Highlights
Haneman-Haneman
February 12, Game 1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s60_p2642
In E3-0, Sugawara is in 2nd place and 3,800 behind 1st place dealer Ooi.
Sugawara starts out the hand 3-shanten with a secured red 5s and the ability to accept the 5p dora. In the first row, Sugawara builds up some good shapes and makes a triplet of 1p, getting her to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten by the end of the row. Near the middle of the second row, she draws a fourth 1p and calls a concealed kan. With the kandora flip, the 7m in her hand becomes dora. After a good amount of waiting, Sugawara draws the dora 5p in the third row and calls riichi on a 58m ryanmen. With three tiles left in the wall, Sugawara takes her last draw and finds the 8m. Getting an uradora, Sugawara wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 2/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000, moving into the lead.
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4049
In E4-0, Ooi is in 2nd place after Sugawara passed him and kicked him off his dealership.
Ooi starts out the hand at a distant 5-shanten, but he does have three ryanmens and a connected 5s dora. His first row consists of creating another ryanmen and essentially securing pinfu, having a path to at least mangan if he can convert it. The second row was spent filling in the ryanmens, being able to do so quickly with such good shapes. Near the end of the second row, Ooi gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 14p ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan and hoping for the 4p to have a higher chance at haneman. On his very next turn, Ooi draws the 1p and wins the hand. Ooi wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 3,000/6,000, retaking the lead.
Beating the Riichis
February 12, Game 1, S1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5051
In S1-1, Hagiwara is in 4th place, 2,000 behind 3rd place Ucikawa and 21,500 behind 2nd place Ooi.
Hagiwara starts out the hand already 2-shante with two 5p, guaranteed to have at least one in a winning hand. In the first row, Hagiwara sets himself up for a 345p iipeikou in order to use both dora. At the end of the row, Hagiwara gets to tenpai and waits dama on a 4p kanchan.
Across from Hagiwara, Uchikawa also has a quick hand. Right after Hagiwara gets to tenpai Uchikawa does too and calls riichi on a 7m penchan.
Sandwiched in between Hagiwara and Uchikawa is Sugawara, sitting as the dealer in 1st place. Having held a few honours in her hand, she is able to throw safely while still advancing her hand. At the end of the second row, Sugawara has gotten to iishanten with a good chance at tanyao. On her next draw, she draws the red 5p double dora and calls riichi on a 47p ryanmen. If Uchikawa discards the 4p, Hagiwara will get headbumped and Sugawara will be the sole winner.
The odds are against Hagiwara. But, that is the perfect recipe for a win. Near the middle of the second row, Hagiwara draws the 4p and wins the hand. Hagiwara wins with Tsumo/Iipeikou/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 2,000+100/4,000+100 plus two riichi sticks to move into 3rd place and get closer to the top.
South 4
February 12, Game 1, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5052
In S4-0, the scores are close with 4th and 1st separated by 8,600. Sitting in that 4th place position is Hagiwara. In order for him to take the top spot, he needs a mangan direct hit or tsumo, or a general haneman ron.
Hagiwara starts out the hand 3-shanten with a single secured 4m for value. In order to up his hand’s value, he will likely have to keep his hand closed. In the first row, Hagiwara shifts his hand to tanyao, draws a red 5p and sits iishanten before the end of the row. With a 4m dora draw, he would secure sanshoku and have a guaranteed haneman. As Hagiwara waits for tenpai, Sugawara gets there first with a cheap yakuhai only hand and waiting on a 7m penchan.
Soon after, Hagiwara draws the 7m. It isn’t the 4m he wanted, but it does get him to tenpai. Without riichi, he can win by tsumo and have enough for 1st place. In order to broaden his winning options, Hagiwara calls riichi to be able to get a direct hit off 1st place Sugawara.
Not wanting to be left out of the party, 3rd place Uchikawa calls riichi during the ippatsu round and waits on a 25m ryanmen. Being the dealer, any win is good.
Three players in riichi, three players vying for 1st place. Turn after turn, we wondered who will be the victor. In the middle of the third row, Hagiwara became the hero of the game and drew the 6p, winning the hand. Hagiwara wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 2,000/4,000 plus a riichi stick, going from the bottom to finish at the top.
