WOC 2015 Players
Yusuke Takanashi, winner 2009, 2010 and 2012
October 14th, 68 players plus a British reserve player have registered for the WOC in Cambridge. The list of players at the WOF official WOC website has been updated with players pictures and additional info.
The strongest team surely is the Japanese team. Yusuke Takanashi competed 3 times and won 3 times. Makoto Suekuni will want to keep the title he won last year. Junya Ito, third man on the Japanese team, well, he may be a WOC newbie, but he is a great player. After having won the OWC in 2013, I am sure he is eager to also win the WOC. The Japanese lady, Asuka Funatsu, won the Ladies title at the All Japan Championship last July. She definitely is in the race for the Female Championship at the WOC.
Takuji Kashiwabara (FRA) and Nicky van den Biggelaar (NLD) are the two seeded players who never reached the final. It's about time they did. Piyanat Aunchulee was a finalist two times, but never won. Maybe third time lucky?
Makoto Suekuni reinvented his 1997 Championship last year in Bangkok. Maybe one of the other two "Stone Age" Othello heroes, Marc Tastet and Imre Leader, can pull the same trick?
Good luck to all and I am sure we will all have a great time at the 39th WOC!
The strongest team surely is the Japanese team. Yusuke Takanashi competed 3 times and won 3 times. Makoto Suekuni will want to keep the title he won last year. Junya Ito, third man on the Japanese team, well, he may be a WOC newbie, but he is a great player. After having won the OWC in 2013, I am sure he is eager to also win the WOC. The Japanese lady, Asuka Funatsu, won the Ladies title at the All Japan Championship last July. She definitely is in the race for the Female Championship at the WOC.
Takuji Kashiwabara (FRA) and Nicky van den Biggelaar (NLD) are the two seeded players who never reached the final. It's about time they did. Piyanat Aunchulee was a finalist two times, but never won. Maybe third time lucky?
Makoto Suekuni reinvented his 1997 Championship last year in Bangkok. Maybe one of the other two "Stone Age" Othello heroes, Marc Tastet and Imre Leader, can pull the same trick?
Good luck to all and I am sure we will all have a great time at the 39th WOC!
Makoto Suekuni, winner 2014
WOC Finalists and Champions:
Brian Rose (USA): 1981, 2000 and 2001 (winner)
Imre Leader (Great Britain): 1983
Marc Tastet France): 1992 (winner)
Karsten Feldborg (Denmark): 1994
Makoto Suekuni (Japan): 1997 (winner), 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2014 (winner)
Ben Seeley (USA): 2002, 2003 (winner), 2004 (winner) and 2014
Michele Borassi (Italy), 2008 (winner) and 2010
Matthias Berg (Germany): 2009
Yusuke Takanashi (Japan), 2009 (winner), 2010 (winner) and 2012 (winner)
Piyanat Aunchulee (Thailand), 2011 and 2013
Seeded players:
A player is considered a "seeded" player when he / she has played in the semifinal of at least 1 of the last 10 World Othello Championships.
