Kōkasoku

The first riichi mahjong clubs are formed in Yerevan and Tbilisi. Before this, there was no organized riichi activity in Georgia or Armenia — at most, ethnic Armenians and Georgians who lived and played abroad. The most notable among them is Vladimir Nadanyan, European Champion 2019.

The club founders are Russian-speaking players who relocated to the Caucasus, bringing tournament experience and expertise in organizing clubs and major events in Russia. Combined, the organizers of clubs in Georgia and Armenia had organized around two dozen tournaments in Russia, about half of them EMA-accredited, including Russian Championship-level events.

Over two years the clubs grew to a critical mass of players ready for competitive play. Within two weeks of each other, the first riichi tournaments in Yerevan and Tbilisi take place — the first in the history of both countries.

As part of the preparation for these tournaments, Kōkasoku was created — the Eurasian Riichi Mahjong Association — a resource for riichi development, experience sharing, and coordination between clubs.

Immediately after the Tbilisi tournament, Georgia and Armenia submitted applications to join EMA.

The Kōkasoku portal is launched and the first tournament in Batumi is announced.

The riichi communities of Serbia and Montenegro joined the portal — the project became a platform for riichi development in Europe and Central Asia.

Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan joined next, bringing the total to 8 participating countries.

At the EMA General Assembly (July 2–5, held during the European MCR Championship in Sweden), Armenia, Georgia and Serbia were admitted to the European Mahjong Association as full members.