Highlights
Rejecting Chinitsu
December 20, Game 1, E4-1
In E4-1, Ishibashi is in last place, but is within 5,900 of 1st place. He starts out 2-shanten for a cheap hand, but his 9 manzu tiles gives him the option to aim for a more expensive chinitsu. In the first row, he picks up one manzu tile and a south dora. Even though it still remains a bit slow, he breaks up the rest of his non-manzu blocks to commit to it. On turns 9 and 10, Ishibashi draws manzu to get to iishanten for chinitsu. When the 8m comes out from Hori, Ishibashi calls chii to gget to tenpai. At this point, he can choose to throw the dora to have chinitsu, or to discard the 9m to go for a dora tanki. Since it’s late in the game, the fact that 4 han and 5 han both have the same point value and the fact that there are no 9m left in the wall, Ishibashi decides to reject the chinitsu and keep the dora tanki honitsu. Even when Hori discards another manzu, Ishibashi rejects it again and sticks to his wait. In the 3rd row, Taro challenges Ishibashi with a dealer riichi, but Ishibashi ends up victorious when he draws the south dora. Ishibashi wins with Honitsu/Dora 2 for 8,000, taking the lead going into the South round.
Ippatsu Furiten Tsumo
December 20, Game 1, S2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p451
In S2-0, Taro is in 3rd place and 500 points away from 2nd place. He starts out with a 2-shanten hand, but lacks any value. Through the 1st row, Hori makes a quick rush with two early calls while Taro slowly draws to 6 blocks. By the end of the row, everyone is iishanten. In the middle of the 2nd row, Hori gets to tenpai and waits on a 3m kanchan wait. Soon after, Taro has a choice to be tenpai on a 6p kanchan, but chooses not to take it, throwing the 7p to try to form a ryanmen. The very next turn, Taro draws the 6p. Though the missed win is unfortunate, he decided to suck it up and call riichi on a furiten 47p ryanmen wait. Within the go around, Ishibashi gets to tenpai and calls riichi as well. On Taro’s the ippatsu draw, Taro unbelievably drew the 7p to win the hand. Taro wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000 and takes the lead.
By the Slimmest of Margins
December 20, Game 1, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p452
In S4-0, Uotani is in 3rd place, 700 points from 2nd place and 8,900 from 1st place. She starts her hand out at 3-shanten, but has nothing to get her to the haneman or mangan tsumo she ideally wants. Her first few draws gave her hand ryanmens for a chance at pinfu, but 2 han isn’t enough. Through the next half-dozen draw, Uotani is still stcuk with her 1-shanten cheap hand. Near the end of the row, Uotani gets to tenpai, but stays dama so she can silently take 2nd place. At the ennd of the 2nd row, Hori gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47s ryanmen wait. Despite the riichi, Uotani continues to push for 2nd. Drawing a dora in the 3rd row, Uotani incorporates it into her hand and calls riichi. If she can find just one more han, she would overtake Taro by 100 points. During the ippatsu round, Hori draws the 2s and deals into Uotani. Getting the one extra han she needs, Uotani wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Dora 1/Ura 1 for 8,000 (+1,000 from Hori’s riichi stick) to win the game.
Ippatsus
December 20, Game 2
In S1-4, Asakura is in 4th place with 2,200 points on the table. He starts out with a very good 2-shanten hand with a pair of white dragon dora. He draws a red 5s dora on turn 2 and gets to iishanten on turn 3. On turn 10, Asakura gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 2p/white dragon shanpon wait. On the ippatsu turn, Asakura draws the yasume 2p. Even though it’s the yasume, Asakura still wins a significant Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 3,000+400/6,000+400 (plus a riichi stick) to move into 2nd place.
In S2-0, Tojo is in 1st place and needing to make space between her and Asakura the dealer. She starts out nicely with a 2-shanten hand with an embedded 6m dora. Fixing a pair, cementing shapes and drawing an east ankou, Tojo gets to tenpai on turn 5 and calls riichi on a 25p ryanmen wait. On her very next draw, she gets the 5p to win the hand. Tojo wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Dora 1/Ura 1 for 2,000/4,000 extend her lead and cut Asakura’s dealership short.
