Sumo Game: News

Makuuchi Yusho:	M7 Andoreasu (11-4; 113 points)
Juryo Yusho:	J9 Sekihiryu (11-4; 107 points)
Makushita Yusho:	m49 Canapayama (14-1; 109 points)
Gino-sho:	M3 Kotononami (10-5; 116 points) M4 Randomitsuki (10-5; 116 points)
Kanto-sho:	M13 Kitachiyama (11-4; 111 points)
Shukun-sho:	not awarded

by Takanotaki, 2009/7/26

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Days 14 and 15

The fourth tournament of the year, the Nagoya Basho, is over with Hakuho defeating Asashoryu in an intense bout that deprived Kotooshu a playoff bout for the yusho. Age finally caught up with former Ozeki Dejima who retired after day 11 while Ozeki Kaio and Ozeki Chiotaikai continued to embarrass the rank with 8-7 records.

In Sumo Game, a five way tie for the lead going into the final day was reduced to three after EM11 Hironoumi and EM12 Kitahayate were defeated by their opponents on senshuraku. Of the three remaining competitors that improved to 11-4 it was WM7 Andoreasu who picked up his second Makunouchi yusho with his 113 points. EM13 Kitakachiyama finished with 111 points for the jun-yusho while Sekiwake Golynohana with 110 points also picks up the jun-yusho and puts himself in excellent shape to make a run at Ozeki in the fall. Sadly, Ozeki Tosahayate saw his chance to remove the kadoban label next to his name had his hopes dashed in a 10-10 tie against Sekiwake Huumi to fall to 7-8. Tosahayate who will be demoted to Sekiwake gets a chance to regain his rank should he get 10 wins next time around. In terms of special prizes, Kitakachiyama wins the Kantosho while both EM3 Kotononami and EM4 Randomitsuki were awarded the Ginosho for their 116 point performance.

In Juryo, EJ14 Bogdanyama who was 10-4 on the penultimate day of the tournament was matched against WJ1 Hakuryuken, also at 10-4. Bogdanyama was victorious and forced a play-off against WJ9 Sekihiryu who also defeated his opponent on the final day to improve to 11-4. However, Sekihiryu won the yusho based on superior point totals, 107 to 105. In Makushita, Em49 Canapayama was deprived of a perfect tournament record on day 14 but easily beat all comers in the division with a two match cushion to win the yusho.

Congratulations to all the winners and enjoy the rest of the summer!

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/26

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Day 13

Going into the final weekend of the Nagoya Basho 2009 at least one of the divisions already have a yusho winner while the other two are still very much in the air. In Makushita, Em49 Canapayama has turned what is usually a tough division to win, due to the high number of overall competitors, into a rout after putting together a three match lead over the field with two days remaining in the tournament. If Canapayama can hold out for two more wins he will become the first member in Sumo Game history to go 15-0!

In Makunouchi division, after 13 days, WM7 Andoreasu, EM12 Kitahayate and EM13 Kitakachiyama continue to fight it out for the yusho and are all 10-3. One match off the pace and still in a position to sneak in for a title are Sekiwake Golynohana, EM11 Hironoumi and WM13 Rupatengu. In Juryo, a log jam of wrestlers are sitting on top of the leader board hoping to still be there on senshuraku for a chance at the yusho. They include WJ1 Hakuryuken, WJ4 Gonzaburrow, WJ6 Otokomae, WJ9 Sekihiryu and EJ14 Bogdanyama.

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/25

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Day 12

On day twelve of the Nagoya Basho the leader board of the Makunouchi division fell into disarray as leader Sekiwake Golynohana saw his eight match winning streak snapped to fall to 9-3 allowing WM7 Andoreasu, EM12 Kitahayate, EM13 Kitakachiyama and WM13 Rupatengu to jump into the fray. Kadoban Ozeki Tosahayate finds his back against the wall after falling to 5-7 and must now win his remaining matches if he is to retain his rank for the fall tournament. In Juryo, WJ6 Otokomae, WJ9 Sekihiryu and EJ14 Bogdanyama are in a tight battle for the yusho going into the final three days. In Makushita, Em49 Canapayama continues to dominate the division and is flirting with Sumo Game's first zensho yusho.

