Four rounds of third-division bouts have been completed, and we are left with 7 men with 4-0 records. The quarterfinals will take place on day 9, with the highest-ranked undefeated Sandanme rikishi filling out the bracket. Here are the matchups:

Ohata has spent 11 years bouncing back and forth between Makushita and Sandanme, with a career-high rank of Ms31. He did beat Ieshima in their one prior meeting in Sandanme in July of last year. Daiyusho and Ryusho both hail from the Oitekaze beya, which is why they’re fighting lower-ranked opponents rather than each other. Daiyusho is fighting at his highest rank in an injury-marred seven-year career, while Ryusho debuted at Ms60TD in July and has a 14-4 career record. Their opponents, Hokutenkai and Shiroma, are both from Onoe beya, but the winners of these two bouts should be in opposite halves of the bracket for the semifinals. Hokutenkai has an interesting backstory—he is Takanoiwa’s nephew. Shiroma started two years ago as a hot prospect, with consecutive yusho in Jonokuchi and Jonidan, but has struggled in the upper half of Makushita.

And then we have the bout between the presumptive favorites. Kazuma obliterated fellow Ms60 tsukedashi Fukuzaki and is looking like an absolute beast. Former sekitori Tochimusashi used his experience to outmaneuver Seihakuho. Kazuma should have the power edge in this matchup, but those of us who remember Tochimusashi know that he will do whatever it takes to win, so his opponent better be on his toes tomorrow.

Three rounds of lower-division bouts have been completed, and we are left with 14 men with 3-0 records. They’ll be matched up (mostly) in rank order on days 7 and 8 to winnow the race to 7. Since Daiyusho and Ryusho both hail from the Oitekaze beya, they can’t face each other, and presumably will instead fight Mineyaiba and Asonoyama, respectively. Only one bout has been scheduled for day 7—Gyokuozan vs. Hokutenkai—with the rest being saved for nakabi. The quarterfinals should take place on day 9, with the highest-ranked undefeated Sandanme rikishi filling out the bracket.

There are quite a few notable names still in the running. Isegahama prospect Seihakuho, one of Hakuho’s last recruits, will fight former sekitori Tochimusashi. Two of our Ms60TD rikishi, Fukuzaki and Kazuma, will face off after dispatching their former sekitori opponents, Shimanoumi and Enho. These four contenders are ranked in the extended promotion zone, so a 7-0 finish would come with a fast track to Juryo. Ryusho debuted at Ms60TD in July and has a 13-4 career record. Come back after the Sunday bouts to see how round four played out and what’s on tap for round five.

Welcome to Tachiai’s coverage of the 3rd-division yusho race. As a reminder, this is essentially a single-elimination tournament, with only undefeated rikishi continuing in the yusho bracket. Each round unfolds over two days, so two rounds have been completed, and we are left with 28 men with 2-0 records. They’ll be matched up in rank order on days 5 and 6 to winnow the race to 14. The full list of 28 is below. There are no same-heya complications for round 3.

Here are a few names and bouts of note. Ms14w Fukuzaki is one of the Ms60TD rikishi we’ve been following, as is Ms15w Kazuma, who got injured in his debut basho and sat out four tournaments before roaring back with a 22-1 record to regain his career-high rank. In what is easily the highlight bout of day 5, he will fight former maegashira and fan favorite Ms17w Enho, who is listed at 101 kg, 93 kg lighter than his opponent! Remember that a 7-0 record from Ms15 or higher is a near-guarantee of Juryo promotion. Ms24w Ryusho is another, more recent Ms60TD debutant. The rest of the undefeated group features an interesting mix of prospects, veteran former sekitori, and lower-division lifers. I’ll get into more detail on the contenders once the list gets shorter.

The November banzuke has been released. The Crystal Ball was clear this time, especially for the top two thirds of the banzuke—my prediction had the first 26 ranks, from Y1e to M10e, exactly right. The only surprise here was seeing the name Yoshinofuji at M5e. I had to do a double-take before realizing that Kusano got a new shikona, which I haven’t seen announced anywhere prior to the release of the banzuke.

The prediction fell apart after that, starting with Kotoshoho at M10w. I had him two full ranks lower, for my biggest overall miss. Fujinokawa, whom I had at M10w, ended up at 12e, a rank-and-a-half lower. I was also off by one rank on Gonoyama, Oshoumi, and Chiyoshoma, who all ended up higher than in my guess, as well as Asakoryu, who is ranked lower. My other misses were by half a rank.

I feel good about the prediction overall, especially on a tricky banzuke. In particular, I guessed correctly that Takayasu would take the K1w slot over Hakuoho, that Wakamotoharu would be placed behind the two demoted Sekiwake, and that Ichiyamamoto would be the lucky rikishi filling the gap in the banzuke at M8e. I also correctly called the four exchanges between Makuuchi and Juryo, with Meisei just barely surviving and Chiyoshoma coming up at the expense of Hitoshi.

With the release of the rankings, we can start the two-week countdown to the Kyushu basho! London was fun, but I for one am more than ready for some (real) sumo.

UPDATE: Guess the Banzuke results have been announced, and yours truly is back to holding the #1 overall rank (which is based on predictions for the past 6 basho).