Sumotalk.com has established a banzuke to rank its
Fantasy Sumo participants in an ongoing basis.
The banzuke is unique in that we’ve adopted the Tou-zai-nan-boku
(East-West-South-North) format with East being the most prestigious and North
being the least in order to keep as many participants as possible in the
Makuuchi ranks and within easy view on the banzuke’s front page. The banzuke is calculated by first assigning
a win-loss record to each participant.
The win-loss formula is unique in that it does not coincide exactly with
the fantasy sumo standings. The goal of
fantasy sumo is to acquire as many points as possible, and the winner is
usually determined by the person whose rikishi acquire the most kinboshi, the
most sansho, and of course the yusho.
However, in real sumo, a kinboshi, sansho, and the yusho will not move a
rikishi any higher on the actual banzuke; placement on the banzuke is solely
determined by wins and losses.
Sumotalk.com's banzuke follows along these lines in that the emphasis is
placed on the number of quality rikishi in the stable, and not necessarily a
lucky pick who happens to score a kinboshi and maybe a sansho.
That being said, it is possible for a
participant to score higher in the banzuke rankings than s/he actually did in
the fantasy sumo tournament. In fantasy
sumo, one's chances of winning the yusho are close to zero if one or more
rikishi in the stable withdraw because of injury. However, an injury to a rikishi in the stable is not as
devastating in regards to the overall win-loss record and subsequent placement
on the banzuke.
The win-loss formula is calculated as follows:
|
|
Maximum |
|
Description |
Wins
Possible |
|
1 win for every rikishi in your fantasy stable
who achieves a *kachi-koshi. |
9 |
|
2 wins if a rikishi in your stable wins the
yusho. |
2 |
|
1 win if any rikishi in your stable scores a
kin-boshi. |
1 |
|
1 win if any rikishi in your stable is awarded
the Kantosho. |
1 |
|
1 win if any rikishi in your stable is awarded
the Shukunsho. |
1 |
|
1 win if any rikishi in your stable is awarded
the Ginosho. |
1 |
|
Total Wins |
15 |
*kachi-koshi is winning a majority of
one’s bouts at a major tournament; in short, achieving at least 8 wins.
As a reward for winning the fantasy sumo
contest, the winner will receive up to an additional 2 wins for her/his
win-loss record (no one can obtain more than 15 wins per tournament, so if the
fantasy sumo winner ends up with a 14-1 win loss record, s/he will only be
awarded one extra win for the banzuke rankings). The runner up to the fantasy
sumo contest will be awarded one extra win for the banzuke rankings. Furthermore, when placing participants on
the banzuke, priority will be given to the participant who finished higher in
fantasy sumo in regards to participants with the same win-loss records.
Following along the lines of the actual
sumo banzuke, a 9-6 record will generally move a participant up about three
notches in the ranks, whereas a 6-9 record will drop a participant down three
notches. This method is not set in
stone, however, as the banzuke may become top-heavy making it more difficult to
move up. In regards to promotion to
Ozeki, a participant will receive the promotion if s/he obtains 33 wins over
three consecutive basho. Consideration
may also be given if a former champion wins another tournament from the sanyaku
ranks. In order to receive promotion to
the Yokozuna ranks, a participant must win two consecutive tournaments in a row
or possibly two out of three consecutive tournaments. Final placement of all participants is at the sole discretion of
sumotalk.com.
Participants who sit out a tournament will
generally be dropped five notches in the ranks. Two kyujo in a row will probably get the participant removed from
the banzuke. There is no kosho system. Newcomers’ ranks after their first
tournament will be calculated as if they were starting at the bottom of the
banzuke; however, priority will always be given to an active participant over
one who is inactive.