Year of the Dragon
February 12, Game 2, E1-0
In E1-0, Matsumoto is sent out for the Shibuya Abemas, tasked with putting some distance between the team and the four teams below them.
Matsumoto starts out the hand with a pair of green dragons, a pair of white dragons and a single red dragon. With all the dragons in the new year of the dragon, it’s possible that Matsumoto can get shousangen or even daisangen. However, Matsumoto is still 4-shanten for even the lesser of the two.
In the first row, Matsumoto calls pon on the white dragon and advances his hand to iishanten by the end of the row. However, two red dragons have already been discarded, leaving only shousangen if he wishes to pursue it. Near the end of the second row, Matsumoto calls pon on the green dragon and waits on the one red dragon left in the wall. In the third row, Setokuma makes a call to get himself tenpai on a 47s ryanmen, holding three han. On his next draw, he draws and discards the red dragon and deals into Matsumoto. Matsumoto wins the hand with Shousangen/Green Dragon/White Dragon for 8,000, taking the early lead.
Sticks
February 12, Game 2, E4-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p6048
In E4-2, there are two honba and two riichi sticks in the pot, giving the next winner a 2,600 bonus. Sitting as the dealer is 2nd place Sarukawa, 300 behind Matsumoto.
Sarukawa starts out the hand 4-shanten with a pair of easts and a floating 1s dora. To his right, Setokuma is is 2-shanten with very wide potential. Setokuma’s hand develops quickly and he is able to get to tenpai on his third row, waiting dama on a 3m kanchan. With calls around the table (including Sarukawa with his east pon), Setokuma decides that he has to put pressure on the table and calls riichi a turn later.
By this point, Sarukawa is still far from tenpai, but lacks any sort of way to fold. Sarukawa treads forward, wishing to draw just the right tiles. In the middle of the second row, he manages to get to tenpai and waits on a 3s penchan. At the end of the row, Setokuma draws and discards the 3s and deals into Sarukawa. Sarukawa wins the hand with Double East/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 12,000+600 plus three riichi sticks, moving Sarukawa into 1st place and Setokuma into the negatives.
Table Top Hit Man
February 12, Game 2, S1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4050
In S1-0, Matsumoto is in 2nd place and 7,000 behind 1st place Sarukawa.
At the start, Matsumoto is 4-shanten with pairs of green dragon and east, as well as a path to a manzu honitsu. In the first row, Matsumoto gets rid of his souzu and advances to 3-shanten. At the end of the row, he calls pon on the green dragon to secure a yaku. Soon after, he calls pon on the east, advancing him to iishanten and guaranteeing him at least a haneman if he wins. Near the middle of the second row, he pairs up the white dragon and waits on a 3m kanchan. A few turns later, he switches to a white dragon/2m shanpon. Right after, Sarukawa discards the white dragon trying to accept tenpai and deals into Matsumoto. Matsumoto wins the hand with Green Dragon/White Dragon/Honitsu/Dora 3 for 12,000, bringing Matsumoto above 50,000.
A Great Deal
February 13, Game 1, E2-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4541
In E2-1, Uotani is the dealer in 2nd place, 4,900 behind 1st place Asami.
Uotani starts out the hand at 5-shanten, but she has a lot of good shape potential and a connected red 5s. Her first five discards were spent discarding terminals and honours, swapping them out for simple tiles. By the end of the row, she is 3-shanten with three ryanmens. Getting rid of her stray tiles early on in the second row, she secures tanyao and gets to iishanten on turn 8. Near the end of the row, she gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 36s ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan if she wins. In the middle of the third row, Uotani draws the 6s and wins the hand. Flipping one uradora, Uotani wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 6,000+100 all.
Step on the Gase
February 13, Game 1, E4-0
In E4-0, Matsugase is the dealer in 4th place with just 900 left. The next closest player is Takizawa, 2,200 ahead of Matsugase.
Matsugase starts out with a pretty good starting hand, 2-shanten with a secured red 5s and holding only simple tiles. On turn 3, he advances to iishanten with kanchans needing to be filled. Through the rest of the first row and the second row, Matsugase is kept waiting, though he is able to replace one kanchan with a ryanmen. In this time, Asami gets to tenpai first and calls riichi on a 47p ryanmen.
