Highlights

Riichi Chiitoi

November 2, Game 1, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p172

In S4-0, Setokuma is 5,000 points from 1st place and 8,00 points from falling to 3rd. On turn 4, he gets to iishanten and gets to tenpai on turn 7, staying dama on a 2m tanki. Though 3,200 isn’t enough to take 1st, not calling riichi allows him to maintain at least 2nd place. The very next turn, he draws the south and calls riichi by throwing the 2m. With two souths already discarded, Setokuma only waits on the single south still left in the wall. Immediately after, Rumi chases with a 69m ryanmen wait. On the very next turn, he finds that last south and winds the hand. Making the flip to make the south the uradora, Setokuma wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Chiitoi/Ura 2 for 3,000/6,000 to take the win.

Dama Chiitoi

November 2, Game 2, S1-1

In S-1, the scores are close, with 1st and 4th place only separated by 3,800 points. Katsumata, who is tied for 2nd place, starts out with an unspectacular 4-shanten hand with chiitoi being the closest hand. In the first row, his hand advances to 2-shanten though continues to lack any value. By the end of the 1st row, Katsumata sits at 2-shanten with a red 5p double dora. At the start of the 2nd row, he draws a red 5m for iishanten. If he manages to incorporate the 5p in his winning chiitoi, it would give her a pair of dora to go along with a the two red dora for haneman. In the 3rd row, Katsumata does draw the 5p to get to tenpai and waits on an east tanki, staying dama. Within the first go-around, Ooi draws and discards the east and deals into Katsumata. Katsumata wins the hand with Chiitoi/Dora 2/Aka 2 for 12,000+300 to take the lead.

Takizawa the Tank

November 4, Game 1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p186

In E1-0, Takizawa starts out with a poor 5-shanten hand with a red 5m and an ankou of 1s for value. Through the first row, his hand improves significantly, drawing a dora and setting his hand up for sanshoku. He loses the sanshoku option in the 2nd row, but is the first one to tenpai in the 3rd, calling riichi on a 7p kanchan wait. On Takizawa’s very last draw, he draws the very last 7p to win the hand. Takizawa wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 2,000/4,000 to take the early lead.

In E2-0, Takizawa is the dealer and starts out with a favourable 2-shanten hand with a pair of easts. With two calls, Takizawa quickly gets to tenpai on a 36s ryanmen wait. Before the row is finished, Honda discards the 6s and deals into Takizawa. Takizawa wins the hand with Double East only for 2,900.

In E2-1, Takizawa holds another 5-shanten hand with only a red 5p for value. By the end of the 1st row, he is still 4-shanten and behind both Aki and Honda. Despite both Aki and Honda being iishanten by the start of the 2nd row, Takizawa keeps going. As Honda and Aki stall, almost every tile Takizawa draws in the 2nd row is useful. Near the end of the row, Takizawa is the first to get to tenpai and calls riichi on an 8s kanchan by discarding the 5s. Two turns later, he gets the 8s to win the hand. Takizawa wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 4,000+100 all.

In E2-2, Takizawa starts out with a nice 2-shanten hand full of ryanmen shapes. With a naturally good starting hand, Takizawa naturally gets to a quick tenpai and calls riichi on turn 4 with a 58m ryanmen for mangan minimum. On the very next turn, he draws the 5m to win the hand. Takizawa wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Iipeikou/Dora 1 for 6,000+200 all, breaking the 50k and 26k barrier in one hand.

In E2-3, Takizawa starts out iishanten with a pair of easts. On turn 4, Takizawa gets to tenpai and calls riichi on an east/8s shanpon wait. With Honda already in last place and not having much to lose, he pushes his hand. In the middle of the 2nd row, Honda gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 36s nobetan wait. Holding an ankou of north dora and the 6s giving sanshoku, the push could mean a very expensive payday for Honda. However, two turns later, Honda draws and discards the 8s, dealing into Takizawa. Takizawa wins the hand with Riichi only for 2,000+900.

In five hands, Takizawa went from 25,000 to 70,700, one of the best starts for a player this season.

Impossible Reads

November 4, Game 1, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p182

In S4-0, Aki is in 2nd place and is 3,900 points ahead of Ishibashi, who is 7,900 points ahead of Honda. Aki starts out 3-shanten with no value, Ishibashi has a 3-shanten chiitoi with two 5p dora (including the red one) and Honda has a 3-shanten with pairs of the white dragon and red dragon. In the first row, Honda makes the white dragon an ankou and calls pon on the red dragon as he aims for a honitsu. seeing Honda rush,, Aki makes a call herself to aim for tanyao. By the end of the row, Ishibashi is iishanten and the other two are 2-shanten. At the start of the 2nd row, Honda gets to tenpai and waits on a 14m ryanmen wait.

A few turns later, Ishibashi calls pon on the 5p dora to get to tenpai on a 369s wait (with 3s and 6s giving a yaku).

Approaching the end of the 2nd row, Honda discards the 7m. Aki has the option to chii for tenpai, but doing so would mean she would deal into Ishibashi. She decides to call chii!

But impressively throws the 2s, an incredible read from Aki.

Immediately after, Ishibashi draws and discards the 1m and deals into Honda. Honda wins the hand with Honitsu/Red Dragon/White Dragon for 8,000 to move into 3rd place.

Choose Your Death

November 4, Game 2, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p183

Hagiwara is in last place, 2,900 points behind Asakura. Asakura is the dealer in 3rd place and 5,600 behind Sasaki. Asakura starts out 3-shanten with a pair of green dragons and a 5s dora, Hagiwara is at 4-shanten with a pair of white dragons and Sasaki is 4-shanten with no value at all. Asakura is the fastest out of the game, drawing useful tiles on almost every turn and calling riichi on a 69s ryanmen wait on turn 5.

After getting rid of his safe tile reserves, Sasaki keeps progressing his hand. With some good evasion, he gets to tenpai at the start of the 3rd row and calls riichi on a 78s wait.

On the ippatsu turn, Hagiwara has a chance to get to tenpai. His choices are as follows:

Discard the dora 5s to wait on an 8s/9s nobetan wait (which deals into no one)
Discard the 6s and wait on a 7s penchan for iipeikou (which deals into Asakura)
Discard the 8s to wait on a 5s/9s nobetan wait. (which deals into Sasaki
Discard the 9s to wait on a 7s penchan/kanchan wait (which deals into Asakura)

Being in last place, Hagiwara is almost forced to push. Throwing the dora is almost out of the question, so his other three choices become a question of how and who he deals into. After taking over a minute to decide, Hagiwara finally decides to call riichi with the 8s and deals into Sasaki.

Revealing the 8s as the new uradora, the salt is rubbed deep into the wound. Sasaki wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tanyao/Aka 1/Ura 2 for 12,000, taking Asakura’s riichi and taking 1st place.

Highly Interesting Hands

November 5, Game 2, E1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p191

In E1-1, Kondo still sits even while Sawazaki is 8,700 points down after dealing into dealer Hinata while in riichi. Kondo starts out with a fairly uninteresting hand, being 4-shanten for chiitoi and not really holding any value.

Sawazaki, on the other hand, starts out with an iishanten hand with a real potential for sanankou and being 2-shanten from suuankou. Through the 1st row, Sawazaki is stuck at iishanten while Kondo draws manzu and honours turn after turn.