Yusuke Takanashi (Japan), winner 2009, 2010 and 2012
Makoto Suekuni (Japan), winner 1997, 2nd place 2003, 2004 and 2006, 3rd in 2009 and winner in 2014
Ben Seeley (USA): 2nd place in 2002, winner in 2003 and 2004, 3rd in 2006 and 2nd in 2014
Piyanat Aunchulee (Thailand), 3rd place in 2010, 2nd in 2011 and 2013
Nicky van den Biggelaar (Netherlands), 3rd place in 2011, 4th in 2012 and 2013
Michele Borassi (Italy), winner 2008, 2nd place 2010
Imre Leader (Great Britain): 2nd place 1983, 4th place in 1986, 3rd in 1988, 4th in 1994, 3rd in 2002, 4th place in 2010
Takuji Kashiwabara (France): 4th place 2002, 3rd place 2005
Matthias Berg (Germany): 4th place 2001, 3rd place 2007 and 2008, 2nd in 2009, 4th in 2011
Female Finalists:
Jiska Helmes (Netherlands): 2010 (winner)
Yoko Sano Rose (USA): 2011 (played for Japan)
Links: World Othello Federation WOC Cambridge registered teams and registered players and Othello News players page
Brian Rose (USA): 1981, 2000 and 2001 (winner)
Imre Leader (Great Britain): 1983
Marc Tastet France): 1992 (winner)
Karsten Feldborg (Denmark): 1994
Makoto Suekuni (Japan): 1997 (winner), 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2014 (winner)
Ben Seeley (USA): 2002, 2003 (winner), 2004 (winner) and 2014
Michele Borassi (Italy), 2008 (winner) and 2010
Matthias Berg (Germany): 2009
Yusuke Takanashi (Japan), 2009 (winner), 2010 (winner) and 2012 (winner)
Piyanat Aunchulee (Thailand), 2011 and 2013
Seeded players:
A player is considered a "seeded" player when he / she has played in the semifinal of at least 1 of the last 10 World Othello Championships.
Yusuke Takanashi (Japan), winner 2009, 2010 and 2012
Makoto Suekuni (Japan), winner 1997, 2nd place 2003, 2004 and 2006, 3rd in 2009 and winner in 2014
Ben Seeley (USA): 2nd place in 2002, winner in 2003 and 2004, 3rd in 2006 and 2nd in 2014
Piyanat Aunchulee (Thailand), 3rd place in 2010, 2nd in 2011 and 2013
Nicky van den Biggelaar (Netherlands), 3rd place in 2011, 4th in 2012 and 2013
Michele Borassi (Italy), winner 2008, 2nd place 2010
Imre Leader (Great Britain): 2nd place 1983, 4th place in 1986, 3rd in 1988, 4th in 1994, 3rd in 2002, 4th place in 2010
Takuji Kashiwabara (France): 4th place 2002, 3rd place 2005
Matthias Berg (Germany): 4th place 2001, 3rd place 2007 and 2008, 2nd in 2009, 4th in 2011
Female Finalists:
Jiska Helmes (Netherlands): 2010 (winner)
Yoko Sano Rose (USA): 2011 (played for Japan)
Links: World Othello Federation WOC Cambridge registered teams and registered players and Othello News players page
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With the latest players rating available, I recalculated my list of top teams based on WOF rating (October 23rd). Top 3 teams are Japan, Italy and USA. Note that teams with 3 players or more, but less than 3 with an official WOF rating, were excluded from the list.
Ranking of teams (best 3 WOF rated players)
Team Final Ranking WOC rules
The final ranking list used to determine the World Othello Team Champion will be drafted as follows: the officials will calculate for each team the sum of the points scored by its members (in case of a four players team, only the three best results will be used to calculate the sum), and the ranking list will be drawn up according to this sum. (If the host country has provided an additional player, the points scored by the designated additional player will not be taken into account if the team is already composed of at least three players). In case of a tie for first place, the country with the greatest number of games between members of its team shall be declared the champion. If two or more teams are still tied for first place, the team having the top player in the IFRL (using the final list, with MBS followed by disc-count being used to separate the contestants) will take preference. In case of a further tie, the team whose second-ranked player is higher in the IFRL will take preference. In case of a further tie, the tied teams will be declared equal.
The final ranking list used to determine the World Othello Team Champion will be drafted as follows: the officials will calculate for each team the sum of the points scored by its members (in case of a four players team, only the three best results will be used to calculate the sum), and the ranking list will be drawn up according to this sum. (If the host country has provided an additional player, the points scored by the designated additional player will not be taken into account if the team is already composed of at least three players). In case of a tie for first place, the country with the greatest number of games between members of its team shall be declared the champion. If two or more teams are still tied for first place, the team having the top player in the IFRL (using the final list, with MBS followed by disc-count being used to separate the contestants) will take preference. In case of a further tie, the team whose second-ranked player is higher in the IFRL will take preference. In case of a further tie, the tied teams will be declared equal.
