Sixteen players, four tables rarin' to play and forced to say "cheese" for some cheesy interloper named Sloper. (^_^)
Faithful readers may recall that I've written about this parlor before. Originally the parlor was named Janyou. Then the parlor changed hands and was renamed Tokyo Kaikan. Well, in late 2009 the parlor changed hands again, and on November 1, the new owners held a tournament to celebrate the occasion. The new owners say they'll probably change the name again, but haven't decided yet on the new name.*
Sixteen players, four tables rarin' to play and forced to say "cheese" for some cheesy interloper named Sloper. (^_^)
Photo opp interruption finally over, the players settle into some serious play. Nice-looking parlor, ne?
Each game took about one hour. At the end of the first game, Steve Sera was at the top of his table, but his luck left him after that. Ricky was #2 at his table at the end of the first game, #1 at the end of the 2nd game, and won his table in the first round.
The tournament was elimination-style. After the first round, half the players went on to the second round. The top four then played one another for the final round.
The top 8 players at the end of the first round, going on to the 2nd round: Matsuki-san, Ricky, Ryou-san, Seigo-san, Ikeda-san, Tetsu-san, Chief, and Yasu-san. The top 4 players who played in the final round: Seigo-san, Tetsu-san, Ikeda-san, and Ryo-san. Overall winner: Ryo-san.
* In 2014, I happened to be passing by the intersection of Western and Carson, and so went to have a look at the storefront. I'm guessing that the mahjong parlor is still inside (I didn't get out of my car), and its name now is Nago-ya. The address is 1648 G Carson Street, Torrance CA 90501.
