Sumo Game: News

Makuuchi Yusho:	M8 Gaijingai (11-4; 103 points)
Juryo Yusho:	J8 Jonannikoryu (11-4; 94 points)
Makushita Yusho:	m46 Wakatoryu (12-3; 99 points)
Gino-sho:	M12 Asashimaru (9-6; 105 points)
Kanto-sho:	M12 Asashimaru (9-6; 105 points) M13 Sashimaru (11-4; 100 points)
Shukun-sho:	not awarded

by Takanotaki, 2005/3/30

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 15

The final day of the Haru Basho saw some very intense competition. Both Komusubi Doitsuyama and WM8 Gaijingai won their elimination bouts and both WM2 Igiski and EM13 Sashimaru defeated their opponents to force a four way play-off for the Makuuchi yusho. However, Doitsuyama and Gaijingai each managed to score 103 points for the tournament and, unfortunately, Igiski and Sashimaru were only able reach the century mark. As a result of the first tie break rule both Igiski and Sashimaru were eliminated from the title run. With Doitsuyama and Gaijingai tieing in total points we have to drop down to the second tie break rule which considers the direct bout between the contenders during the competition as the deciding factor. On day 6 Gaijingai and Doitsuyama faced each other with Gaijingai the victor, therefore, Gaijingai picks up the yusho for the Haru Basho. His third of his career.

The Juryo yusho was much less complicated. With the losses of EJ2 Anjoboshi and WJ7 Toschima and the victory of EJ8 Jonannikoryu, Jonannikoryu pick up the yusho with an 11-4 mark.

In Makushita, we saw a three way tie with Wm46 Wakatoryu, Em51 Kazetoshi and Em68 Toonoryu, however, Wakatoryu picks up the Makushita yusho on total points with 99.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/28

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 14

As we approach the final of the Haru Basho we find the Makuuchi division in complete disarray as all three of the co-leaders lost today. We now have no less than six wrestlers with a chance to win the yusho. With the torikumi on Senshuraku pitting co-leaders EM7 Ekigozan against Komusubi Doitsuyama and WM8 Gaijingai against WM7 Mariohana a best case scenerio will have the winner of these two bouts in a playoff situation, however, if WM2 Igiski wins his match against WM12 Asahimaru and EM13 Sashimaru wins his match against WM3 Boltono we could have as many as four rikishi in the title hunt. In terms of total points which is the first level of tie breaker elimination Doitsuyama, Mariohana and Gaijingai each have 95 points and have the best chance of winning on total points.

In Juryo, EJ2 Anhoboshi, WJ7 Toschima and EJ8 Jonannikoryu are tied with a 10-3 record going into the final day and if it comes down to a tie break situation Toschima has the best chance of winning the yusho since he as a three point lead against the other co-leaders.

In Makushita, Wm46 Wakatoryu is in the best position to win the title since he is the only person with a 12-2 record after 14 days. However, if he should lose and Em70 Gorgoro should win, Gorgoro has three point lead over Wakatoryu in the event of a tie break and a nine point lead over all others with an 11-3 record.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/27

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 13

It's getting down to the final weekend of the Haru 2005 Basho and all of the divisions are wide open at this point. In Makuuchi co-leader WM8 Gaijingai lost to WM2 Igiski on day 13 and Komusubi Doitsuyama was upset by EM2 Yumezukuri. Igiski has now climbed into the yusho picture and finds himself at 10-3 with Doitsuyama and Gaijingai.

In Juryo, EJ2 Anjoboshi, WJ7 Toschima, EJ8 Jonannikoryu and E12 Metzinowaka are all at 9-4 and share the lead. Day 14 torikumi pits Metzinowaka against Toschima in a match that will most likely be an elimination match from the Juryo yusho.

In Makushita, Wm46 Wakatoryu is the sole leader at 11-2 but will have a tough match against Wm47 Osutoriajin (10-3) on day 14.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/26

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 12

On day 12 of the Haru Basho Makuuchi leader Komusubi Doitsuyama lost today allowing WM8 Gaijingai to pull even at 10-2. Yokozuna Kintamayama suffered his makikoshi eighth loss today. Kadoban Ozeki Takahike won today which puts him in a reasonable position to get his kachikoshi and retain his rank.

With the losses of all the co-leaders in the Juryo divison, we now have seven people tied with an 8-4 record. The torikumi for day 13 has several head-to-head match ups with this group so a clearer picture should emerge tomorrow. In Makushita, the leader Em68 lost today and is now in a three way tie with Wm46 Wakatoryu and Wm47 Osutoriajin for the yusho.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/25

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 11

In Day 11 action Komusubi Doitsuyama won again to go to 10-1 for the Haru Basho. He remains sole leader and is one match ahead of WM9 Gaijingai who is 9-2. Ozeki candidate Flohru lost today and slipped to 5-6 making it impossible to reach the required 31 wins in three touraments for Ozeki promotion. However, with a strong finish he can still put himself in a postion to try again in May.

In Juryo, leader WJ10 Heruwejima (8-3) lost today to EJ13 Kashunowaka (7-4) and now finds himself in a three way tie with WJ7 Toschima and early leader EJ12 Metzinowaka. In Makushita Em68 Toonoryu improved to 10-1 and has a one match lead over a dwindling pack of five other wrestlers.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/24

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 10

Scoring for day 10 was off again today, at 5.84, with the loses of four of the ten most selected rikishi including heavily favored Kaio. With five days left and the toughest days for picks ahead it looks like the Haru Basho is settling in to be one of the lowest scoring tournaments.

