The Irish Riichi Championship 2026 will take place in Dublin, marking the first time Ireland’s national riichi mahjong championship is hosted in the capital.

This event brings together competitive players from across Ireland and abroad. Following two successful national championships in Cork, the 2026 edition represents a new milestone in the development of high-level riichi mahjong in Ireland.

We warmly welcome both Irish and international players to compete in one of Ireland’s premier Riichi events.

Tournament Format

This is an eight-hanchan open tournament played over two full days, following standard European Mahjong Association (EMA) Riichi Competition Rules (RCR).

This is not an entry-level or teaching event. Players are expected to have a solid understanding of riichi mahjong rules and standard tournament procedures, and to play without external assistance. We encourage newer players to gain experience through local meetups before participating. Check out our Meetup events here.

• Format: Round robin, 8 rounds
• Rules: EMA RCR (standard European Riichi tournament rules)
• EMA ranking: Results contribute to official EMA player ratings
• External assistance: Not permitted
• Scoring: Guide sheets will be provided; scoring is the responsibility of all four players at the table

Referee: TBC

EMA Observer: TBC

Venue: Dublin Business School – Castle House, 73/83 South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2

National Qualification

In addition to overall tournament standings, the three highest-ranked Irish players (living on the island of Ireland or holding Irish citizenship) will qualify for the subsequent All-Ireland Riichi Mahjong Championship Final (date to be announced).

They will face the reigning champion, Tramy Le, in the championship playoff.

Entry & Registration

• Standard Fee: €85

Group discount: 10% off for a pair, 15% off for a group of 3 (or more) – let us know the other member(s) by putting their email(s) in additional notes when you register.

The entry fee includes:

• Full tournament access
• Catering and snacks on both days

Payment via bank transfer or Revolut.

A limited number of reduced-entry places (€50) are available to low-income players. Please contact us confidentially to discuss.

The list of registered players will be published and updated regularly on this page.

Please note:

• Due to venue and catering commitments, refunds may not be possible for cancellations within the final two weeks before the event.
• We will make every effort to accommodate late registrations, but this may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis depending on capacity.

Where to Stay

Dublin has accommodation options for a range of budgets and travel styles, from hotels and private apartments to hostels and shared stays. Popular booking platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb are good places to start when planning your trip.

We’re also collecting information on more affordable accommodation options, including student residences available during the summer period, which may offer a convenient and cost-effective alternative for tournament attendees. Recommended options and booking links can be found below.

As Dublin can be busy during the summer months, we recommend arranging accommodation early where possible.

Griffith Accommodation: 15 minutes by bus to the tournament venue.

Trinity Accommodation: 8 minutes walk to the tournament venue.

Schedule

Saturday – 22 August 2026

• 08:30–09:00: Registration
• 09:00–10:30: Round 1
• 10:30–11:00: Break
• 11:00–12:30: Round 2
• 12:30–13:30: Lunch
• 13:30–15:00: Round 3
• 15:00–15:30: Break
• 15:30–17:00: Round 4
• 17:00-17:30: Break
• 17:30-19:00: Round 5

Sunday – 23 August 2026

• 08:30–09:00: Registration
• 09:00–10:30: Round 6
• 10:30–11:00: Break
• 11:00–12:30: Round 7
• 12:30–13:30: Lunch
• 13:30–15:00: Round 8
• 15:00–15:30: Closing Ceremony

Register now

Register via the form below. We’ll contact you with the fee payment instructions via email.

Registered Players

The post Irish Riichi Championship 2026 appeared first on All-Ireland Mahjong.

Results

Venue

The Crow’s Nest, Cork, Ireland

Overview

This will be an eight-hanchan open tournament over two days, playing to standard EMA riichi rules.

In addition, the three Irish players (living on the island of Ireland or holding an Irish citizenship) who rank highest in this tournament, will qualify for the subsequent All-Ireland Riichi Mahjong Championship finals (date to be announced later) where they will face the current champion, Conor Mullin.