With the dealership and the big opportunity to gain points, Matsugase ignores the riichi and keeps going forward. At the start of the third row, Matsugase fills in the kanchan and calls riichi on a 47s ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan and wanting the 4s for iipeikou.
Also at the table is 1st place Uotani, pursuing an expensive honitsu. In the middle of the third row, she gets to tenpai and stays dama on a 5p kanchan, guaranteed a haneman if she wins.
The hand came to a conclusion when Asami draws and drops the 4s and deals into Matsugase. Matsugase wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Tanyao/Aka 1 for 12,000 plus one riichi stick, moving into 1st place.
Chinitsu
February 13, Game 1, E4-2
In E4-2, Uotani remains in the lead, 10,300 ahead of Asami. However, 3rd place Matsugase has been on a roll, gaining almost 20,000 in the past two hands.
Uotani starts out with a 3-shanten hand and holding 8 pinzu tiles and a loosely connected 1s dora. Uotani will have to choose to either stay closed for riichi or to open her hand and pursue a flush. In the first row, Uotani ups her pinzu count to 10, gets rid of the dora in exchange for a ryanmen and gets to 2-shanten. After drawing her 11th pinzu tile, Uotani confirms chinitsu by calling pon on the 1p to get to iishanten. Around the table, her opponents are also trying to win. By the middle of the second row, everyone is iishanten. The first to tenpai is Asami, who waits on a 25p ryanmen.
Right after, Matsugase confirms a 567s iipeikou and calls riichi on a 7m kanchan, guaranteed at least a mangan if he wins.
With no safety and being close to a mangan hand, Uotani pushes. On turn 11, she gets to tenpai and waits on a 47p ryanmen. At the start of the third row, Matsugase draws picks up and puts down the 7p and deals into Uotani. Uotani wins the hand with Chinitsu for 8,000+600 plus a riichi stick, moving Uotani above 50,000.
Chinitsu
February 13, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s60_p2651
In E1-0, Kayamori is playing for the Sega Sammy Phoenix, hoping to carry the momentum from Uotani’s win. She starts out as the dealer, wanting to start the game off with a bang.
Indeed, with Kayamori’s first 14 tiles, she has 11 manzu tiles, easily pushing her to chinitsu.
Within the first go around, Kayamori calls pon on the 5m to get to iishanten. On turn 5, she creates a 4m pair and gets to tenpai on a 4m/8m shanpon. On her very next draw, she gets the 8m and wins the hand. Kayamori wins with Chinitsu for 4,000 all
Shortcut to Haneman
February 13, Game 1, E1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3554
In E1-1, Hisato is part of a 3-way 2nd place tie after Kayamori’s dealer mangan tsumo to start the game.
Hisato starts out the hand with pairs of 5m (including the red 5m), 4s, 2m and 9m, putting him 2-shanten for chiitoi. On turn 2, he pairs up the 7p to get to iishanten. As is common with chiitoi, Hisato spends a bit of time trying to get to tenpai. In the middle of the second row, he pairs up the 3s and calls riichi on a north tanki.
During the ippatsu round, Sonoda chases him, calling riichi on a 1s/2p shanpon, wishing for the dora 1s for mangan.
In the third row, Hisato draws the north and wins the hand. Hitting the uradora, Hisato wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Chiitoi/Aka 1/Ura 2 for 3,000+100/6,000+100 plus one riichi stick, sending him up to 1st place.
Ippatsu
February 13, Game 2, S3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3555
In S3-1, Hisato is down to 3rd place with his dealership already passed. In order to pass 2nd place Rumi, he will need to make up a 12,600 deficit.
From the start, Hisato has 3-shanten with two dora 5m and and a likely tanyao. However, his hand is a mess with no definite shapes. In the first row, he solidifies ryanmens and pairs and makes the 5m into a triplet. By turn 5, he has a perfect iishanten shape. After doing a bit of waiting, Hisato gets to tenpai near the end of the second row and calls riichi on a 47p ryanmen. During the ippatsu round, Rumi tries to chase by calling riichi on a 7p throw but she deals into Hisato. Hisato wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tanyao/Dora 3 for 12,000+300, moving Hisato into 2nd place and putting him just 4,700 from 1st.