In the top division today, Komusubi Doitsuyama continues to impress at 9-1 and has a one match lead over WM7 Mariohana and WM8 Gaijingai. In Juryo, E12 Metzinowaka lost his second match in a row and has now fallen out of the top spot allowing WJ10 Heruwejima to take over sole leadership. In Makushita, Em68 Toonoryu is 9-1 with 6 others wrestlers at 8-2.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/23

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 9

With the losses of WM8 Gaijingai and WM12 Asashimaru on day 9, Komusubi Doitsuyama finds himself as sole leader once again this Haru Basho. Yokozuna Kintamayama continues to stuggle this tournament and is now sitting on a 3-6 record. Kadoban Ozeki Takahike has a 4-5 record after 9 days and now must four of his last six matches to retain his rank.

In Juryo, long time leader EJ12 Metzinowaka lost today and WJ10 Heruwejima won to pull even with a 7-2 record. In Makushita, newcomer Em68 Toonoryu became the top dog at 8-1 with 11 wrestlers one match behind including Em70 Gorgoro who will face Toonoryu tomorrow in an important head-to-head match up.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/22

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 7

Scoring for day 7 was very high with an overall average of 7.47 and five wrestlers were able to notch perfect scores. In Makuuchi today Komusubi Doitsuyama(6-1) continues to co-lead with WM8 Gaijingai and WM12 Asashimaru. In Juryo, EJ12 Metzinowaka who is also 6-1 has a one match lead over the rest of the field. In Makushita, the leader Em66 Hakuhohana lost his first match of the Haru Basho and now finds himself in a group with nine wrestlers at 6-1.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/20

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 6

Day 6 of the Haru Basho saw a spirited battle between the leader of the Makuuchi W Komusubi Doitsuyama and WM8 Gaijingai. Gaijingai won the match in a tie breaker and as a result there are now six wrestlers with a 5-1 record. Yokozuna Kintamayama was able to stop a three match losing streak today but is still struggling with a 2-4 mark.

In Juryo action, EJ12 Metzinowaka finds himself on top after all of the other co-leaders lost today. In Makushita, Wm66 Hakuhohana remains the only undefeated wrestler after the first 6 days and is followed by a large group with one loss each.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/19

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 5

Day 5 saw a major shake up of the leader board as W Komusubi Doitsuyama emerged as the sole leader with the loses of WM7 Mariohana and EM12 Heikotoriki. In Juryo, WJ12 Mainomi dropped to 4-1 and now finds himself in a 4 way tie with EJ7 Atogo, WJ7 Toschima and EJ12 Metzinowaka. In Makushita Em66 Hakuhohana was the only wrestler go to 5-0 and is now followed closely by a huge pack at 4-1.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/18

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 4

With the kyujo of Kasuganishiki and Kotoryu on day 4 and the fact the nearly all participants picked Asashoryu (98%) to win easily over his opponent, there were many close matches today. Scoring, however, was still barely above average at 6.77. Em2 Andoreasu managed to put together a perfect day today with an easy 10-7 win over his opponent.

In the top division WK Doitsuyama, WM7 Mariohana and EM Heikotoriki continue to lead and remain perfect. WM7 Mariohana picked up a Kinboshi today in an upset win over Yokozuna Kintamayama. Sekiwake Flohru dropped his second match in a row which is making his Ozeki promotion more difficult in the coming days. Ozeki Takahike who is kadoban this tournament is also 2-2 and needs to start putting together a nice winning streak to keep his rank.

In Juryo WJ11 Mainomi took over sole lead of and is now followed closely by a pack of 8 others with a 3-1 mark. Makushita also saw a significant reduction of co-leaders and now has 9 members with a 4-0 mark including Wm37 Kikishiki who won the Makushita title in Nagoya 2004.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/17

Haru Basho 2005 - Day 3

Scoring picked up today with an overall average of 6.43. It is not exactly a record breaking number but at least an improvement over the first couple of days. In Makuuchi, Yokozuna Kintamayama surrendered his first kinboshi to WM1 Hamanoyama. Kintamayama is off to a slow start this Haru Basho and is now 1-2. WK Doitsuyama, WM7 Marinohana and EM12 Heikotoriki are still perfect after three days and share the lead.

In Juryo, four wrestlers are still undefeated including WJ2 Sunibono who will visit Makuuchi division on day 4. As usual, it is still to early to tell how Makushita will shake out as we still have 19 at 3-0.

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/16

Haru Basho 2005 - Days 1 and 2

Welcome to the Haru Basho 2005. This tournament we have a grand total of 192 participants with 22 newcomers to the game. If Sumo Game keeps growing at this rate, we might need another division in the near future!

As most already know by now, we are honored to have a new Yokozuna this tournament with the promotion of Ozeki Kintamayama. Sumo Game has been without a grand champion since Kyushu 2003 when Kirinoumi announced his retirement so these are very exciting times. (As a sidebar, the kinboshi now becomes a statistic with real meaning again). Another story to follow this tournament is E Sekiwake Flohru who stands an excellent chance of being promoted to Ozeki if he can finish with 10 or more wins. He managed to win in the first two days, so he is in good shape so far.

The Haru Basho itself has gotten off to an interesting start with two upsets in two days against Sekiwake Hakuho. Kotooshu, the talented Bulgarian rikishi, has also failed to win as well. As a result of heavy play on these two rikishi and the slow start of Ozeki Tochiazuma, scoring has been very low. In fact day one scoring, 4.43, was the lowest of any opening day.

Good luck, and have fun!

by Nushuzan, 2005/3/14