Being an EMA ranked tournament, players will need to be able to play without any external assistance. Guide sheets will be provided for scoring, which is the responsibility of all four players.

Getting to Cork

Cork Airport has flights from several British airports, as well as major hubs such as Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris CDG. It’s a short bus ride (~€3, you can buy a ticket from the bus driver with cash) or taxi ride (~€20) from the airport into the city. Otherwise, Dublin Airport is 3 hours away from Cork City centre using Aircoach or GoBus services (~€21).

Where to stay

We are offering to rent student accommodations that are empty for the summer as a group, in the same building as the tournament’s venue (“Crow’s Nest”) or in a building less than a 5 minutes walk away (“Victoria Lodge”). The price will be €55 per person per night, for a single bed in an individual bedroom in a unit with a shared kitchen and living space (Victoria Lodge), or €120 for a double room (Crow’s Nest, price per room and not per person). This is easily the cheapest for an individual room in Cork. If you are interested in this, instructions to book will be included in the registration confirmation email.

Beyond that, Hotel accommodation in Cork is challenging. Affordable options include Sheilas Hostel for a place in a dorm or some AirBNB hosts. We strongly recommend booking as early as possible, as your options will shrink quickly.

Tournament details

Entry fee: €70 (access to the tournament, catering and snacks on both days, to be paid by bank transfer/revolut). Some entry places for low-income players are available at €40 – please contact us to discuss. Please note that depending on budget constraints we might not be able to offer a refund in case of cancellation in the last two weeks before the event.

IMPORTANT: we will make every effort to accommodate registrations until the last moment, but might need to review on a per-case basis for late registrations.

Registration: closed

Rules: EMA RCR (pdf, standard European riichi tournament rules)

Format: round robin, 8 rounds

Referee: Maksym Ivanov

EMA observer: TBD

Location: Transportation in Cork is heavily based on car, so we suggest looking for accommodation in walking distance (we do provide an affordable option in the same building, see “Where to stay”). We will also try to accommodate needs for lifts if possible.

Schedule:

Saturday:

• 8:30-9:00 registration
• 9:00-10:30 first round
• 10:30-11:00 break
• 11:00-12:30 second round
• 12:30-13:30 lunch
• 13:30-15:00 third round
• 15:00-15:30 break
• 15:30-17:00 fourth round
• 17:00-17:30 break
• 17:30-19:00 fifth round

Sunday:

• 8:30-9:00 registration
• 9:00-10:30 sixth round
• 10:30-11:00 break
• 11:00-12:30 seventh round
• 12:30-13:30 lunch
• 13:30-15:00 eighth round
• 15:00-15:30 closing ceremony

Registered players:

1. Sveta Yaremenko, Ukraine
2. Livey Irwin, Ireland
3. Sam Sleight, United Kingdom
4. Martin Schleimer, Ireland
5. Yucheng Gao, Ireland
6. Jonathan Matchett, Ireland
7. Katherine Horton, USA
8. Dean McCaffrey, United Kingdom
9. Duy Le, United Kingdom
10. Julia Soh, Ireland
11. Meghann McKeague, Ireland
12. Simon Picard, Ireland
13. Juraj Jergus, Slovakia
14. Mike Short, United Kingdom
15. Joaquín Padilla Rivero, Ireland
16. Robert Mason, United Kingdom
17. Ming Ying, United Kingdom
18. Zhiyu Zheng, Ireland
19. Siobhán Chen, Ireland
20. Ronan White, United Kingdom
21. Mark Wu, United Kingdom
22. Loraine Gray, United Kingdom
23. Bryan Manchez, France
24. Jokubas Markevicius, United Kingdom
25. Kenta Utsunomiya, Ireland
26. Alex Wilde, Ireland
27. Conor Mullin, Ireland
28. Virginie Pierre, Ireland
29. Tramy Le, Ireland
30. Sio I Liang, United Kingdom
31. Daniel Watts, Ireland
32. Maghnus Hartigan, Ireland
33. Benoit Dessort, France
34. Seth Camara, Other
35. Kim Wright, United Kingdom
36. Devi Steck, Switzerland
37. William O’Brien, Ireland

The post Irish Riichi Championship 2025 appeared first on All-Ireland Mahjong.