Shortcut to Haneman
December 21, Game 1 S2-0
In S2-0, Honda is in 3rd place and 3,500 behind 2nd place Rumi. He starts out 2-shanten for chiitoi with a paired red 5s and a single red dragon dora. With lots of middle tiles in hand, Honda is almost forced to aim for chiitoi instead of toitoi. On turn 6, he draws his 5th pair for iishanten. On turn 10, Honda draws his 6th pair and calls riichi on a red dragon tanki. Two turns later, he draws the red dragon to win the hand. Honda wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Chiitoi/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 3,000/6,000, easily moving to 2nd place.
Evade and Follow Through
December 23, Game 1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-12_s30_p473
In S4-0, Mizuhara is in 3rd place as the dealer and within 1,700 points of falling to 4th. Her hand starts out 4-shanten for chiitoi (5-shanten for a standard hand), though the pair of souths does quicken the hand a bit. In the first row, she calls pon on the south, creates some shapes and manages to get to iishanten before the end of the row. In the second row, a chii of the 3s nd a pon of the white dragon gets Kondo to tenpai on a 36p ryanmen wait. A few turns later, Mizuhara draws the 3p.
With the 3p so close to the dora, dealing into Kondo would certainly mean a last place. If the hand goes to a draw and Mizuhara is tenpai while Rumi is tenpai, Mizuhara would be last as well.
With the danger of the 3p against Kondo’s two calls, Mizuhara decides to hold onto it and throw the 6s instead. Mizuhara draws a 4p the next turn to secure the 3p in her hand while still moving forward.
The turn after, she draws another 3p, seemingly ruining her hand. She throws an 8s to stall the decision, but takes the very bold decision to throw the 4p dora a few turns later to take a 36s ryanmen tenpai. On Mizuhara’s 2nd last draw, she finds the 3s to win the hand. Mizuhara wins with South only for 500 all, managing to find points in a very difficult situation.
In S4-1, Mizuhara starts out 3-shanten with a hand full of ryanmen shapes. She gets herself to iishanten in the middle of the 1st row and on turn 6, Mizuhara gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 69p ryanmen wait. With her hand already a mangan, winning by tsumo on the 6p would bring her very close to 1st place. With Rumi forced to push to avoid last, Rumi ends up dealing the 6p. Mizuhara wins with Riichi/Pinfu/Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 12,000+300 to take 2nd place.
From being deep into 3rd with a chance of falling to 4th, to a solid 2nd place, Mizuhara made some very hard choices and was rewarded for her superior play.
Classic Haneman
December 23, Game 2
In E3-1, Kobyashi is in 4th place and 1,700 from 3rd place. He starts out 3-shanten with some nice ryanmen shapes, but lacks any dora or yaku other than the probable pinfu and tanyao. In the first few turns, he confirm tanyao, sets up iipeikou and makes a 3-sided wait. On turn 6, he gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47s ryanmen wait, with the 4s giving iipeikou. In the middle of the 2nd row, Kobayashi draws the takame 4s to win the hand. Revealing one uradora, Kobayashi wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Iipeikou/Ura 1 for 3,000+100/6,000+100. With the win, Kobayashi moves to 2nd place and is 2,600 from 1st.
In S2-3, Kobayashi starts out 3-shanten, this time holding a red 5s. In the 1st row, he moves the hand towards both tanyao and pinfu getting to iishanten by turn 5. Again at the end of the row, Kobayashi gets to tenpai and calls riichi, this time waiting on a 36m ryanmen wait. Three turns later, Kobayashi draws the 3m. Kobayashi wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Dora 1/Ura 1 for 3,000+300/6,000+300, moving into 1st place.
With these textbook wins, Kobayashi was able to win his 100th M-League game.
M-League Watch 