noun
dogfight; three-way playoff
A playoff format where three participants compete in a round-robin style, with the winner of each bout staying on to face the next opponent. Originally from sumo, but now used more broadly for any three-way tiebreaker.
大相撲の優勝決定戦で巴戦が行われた。
A three-way playoff was held in the grand sumo tournament's championship match.
三人の成績が並んだため、巴戦で勝
Since the three had the same record, it was decided to determine the winner by a three-way playoff.
noun
sumo three-way playoff
Specifically the sumo playoff format where three wrestlers compete in a round-robin; the winner of each bout stays on to face the next wrestler.
巴戦では、最初に勝った力士が次の相手と戦う。
In a sumo three-way playoff, the wrestler who wins first fights the next opponent.