Results

Welcome, Mahjong Enthusiasts!

Get ready to shuffle tiles and chase that winning hand at the Riichi Mahjong Dublin Mini Tournament 2025! Whether you’re a tile-slinging pro or a curious newbie who’s just learned what “pon” means, this beginner-friendly bash on July 5, 2025, is your chance to dive into the addictive world of Japanese Mahjong. Expect a day packed with fun, strategy, and maybe a few triumphant “Riichi!” calls.

Brought to you by the Mahjong in Dublin community—a lively bunch of 300+ tile enthusiasts who’ve been spreading the Mahjong love since May 2024—we’re thrilled to host this event as part of the All-Ireland Riichi Mahjong network. Our mission? To create a warm, welcoming vibe where everyone, from first-timers to seasoned players, can laugh, compete, and maybe sneak a snack between rounds. Join us for a day of epic matches, new friends, and a whole lot of Mahjong magic!

Date & Schedule

Date: Saturday, 5th July 2025

Time: 12:00 PM – 8:30 PM (approximately)

The tournament will consist of 4 rounds (Hanchan), each lasting 90 minutes. There will be short breaks between rounds and a longer break after the 2 first rounds.

• Check in: 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
• Round 1: 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
• Round 2: 2:15 PM – 3:45 PM
• Main break: 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM
• Round 3: 4:45 PM – 6:15 PM
• Round 4: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
• Results & closing: 8:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Tournament Venue

Location: Board, 29 Clanbrassil Street Upper, Harold’s Cross, Dublin 8, D08 E1X9.

This is the cherished home of our regular Mahjong in Dublin Meetup group. While Board is a public café and not exclusively booked for the tournament (meaning we’ll be playing at designated tables within the lively café atmosphere), this choice of venue offers a uniquely laid-back, friendly, and familiar environment for all our players.

As one of our members aptly put it: It’s an unfair condition for everyone, which makes it fair for everyone. We embrace the charm and casual nature of our beloved meetup spot!

Registration Fee

Early Bird: €10 (Registrations and payments made before 15th June 2025)

Standard Registration: €15 (Registrations and/or payments made on or after 15th June 2025)

The fee helps cover organisational costs and contributes to the prize pool, and does not cover food and drinks on the day. Payment details will be provided upon registration.

Grand Prize

The champion of the Dublin Tournament will be rewarded with a free pass to the Irish Riichi Championship 2025 in Cork, scheduled for the end of August 2025. This prize is valued at approximately €70!

Important note: This prize is not applicable if the winner is already among the top 4 ranked players in the Irish Championship standings prior to this tournament.

Register Now!

Registration closed.

Supporters

Million thanks to our supporters!

The post Dublin Mini Tournament 2025 appeared first on All-Ireland Mahjong.

All-Ireland Mahjong’s first EMA-rated riichi tournament!

Thanks to everyone who attended our first EMA tournament.

Results

The post Irish Riichi Championship 2024 appeared first on All-Ireland Mahjong.

All-Ireland Mahjong’s first riichi tournament!

This was a seven-hanchan tournament over two days, playing to standard EMA riichi rules. As this was the first Irish tournament, it was not EMA-rated. This was to help provide a welcoming & enjoyable first tournament for our many new Irish players. Nevertheless, all players brought their best mahjong skills.

Here are the results: congratulations to Kathy Horton on a splendid win, which included six 1^st places and one 2^nd place in the seven hanchan.

* player withdrew due to illness after day 1
+ players withdrew after day 1 to balance the field to a multiple of 4 players

Thanks to the Cork blog Tripe & Drisheen for this write-up of the Cork Open 2023

The post Cork Open 2023 appeared first on All-Ireland Mahjong.