Southeast Michigan Riichi is proud to announce the second Great Lakes Riichi Open, a tournament for the riichi community of the midwest (and beyond). Come join us for a fun weekend of mahjong! Currently awaiting ARA Ceritification.
Event Information
Dates: October 25-26, 2025
Venue Location: R U Game, 1345 E Michigan Ave, Saline, MI (near Ann Arbor). If you plan to fly in, please note that the location is approximately 25 miles from the DTW airport.
Hosts:
- Head Judge: Steve Augustin
- Tournament Organizer: Hannah Zhou
- Event Staff: Dylan Boyd, Doc Beach, Brian Tseng, Andrew Sasinowski
Registration
Entry fee: $50 (via Venmo, with alternate options available upon request)
Attendance cap: 64 players
Instructions: Please use this Google Form to register! The Venmo tag for entry fee payment is included in the form. Waitlist information will be added here if the need arises.
Discord server: Join the event server for links to pairings and standings and to coordinate with fellow players!
Rules
Ruleset: The GLRO will use the 2025 WRC rules with the following optional modifications:
- Red Fives (Mod 2.1)
- 30/10 Uma (Mod 4.1)
- Kazoe Yakuman (Mod 4.4)
- Lower Penalties (Mod 6.3)
Time alotted per game: 75 min + 0
Food and Lodging
Food: Water, coffee, and snacks will be provided. This event will not be catered, but there are a number of lunch options nearby the venue.
Lodging: There are several affordable hotel options around the venue and in Ann Arbor. We recommend comparing rates before making a decision – noting that rideshare in this area isn’t too expensive.
Prizes
Cash prize: If we hit the 64 entrant cap, we plan to offer $500 in cash prizes, split 200/150/100/50 for 1st through 4th place. If we end up under the cap, this amount will be adjusted accordingly.
Awards: Trophies for 1st through 4th place, and conditionally (50+ players) medals for 5th through 8th place. Additional swag is planned.
Tournament Format and Schedule
Format: 7 hanchan scramble followed by a top 4 cut. Top 4 will play a two hanchan final bracket, while all other players continue with two additional games of scramble to determine final placements of 5th and lower.
Schedule
| Day 1 (Oct 25) | Day 2 (Oct 26) |
|---|---|
| 8:30 am - Check in opens | 8:30 am - Check in opens |
| 9:00 am - Announcements | 9:00 am - Announcements |
| 9:30 am - Hanchan 1 | 9:30 am - Hanchan 6 |
| 11:15 am - Hanchan 2 | 11:15 am - Hanchan 7 |
| 12:45 pm - Lunch | 12:45 pm - Lunch |
| 2:00 pm - Hanchan 3 | 2:00 pm - Finals 1 / Hanchan 8 |
| 3:45 pm - Hanchan 4 | 3:45 pm - Finals 2 / Hanchan 9 |
| 5:30 pm - Hanchan 5 | 5:30 pm - Awards |
| Until 10pm - Free play | Until 10pm - Free play |
Participant List
| No. | Name | ARA ID | Club Affiliation | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | eviltaxi | QNAQN | Pacific Mahjong League | x |
| 2 | Takahiro Sakurai | EQ9AE | Chicago Area Mahjong | x |
| 3 | Kathy Horton | NKWDN | Riichi Mahjong Columbus | x |
| 4 | Allen | 8E7RN | Philly Mah-Jawn | x |
| 5 | Edward Z | N6W9E | Philly Mah-Jawn | x |
| 6 | Kate D | EG96E | Boston Meowjong | x |
| 7 | syoro | E8JPE | Philly Mah-Jawn | x |
| 8 | Ean T. | EGRLM | Riichi Mahjong Columbus | x |
| 9 | Bret | E7WPP | Chicago Area Mahjong | x |
| 10 | Carter | EBRAE | SEMI Riichi | x |
| 11 | Carter P | NAJRD | Chicago Area Mahjong | |
| 12 | Skyler Ulmet | E8JAR | SEMI Riichi | x |
| 13 | Michael Kriz | NLDPA | Riichi Mahjong Columbus | x |
| 14 | Andrew S | EJBRE | SEMI Riichi | |
| 15 | Brian Wen | E9WME | ||
| 16 | Airi | NW9RN | DC Riichi Mahjong | x |
| 17 | John Boucher | E96MN | Riichi Mahjong Columbus | x |
| 18 | Max | NDP7N | Riichi Nomi NYC | x |
| 19 | djq | ERJ67 | Chicago Area Mahjong | x |
| 20 | Abdurrafay A | SEMI Riichi | x | |
| 21 | Aaron | EJQG8 | SEMI Riichi | x |
| 22 | Dylan B | N68PN | SEMI Riichi | |
| 23 | Rizeng Z | 8NKDE | Seattle Riichi Mahjong Club | |
| 24 | Kyuu | NKKQN | Chicago Area Mahjong | x |
| 25 | Oliver K | NDMLE | Queen City Riichi | x |
| 26 | Rithishwar S | SEMI Riichi | x | |
| 27 | Ryan P | SEMI Riichi | ||
| 28 | Eian D | NW7WG | SEMI Riichi | |
| 29 | Quincy H | NPR7N | Riichi Nomi NYC | |
| 30 | Ryan | SEMI Riichi | ||
| 31 | Mirby | NL77E | Philly Mah-Jawn | x |
| 32 | Shen | NPWDR | x | |
| 33 | Maxwell H | NA868 | Space City Riichi | x |