Shoryuken.com - Your Street Fighter Competitive Edge Articles Columns Multimedia Forums IRC Chat Capcom vs. SNK 2 Capcom vs. SNK Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Marvel vs. Capcom SF3: Third Strike Street Fighter Alpha 3 USA vs. Japan Results B4 Results B5 Tournament Center Features Editorials Articles Reviews Arcadia Magazine B5 Report - English Page 1 Original Japanese: Page 1 | Page 2 Translated Article: Page 1 | Page 2 By Kuni Funada and Mr. Matsuda Translation by David Dial September 14, 2001 What is this "B5 Tournament"...? On 8/4-8/5 in Folsom, California USA, the major tournament for Capcom Fighting Games (B5) was held. I'd like to recap the events of those two days. The Japanese were able to be a part of this American national tournament thanks to a Japan-U.S. tournament held at the end of last year. At that time, a team of top American players, chosen from that year's "B4 Tournament", came to represent the U.S. When the tournament was over, we had made a promise - "We will see you at next year's B5." So about 9 of us, made up of those who had seen the Japan-U.S. tournament, as well as those members of the Japanese "Marvel vs. Capcom 2" team who were seeking redemption, made the trip to the U.S. to take part in B5. Now, let's take a look at the results from B5. It seems that this was the largest tournament ever held in the U.S., with over 500 people in attendance - including entrants, staff, and the audience. In addition, this year's tournament included participants from 17 different countries (including Japan), which gave the tournament a truly "international" atmosphere. The Rules of the Tournament Let's go on to look at the format of the tournament. All the individual tournaments begin with a qualifying pool to determine the 64 players who would participate in the finals. The qualifying round was held in the, "You lose once, you're out" format. However, should you lose in the finals, you are merely sent to a "loser's bracket" but are still able to continue in the tournament. Of course, you are also able to fight your way through the loser's bracket and win the tournament. In a sense, it as if you have two lives - if you lose once you simply go from the winner's bracket to the loser's bracket, where it becomes like a whole new tournament. This is what is called "double-elimination". This format is to make up for "accidental" losses, and allows people to better showcase their true talents. "Super Street Fighter II X" (aka Super Turbo) B5 begins at 8 am with entries for the first individual tournament of the weekend - Super Street Fighter II X, which is set to start at 9. There are around 160 participants, and of the 9 Japanese in attendance, 4 made it to the finals. The one to place the highest was Kuni Funada, who made it to #16. Although the Japanese members at B5 did not specialize in this game, I think that they held their own. [Captions (left to right)] 1. (image is blurry... can't read it so I'll fake it) The crowd at B5. Their excitement when they cheered was tremendous. There were many in attendance who were carrying camcorders, and they seemed especially interested in capturing the Japanese players on camera. 2. A shot of Tony Cannon, who was in charge of the tournament. You can see the huge poster displaying the "loser's bracket" in the background. 3. The top 3 finishers in the tournament. From left to right, Alex Valle (3rd), Jason Cole (1st) and John Choi (2nd). Next Page... Copyright © 2000 Shoryuken.com - All Rights Reserved Street Fighter is a registered trademark and copyright of Capcom and/or its licensors. No copyright infringement is intended.