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/24

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Day 11

Day eleven of the Nagoya Basho was one of the most exciting in several years. An upset of tournament co-leader Kotooshu by an aged Chiotaikai followed by an equally unlikely win of Kaio over a banged up Asashoryu led to a frenzied audience for the highlight bout of the day between heavy yusho favorite Hakuho and local hero Kotomitsuki. The match was intense and several times it looked as if Kotomitsuki was too deep into his grip to hold his balance but was finally able to push out the Yokozuna for a victory. As a result, Kotomitsuki has now pulled even with Hakuho and Kotooshu setting the stage for some real drama in the coming days.

For Sumo Game, however, all of the upsets over the heavy hitters was directly responsible for low scores across the board and dismal enough to be enshrined in the hall of fame for 'stinker' days at 4.31.

Among the leaders in Makunouchi division, only Sekiwake Golynohana was able to survive the carnage on the day to emerge from the ashes as sole leader at 9-2. One match off the pace is group four at 8-3. In Juryo, EJ14 Bogdanyama dropped his third match in a row to fall into a four way tie along with EJ4 Gonzaburrow, WJ6 Otokomae and WJ9 Sekihiryu who are all at 8-3. In Makushita, Em49 Canapayama opened a two match lead over the rest of the field and remains undefeated in the tournament at 11-0.

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/23

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Day 10

Day ten of the Nagoya Basho 2009 saw very high scores at 8.19 and became the third day this tournament to land in the top 25 highest scoring days list. A total of 24 participants were able to grab a perfect '10' to increase the overall average score for the tournament to 7.21. Co-leaders in the Makunouchi division was trimmed from five to four as WM13 Kitakachiyama was able to defeat WM7 Andoreasu in a close bout typical of day 10. Sekiwake Golynohana, WM12 Kitahayate and WM13 Rupatengu were also victorious to improve to 8-2 and pick up a kachikoshi.

In Juryo, EJ14 Bogdanyama was defeated on day 10 but remains the co-leader as his nearest competitors WJ4 Gonzaburrow and WJ6 Otokomae were also on the losing side of things. In Makushita, Em49 Canapayama increased his winning streak to ten to remain the only undefeated wrestler this tournament. One match off the pace is Wm21 Kyokuhagyo at 9-1.

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/22

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Days 8 and 9

After the long holiday the Nagoya basho 2009 saw a dramatic shift of the leader board in the Makunouchi division as most of the co-leaders after day seven could only put together a one win-one loss record since the last update. As a result, WM7 Andoreasu, EM12 Kitahayate and EM13 Kitakachiyama were able to hang on to a share of the lead at 7-2. However, a surging Sekiwake Golynohana who has put together a six match winning streak joins the yusho hunt along with WM13 Rupatengu who is riding a nice four match winning streak. On day 10 the highlight bout of the division will pit Kitachiyama against Andoreasu in a match guaranteeing one member a kachikoshi and put them in a better position for the title.

In Juryo, EJ14 Bogdanyama continues to lead the division even though he suffered his first defeat of the tournament on day nine. One match down are WJ4 Gonzaburrow and WJ6 Otokomae at 7-2. In Makushita, Em49 Canapayama is still perfect after nine days and remains sole leader while Wm21 Kyokuhagyo and Wm42 Gusoyama are within striking distance leader at 8-1.

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/22

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Day 7

Day seven of the Nagoya Basho 2009 saw the third highest score of all time at 8.81 as more the 50 members notched a 10 for the day. In sanyaku, nearly all were perfect for an average of 9.88 while across the board numerous bouts went down to a 10-10 tie break. The high scoring can be directly attributed to a rare day of late in sumo when all the Ozeki and Yokozuna are victorious. With both Kaio and Chiotaikai hanging on to there careers and putting together less than stellar performances or lapse in concentration by the other stronger competitors one usually expects an upset or two on any given day.

