Sumai Agent presents Yokohama BC Count9 Battle 2026 has come to a close.
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who was part of it.
Thank you
To the players
Three players had to withdraw on the day, for reasons such as illness, but 61 players gathered at POOL LABO in Yokohama and gave everything to the game.
The whole committee was deeply moved by what we saw.
Even as the schedule ran far behind, you kept your focus to the very end. Thank you, truly.
The final
With the schedule running far behind, the final was fought between Yuichi Wada (Alvis) and Manabu Yamazaki (BanBan Inage).
It was a match well worth watching.
Final review: Yuichi Wada (Alvis) vs Manabu Yamazaki (BanBan Inage)
After a long day that began in the morning, the two who reached the final were Yuichi Wada of Alvis, and Manabu Yamazaki of BanBan Inage, who travelled all the way from Chiba.
[Track 1] Wada breaks.
He pots steadily, but with the break-and-run in sight, the cue ball ends up on the rail for the 9, and he misses it badly.
Yamazaki chooses the long corner over the side cut, but just misses, leaving a fairly easy 9 that Wada sinks.
Count (points remaining): 40–30 (Yamazaki–Wada).
[Track 2] Yamazaki breaks and pockets two.
He carefully takes the 1, then the 3 and 4, but gets too thin on the 5 and cannot finish.
Wada seizes the chance and clears the 5, 7 and 8 — then misses the 9, too full.
Yamazaki sinks the 9 left behind. Count: 33–27.
[Track 3] Wada’s control break pockets the wing ball, but he scratches on the 1.
Yamazaki pots the 2 but misses the 3.
Perhaps fatigue — he did not yet seem fully into the match.
Wada pots the 3 and 4, but, too focused on getting from the 5 to the 6, misses the shot.
Yamazaki takes the opening and calmly clears the 5, 6, 8 and 9 to stay in touch.
Count: 27–24.
[Track 4] Yamazaki breaks and pockets three.
The count is now level at 24–24.
He plays carefully from the 2; the cue ball clips the point of the side pocket and gives him position on the 6 — but he misses the easy 6 and cannot quite find his rhythm.
Wada calmly pots the 6 and 8, but misses the 9.
Yamazaki sinks a long 9 and takes the lead, 19–20.
[Track 5] Wada’s control break pockets the wing ball and the 1.
With the 3 hidden, he pushes out; Yamazaki passes.
Wada kicks at the 3, but it does not drop.
With ball in hand, Yamazaki calmly pots the 3, 4, 5 and 6.
His position from the 7 to the 8 goes astray, and his cut on the 8 off the mechanical bridge does not fall.
Wada makes the 8, then pours everything into the 9 and sinks it.
Count: 14–17.
[Track 6] Yamazaki breaks and pockets the 1.
With no direct shot at the 2, he pushes out; Wada passes.
Yamazaki tries a combination, but it does not fall.
Wada pots the 2 and 3, then uses the cue ball to bump the 4 into the open!
He sinks the 4 and moves to the 5, but it will not drop.
Yamazaki pots the 5 and goes for the 6 in the side, but hits it too full.
Wada pots the 6 and 7, then misses the 8.
Yamazaki makes the 8 and 9 to lead, 9–12.
[Track 7] Wada’s control break pockets two.
He takes the 2 and 3, but cannot draw the cue ball back far enough, leaves himself thin on the 5, and misses.
Yamazaki gets the table, but scratches going for position from the 5 to the 6.
Wada pots the 6, 7 and 8, but is out of line on the 9 and misses it.
Yamazaki sinks it to hang on at 7–5.
[Final track] Perhaps the rack was not tight — Yamazaki’s break pockets nothing.
Wada does not let the chance slip, and clears from the 1 through the 5 —
Yuichi Wada of Alvis becomes the Yokohama BC Count9 Battle 2026 Survivor!
After such a long day, the precision may not have been at its usual level, but the choices made with ball in hand showed real thought.
To both players: thank you, and well played.
To our sponsors
Sumai Agent and Just Do It Co., Ltd.
This tournament would not have happened without your support.
Thank you very much.
To everyone who watched
Those who came to the venue, those who watched on YouTube, those who followed the bracket online — you created the energy of this tournament.
Thank you.
Our apologies
This time, the schedule ran much later than planned.
We sincerely apologize to the players, spectators and sponsors who stayed with us for so long.
Since the tournament, we have already met to discuss what went wrong and how to fix it.
We will make sure the next edition is better.
We will keep working toward tournaments that everyone involved is glad to have been part of.
Billiards, as a sport to watch
Through this tournament, we felt one thing again.
Compared with other sports, a culture of watching billiards has yet to take root.
Players tend to leave soon after their own matches finish. That is neither good nor bad — simply how things are.
But for any competitor, watching others can also bring lessons and new insights.
And to grow billiards as a sport, we believe it is urgent to win not only players but people who simply love to watch.
Take boxing.
Fewer people may have tried boxing than billiards.
Yet many eagerly await a big fight such as Naoya Inoue versus Junto Nakatani.
People will even pay a great deal to see it.
The number of people who play a sport and the number who watch it do not always move together.
That is a valuable hint for billiards, too.
Through running tournaments, we will keep working to share the appeal of billiards with as many people as possible.
We also hope to work with others who share the same goal.
Our resolve
Every challenge we saw this time will become fuel for the next.
To keep creating tournaments that players, spectators and sponsors — everyone involved — are glad to have been part of.
We believe that is what will make billiards a sport people watch, and bring new energy to the whole sport.
Thank you for your continued support of the Yokohama Open Organizing Committee.
The world won’t change. But it can be a day when something in you does.
— That is the kind of tournament we will keep creating.
