Italian Team Meeting Its Waterloo and Spain Team Rising to No.2
The fifth session in the GMCL Europe Region Preliminary concluded, which sudden changes happened to the situation. Italian Team which had been ranking No.1 for three consecutive sessions met its Waterloo and declined to the third place while Spain Team steadily rose to its current position-No.2. The competition in Europe Region was increasingly fierce and wonderful.
Four players from Italian Team made poor performance in the session, getting positive IMP in six hands only. Marco Bazzocchi (ID: marcobaz) made a grave mistake and got -41 IMPs while other players in the same position got 9 IMPs, 14 IMPs and 24 IMPs respectively for their team. Italian Team dropped from 25.78% (previously highest win rate) to 22.81%. In spite of its lowest shoot rate, it lost its first place which it had maintained for three consecutive sessions and its team’s total IMP was -46 IMP behind Switzerland Team’s 105 IMP and Spain Team’s -40 IMP.
Spain Team triumphed all the way and turned the tables of ranking at the bottom by greater IMP difference in the first three sessions. First of all, it overtook Russia Team and got the third place in the fourth session. Then, it successfully broke a situation in which Italy got an edge in the sessionand went ahead of Italian Team in 11 hands of all 16 hands in the session. Ultimately, it rose to its current second place by -40 IMP. It is expected to make new progress. Switzerland Team was ranking in the second place for three consecutive sessions by going ahead steadily and surely depending upon its four skilled players after ranking in the first place in the first session. In the session, it took the lead for taking part in the final by 27.81%, a win rate as high as possible. Russia Team was ranking at the bottom by -86 IMP. The following sessions will be its final chances to sink or swim.
Spain’s player Antonio Ayllón (ID: Antonio_Ayllon) won tiles which other players in the same position made mixed color tile or got no IMP in other tile patterns by some kind of five sites in the 12thhand. It is one of scoring strategies in an international mahjong team double competition, i.e., playing in an unusual way of thinking. This way, one gets more IMPs while four players get the same tiles. Of course, if one fails to succeed, one will lose more IMPs than playing in a normal way.
Switzerland Team did not replace its players in the five sessions. Its four players made a steady performance, winning the No.1 position for Switzerland Team. Three players were ranked in top five in the personal IMP ranking. Italian Team will need to recover its state in the sixth session if transforming its current lost position.
The final match in the Europe Region Preliminary is on the verge of breaking out. Please follow GMCL official website (mj.lianzhong.com) on the time of September 22 to get the latest game results!