In Makunouchi, sole leader EM12 Kitahayate was handed his first loss of the tournament to fall into a four way tie with EM4 Radomitsuki, WM7 Andoreasu and EM13 Kitakachiyama who are all sitting on a 6-1 record. In Juryo EJ14 Bogdanyama continues to set the pace and remains undefeated at 7-0 with WJ6 Otokomae down a match at 6-1. In Makushita, Em49 Canapayama is hanging on to sole leadership at 7-0 going into nakabi.

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/19

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Day 6

On day six of the Nagoya Basho 2009 scoring was high yet again with an average for the day at 7.73. A total of eight wrestlers picked up a perfect score with Wm4 Kunliazuma defeating Wm6 Hokuromitsuki in a 10-10 tie break. In Makunouchi action, EM6 Kitahayate extended his winning streak to six matches to remain on top of the leaderboard. One loss off the pace are EM4 Randomitsuki, WM7 Andoreasu and EM13 Kitakachiyama. In Juryo, EJ14 Bogdanyama is still the sole leader at 6-0 with WJ6 Otokomae and WJ9 Sekihiryu a step behind at 5-1. In Makushita, Em49 Canapayama emerged the sole leader of that division at 6-0 with a sizable group at 5-1 waiting for Canapayama's first miscue to rejoin the yusho hunt.

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/18

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Day 5

Five days into the Nagoya Basho 2009, the leader boards of all three divisions have already started to take shape. In Makunouchi division, EM12 Kitahayate is now sitting all alone at the top with a perfect 5-0 mark with a small group four one loss down at 4-1. In Juryo, EJ14 Bogdanyama, who is also undefeated, has survived the early stages of the tournament to claim sole leadership. In Makushita, Em5 Qijuryu, Em27 Moyazhopa and Em48 Canapayama are co-leaders at 5-0.

Scoring for the day was high at 7.31, however, most participants dropped a point due to the upset of Yokozuna hopeful Harumafuji who unfortunately can almost kiss his promotion chances goodbye.

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/17

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Days 3 and 4

At the early stages of the Nagoya Basho 2009, Yokozuna hopeful Harumafuji has hit his first road block after losing to an old nemesis Kotoshogiku on day three. Although Harumafuji can sometimes lose in an upset to any rank and file rikishi, for some reason Kotoshogiku owns the Ozeki having nearly a two to one in head to head match ups. Harumafuji bounced back on day four with a shaky win and will have to bring his 'A' game for the remaining bouts considering how so many of the upper sanyaku wrestlers have looked impressive so far.

In Makunouchi division, EM4 Randomitsuki and EM12 Kitahayate are setting the pace with perfect 4-0 records, while in Juryo, WJ2 Leonishiki, WJ9 Sekihiryu and EJ14 Bogdanyama are also undefeated to lead in that division. In Makushita, five co-leaders are slugging it out at 4-0. Scoring thus far has been high with an overall average for the tournament at 7.03.

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/16

Nagoya Basho 2009 - Days 1 and 2

Welcome to the Nagoya Basho 2009! After weeks of a sumo 'off season', we hope everyone is ready for some exciting summer action. Naturally, all eyes are on Harumafuji as attempts to become the sports 70th Yokozuna. After surviving the jitters of shonichi, Harumafuji was brimming with confidence as he easily handled his opponent Iwakiyama. In fact, it almost looked as if he was skipping down the aisle way while returning to the dressing room. Barring a total collapse in confidence, Harumafuji should make this tournament interesting in the coming days.

In Sumo Game this tournament, we have a total of 160 participants with seven new comers entered. The banzuke this tournament is fairly well balanced with only a few kyujo's in the upper two divisions. In Sanyaku, only Ozeki Tosahayate is on the spot as he needs to pick up a kachikoshi to keep his rank and avoid falling to Sekiwake. Promotions for Yokozuna and Ozeki will be hard to come by this tournament, however, for several players, a good record could make promotions more likely in the fall.

Good luck to all and enjoy!

by Nushuzan, 2009/7/14