News · 6/1/2026
Seiya Kurita's Challenge
After winning his second personal Wolrd Championship and another Team title with Japan, Seiya Kurita gave his victory speech.
In it he referred to the fact that Japan has won the last 19 available team championships and with a twinkle in his eye he acknowledged several noises from the rest of the world to close that gap. "Bring it on!" he declared.
The question is, will Kurita be in Finland to defend the team title as well as his personal title?
One of the reasons that Japan is so dominant in the World Othello Team Championship is that they have so much strength in depth. It is arguably harder to qualify for the Championship in Japan than it is to win it once there.
There are three incredibly competitive tournaments in which Japanese players can qualify for their national team:
There is one further possibility: all countries in the Asia-Pacific region will be competing for one additional WOC spot through APOC, the Asia Pacific Othello Championships, held in Shanghai, China, on 25–26 July.
One thing is for sure. Japan will enter the 2026 World Othello Championships as overwhelming favourites to retain their team title. But the question remains will Kurita be there to defend his challenge to the rest of the world? We will keep you informed!
You can find more about the qualifying process in Japan here.
In it he referred to the fact that Japan has won the last 19 available team championships and with a twinkle in his eye he acknowledged several noises from the rest of the world to close that gap. "Bring it on!" he declared.
The question is, will Kurita be in Finland to defend the team title as well as his personal title?
One of the reasons that Japan is so dominant in the World Othello Team Championship is that they have so much strength in depth. It is arguably harder to qualify for the Championship in Japan than it is to win it once there.
There are three incredibly competitive tournaments in which Japanese players can qualify for their national team:
- The All-Japan Championship: Tetsu Satani won qualification through this tournament
- The Meijin-sen: Akihiro Takahashi won qualification through this tournament.
- The Ouza-sen which will be held 12th of july 2026 is the final and decisive qualifying event. Its winner claims Japan's third WOC spot. Will it be Kurita?
There is one further possibility: all countries in the Asia-Pacific region will be competing for one additional WOC spot through APOC, the Asia Pacific Othello Championships, held in Shanghai, China, on 25–26 July.
One thing is for sure. Japan will enter the 2026 World Othello Championships as overwhelming favourites to retain their team title. But the question remains will Kurita be there to defend his challenge to the rest of the world? We will keep you informed!
You can find more about the qualifying process in Japan here.