Game #13
Shibuya
Abemas
EX Furinkazan
Konami Mahjong
Fight Club
Team Raiden
Shiratori Start
May 18, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-14_s50_p753
In E1-0, Shiratori is the starting dealer and looking to basically confirm the championship for the Shibuya Abemas
Shiratori starts out the hand 2-shanten with two completed sequences, a 36s ryanmen and a pair of souths. On turn 3, he draws a 3s to get to iishanten. A turn later, he draws a red 5m, secures pinfu and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen.
Even with the dealer riichi, Shiratori’s opponents make progress. After multiple turns of fiddling, Date gets to tenpai at the start of the third row on a yakuless 2p kanchan.
Soon after, Honda (who had called pon on the red dragon in the first row to get a yaku) calls a chii to get to tenpai on a 4m tanki.
However, their single waits were no match for the ryanmen. In the middle of the third row, Shiratori draws the 4m and wins the hand. Flipping one ura, Shiratori wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 4,000 all.
Straight Forward
May 18, Game 1, E1-1
In E1-1, Honda is is in a 3-way tie for 2nd place. Team Raiden’s goal for this game is to be ahead of the Konami Mahjong Fight Club and gain as many points as possible.
Honda starts out the hand with a messy 4-shanten with five isolated terminals and honours and a pair of green dragons. In the first row, Honda pairs up the souths and draws some souzu tiles. When Honda breaks up his pinzu ryanmen at the end of the second row, he makes it clear that he’s going for a souzu honitsu. Approaching the middle of the second row, he pairs up the white dragon and calls a 789s chii to get to 2-shanten. As Honda waits, Katsumata gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen for mangan minimum.
With an extra block in hand, Honda safely keeps his 2-shanten by throwing the white dragon pair first. As Honda does this, Date gets to tenpai on a 58p ryanmen.
Within the go-around, Honda fills in a 5s kanchan to advance to iishanten. When Date discards the north, Honda gets to tenpai and waits on a 3s dora penchan. With two calls, Date decides that it is time to call riichi. Unfortunately, she ends up donating a stick as Honda draws the 3s on his next draw. Honda wins the hand with Honitsu/Ittsuu/North/Dora 1 for 2,000+100/4,000+100 plus two riichi sticks.
Ippatsu
May 18, Game 1, E3-0
In E3-0, Date is the dealer and tied for 3rd place. The team is in 2nd place, trying to catch up to the Shibuya Abemas and trying to stave off Team Raiden.
Date starts out the hand 3-shanten with a red 5s and multiple ryanmen options. Through the first row, she fills in a ryanmen and somehow makes even more ryanmens. By the end of the first row, Date is iishanten. In the middle of the second row, she gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 25m ryanmen. Right after, Honda tries to call a chasing riichi by throwing the 5m but ends up dealing into Date. Date wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 8,000, putting her into 2nd place.
Formerly Fourth
May 18, Game 1, S4-4
In S4-4, there is 2,200 in bonus sticks just waiting to be claimed by the next winner. There are two battles going on at the table: 2nd place Date trying to catch 1st place Shiratori who is 8,700 ahead and 4th place Katsumata trying to catch up to 3rd place dealer Honda who is 5,700 ahead.
Katsumata starts out the hand 4-shanten with a red 5s, a 14s ryanmen and pairs of 5s, east and 1p. From the start, both Shiratori and Honda try to rush the hand. For Shiratori, he makes two calls to rush a tanyao. For Honda, he plays efficiently and calls riichi at the start of the second row on an 8m kanchan.
Within the go-around, Katsumata manages to get to tenpai and calls riichi on a 14s ryanmen, guaranteed to pass Honda if he wins.
Within the ippatsu round there, Date gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58p ryanmen. With a win on the 5p plus one more han, Date will win the game.
Three players in riichi, five different winning tiles. During Date’s ippatsu turn, Shiratori has a chance to get to tenpai by throwing the winning 5p, but chooses to stay safe and fold as best as he can.
A few turns later, the standoff ends when Katsumata draws his winning 4s. Katsumata wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 1/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 2,000+400/4,000+400 plus three riichi sticks to finish the game in 3rd place.
Final Scores
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-15_s10_p231
Twitter: https://twitter.com/m_league_jikkyo/status/1659168905024380930
Standings
With a win by Shiratori, the Shibuya Abemas tighten its grip on 1st place. Date tried until the end to move ahead, but it wasn’t meant to be in the end. With Katsumata’s win in the final hand, he gets his team closer to the 3rd place Team Raiden, giving themself a chance at the podium.
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