Professional Organizations

Professional organizations are designed to be a home for those searching to play the game at the highest levels, as well as participating in some of the most intense competitions available in the United States and around the world. There are currently two major professional organizations are available for players in the United States to engage with

Saikouisen USA

Saikouisen Nihon Pro Mahjong Kyoukai (最高位戦日本プロ麻雀協会) is one of the longest-running mahjong organizations in Japan. After starting as a competitive tournament series in 1976, it evolved into a professional mahjong organization in 1985 and now has branches throughout Japan. Saikouisen USA was established in 2024 to spread competitive mahjong to the United States. This new branch of Saikouisen will be hosting its professional mahjong test in the United States for the first time on October 26 and 27, 2024 with proctors from Japan. Saikouisen USA currently makes all of its announcements through its official Discord server (https://discord.gg/EfECjc58zr) and its main point of contact is Kenji Baba (riichimjcentral on Discord).

World Riichi Pro

Founded in 2014, the World Riichi Championship (WRC) has built the premier international mahjong championship for amateur and professional players alike, as well as championing the standardized WRC Riichi mahjong ruleset. This year, the World Riichi Championship Committee will be offering the first worldwide professional player certification offering the following benefits:

  • Exclusive study events and coaching opportunities with experienced professionals.

  • Eligibility for pro events, offline and online, including select tournaments in Japan held by our partner organisations - Japan Professional Mahjong League (JPML) and Nihon Pro Mahjong (NPM).

  • Dan-i or ranking system to mark your progression and achievements.

  • Community of like-minded individuals and a support network to help your game.

More information is available on the WRC Professional Program website (https://www.worldriichi.org/become-a-pro)

The US point of contact for this organization is David Bresnick of USPML