日本語 ｜ 繁體中文 ｜ English ｜ 한국어 ｜ Tiếng Việt
Have you read our two posts introducing the commentators?
Hijikata and Lo, players who represent Japan, will bring the BC Count9 Battle on April 29 to life with commentary and an exhibition.
And today, we have one more announcement.
We will stream the matches live on YouTube on the day.
Yokohama Open official YouTube channel
@YokohamaOpenofficial
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/@YokohamaOpenofficial
The channel has only just been created, and for now there are no videos yet.
But on April 29, this is where it begins.
Why give a BC tournament commentary by top pros?
We’ll be honest.
A player at the very top of the active game, in name and in fact, commentating on B and C class matches: that is quite unusual, even here in Japan.
We imagine advanced players don’t often have reason to watch a BC tournament closely.
Unless a friend you practice with is playing, and even then, perhaps you rarely give the matches themselves much attention.
We wanted to change that.
By bringing a pro’s eye and a pro’s words to the place where B and C players fight for real, could we make it more than just a BC tournament, a place where anyone might find something to grow from?
With that in mind, we made a rather reckless request of two busy players, Hijikata and Lo: commentary on up to seven matches, from the last 32 to the final, and an exhibition match on top of that.
They both agreed, gladly. “If it helps lift up the billiards world,” they said.
To answer that generosity, we want this stream to reach as many people as possible.
What we’ll stream on the day
Eight tables will be in play at once, but only one will be streamed. From the last 32, with Hijikata and Lo in the booth, we will stream it live with commentary.
Time permitting, both semifinals are planned for the stream table.
This depends on how the day runs, however, so we ask for your understanding.
The Count 9 exhibition match, Hijikata vs. Lo, is also scheduled to stream on the same channel.
It may go without commentary, but it is still a match not to be missed.
For those who can’t watch live, the stream will stay up as an archive. Please do watch it afterward.
Who we hope will watch
To the players.
Think back to your usual BC tournaments.
A house tournament, hardly anyone watching, a friendly air among regulars.
The hand on the cue, the same as always.
But April 29 is different.
You step up to the stream table and notice the camera is rolling.
And on the other side of that footage sits a top pro who has fought on the world stage, watching your every shot.
Your fingertips may tremble.
The hand forming your bridge may grip harder than usual.
That is the tension of this tournament, of this stream, nothing like an ordinary BC event.
And for B and C players, who aren’t used to competing, that tension will likely feel all the greater.
But enjoy it, tension and all.
When it’s over, watch the stream back and hold your own post-match review. Even a win is never a perfect match.
To those watching.
Picture the moment a friend you play with at the same hall is called to the stream table.
Their back as they settle over the cue in front of the camera.
Shoulders a little stiffer than usual.
The hush before a breathtaking shot.
Your hands, in front of the screen, may be trembling too.
Feel that real-time tension together with them, and cheer them on.
To advanced players, A class and above.
A choice you would never make yourself.
A view that opens up precisely because one knows less.
When the thinking of B and C players is put into words through a top pro’s commentary, insights that differ from your own idea of the right answer may come to you.
Please take those hints home with you.
Note that admission on the day is free.
At the venue or in front of a screen, let’s enjoy it together.
What this channel means to us
Going forward, we plan to stream the tournaments the Yokohama Open Organizing Committee hosts and runs on this channel.
We have only just reached the starting line.
Our streaming equipment and picture quality still have a long way to go.
Keeping the tournaments on a steady financial footing, investing a little at a time, and raising the quality of our commentary and footage: through all of that, billiards as a sport to watch is what we hope to bring you.
We want to grow this channel together with others who are working to lift up billiards.
The first step is April 29.
Please subscribe to the channel!
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/@YokohamaOpenofficial
Yokohama BC Count9 Battle
📅 April 29 (Wed., public holiday)
📍 POOL LABO (Isezakicho, Naka-ku, Yokohama)
💰 Entry fee: ¥5,000
🏆 Winner’s prize: playing cue (worth ¥140,000)
👉 Billiards resources from Japan and around the world, organized by purpose: Billiards in Depth (latest updated hourly)
