sets and mats for the tournament, George Twigg for his tournament intro presentation, and to The Barn for providing us access to their hall and feeding us some tasty lasagne. Thanks as well to Rita for taking time out of her day to help with administration and photography! With that, please see the player gallery below. Players who expressed an interest in being anonymised or covered have been edited as such, if there is a mistake or if anyone else would like to be removed, please reach out directly.
The Didcot Riichi Mahjong Club is happy to announce its first ever tournament being held at our club venue in Didcot on September 12th 2026!
SanMatsuri is a one-day, 6 hanchan sanma (3-player) tournament using a modified / extended EMA 2025 ruleset.
The player count will be limited to 45 (soft cap) but can be extended to 60 depending on set borrowing.
The aim is to provide a semi-competitive event filled with laughs, explosive wins, and taste of something different to UK Riichi players who may play sanma on occasion either in person or online.
This is the first tournament Didcot Riichi Mahjong Club has ever held, and we will be doing our best to make sure things run smoothly, though we hope that you will be able to support us where possible in ensuring everyone attending has a great day of mahjong!
The cost of the tournament will £20 including lunch. Other Drinks and Snacks will be available at the bar payable to the venue.
Schedule: Saturday 12th September
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Registration |
| 10:30 – 10:40 | Briefing |
| 10:40 – 11:25 | Hanchan 1 |
| 11:45 – 12:30 | Hanchan 2 |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch |
| 13:30 – 14:15 | Hanchan 3 |
| 14:35 – 15:20 | Hanchan 4 |
| 15:40 – 16:25 | Hanchan 5 |
| 16:45 – 17:30 | Hanchan 6 |
| 17:50 – 18:15 | Awards / Closer |
For those who wish to stay a little later for drinks and food, these are available in the restaurant area after the tournament at your own expense.
Venue & Travel Info
We will be playing in the event hall of our usual venue, The Barn, Foxhall Road, Didcot, OX11 7AD.
Free Parking is available for up to 40 cars, with 2 disabled spaces, if you are driving please be sure to use all spaces available leaving disabled spaces for those who need them. However, if there are no spaces then larger paid parking spaces are available opposite the train station or in the multistorey behind the train station, both short walks away from the venue.
If you are travelling by train or bus, Didcot train station (and bus terminal) / Station Road bus stop is a short walk away (6-9 mins) with regular services.
Well priced drinks and food are served at the bar area, accessible from within the hall, as well as from the restaurant area. Alcoholic drinks can only be served from 11am onwards. There are also small shops within 10 minutes walking distance from the venue.
Accommodation Info
For those who wish to stay in a hotel prior to the event, there is a Premier Inn and Courtyard by Marriott approximately 18 minutes away by bus (X24) to the venue.
Additional Rules for the tournament:
Bonus Penalties
Any player who accidentally does a chombo or deals into a Yakuman will get a special hat that must be worn for the remainder of the event.