Dora Dora Dora Aka Aka
February 15, Game 1, E1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p6049
In E1-1, Sarukawa is sitting in the south seat and just behind 1st place Mizuhara after the last hand went to a draw.
Sarukawa starts out the hand at 4-shanten chiitoi (5-shanten for a standard hand), but has a lot of value with two 2p doras and two red fives. In the first row, Sarukawa pursues tanyao by getting rid of the lone honours. At the end of the first row, Sarukawa calls pon on the 2p dora and advances to a standard 2-shanten. To Sarukawa’s right, Honda is also going for tanyao, calling right after Sarukawa calls. At the end of his first row, Honda is the firs to tenpai and waits on a 25s ryanmen.
After making a second call in the second row, Sarukawa also gets to tenpai and waits on a 47s ryanmen, guaranteed a haneman if he wins. Soon after, Honda draws and discards the 7s and deals into Sarukawa. Sarukawa wins the hand with Tanyao/Dora 3/Aka 2 for 12,000+300 plus one riichi stick.
Rebound
February 15, Game 1, E2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5053
In E2-0, Honda is in last place after dealing into a haneman the previous hand.
Honda starts out the hand with a 2-shanten hand, but lacks value. On turn 4, he draws the red 5m to get to iishanten. With a 6m draw, he would have a guaranteed 456m iipeikou. On turn 5, Honda creates a 25p ryanmen to be guaranteed pinfu. On turn 6, Honda draws the 6m to secure iipeikou and calls riichi on a 25p ryanmen. In the middle of the third row, Honda draws the 2p and wins the hand. Flipping one uradora, Honda wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Iipeikou/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000, moving him out of 4th place.
Furiten Riichi
February 15, Game 1, S4-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5541
In S4-1, Mizuhara is in 4th place, 5,800 behind 3rd place Honda and 10,600 behind 2nd place Sarukawa. To pass Honda, Mizuhara needs a 2/50 direct hit, a 3/40 tsumo or a 3/50 ron. To move up to 2nd, she needs a 3/50 direct hit or a haneman won by any means.
Mizuhara starts out 3-shanten for chiitoi and a standard hand and has no dora or easy yaku to pursue. In the first row, sequences started to form in her hand. By the end of the ow, she is 2-shanten with the potential for either a 123 or a 234 sanshoku. In the second row, she creates a ryanmen and fills it in, getting to tenpai on a 25m ryanmen. She doesn’t have enough value even if she does riichi, so she stays dama, hoping for a 4p or a 7p to both get tanyao and have a chance at a 234 sanshoku.
On her very next draw, she gets the 2m, her winning tile. Winning here would give her a measly 400+100/700+100, much worse than an exhaustive draw. However, she has bigger plans. Taking the 1p, she calls riichi and waits on a furiten 147p wait. She the state of her hand, she is only allowed to tsumo. But, if she can manage to get the 4p or 7p, she will have the mangan to get her into 2nd place.
The wall is now the master of Mizuhara’s fate, the wind that decides Mizuhara’s path. As turns go by, her opponents pick up her winning tiles. At the midpoint of the third row, only one of each is left lurking in the sea of blue. Then on Mizuhara’s draw, she fishes out the last 7p and wins the hand. From underneath the dora lies the hidden treasure, the uradora indicator which transforms Mizuhara’s 6s pair into dora and upgrades her hand to a baiman. Mizuhara wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Sanshoku/Ura 2 for 4,000+100/8,000+100, the great rise from the depths to finish above water.
Quiet Advancement
February 15, Game 2, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5054
In S4-0, Kurosawa is in 2nd place going into the last hand, 3,200 behind 1st place dealer Nakabayashi. In order to finish the game at the top, Kurosawa needs to win a 2/30 direct hit, a 2/40 tsumo or a 3/30 ron.
Kurosawa starts out the hand 4-shanten for chiitoi (5-shanten for chiitoi) with a distant path to tanyao. If she can somehow get the 3/25 ron, she would be tied with Nakabayashi for 1st place. In the first row, Kurosawa pursues tanyao and secures a red 5p to get to iishanten. Being no-call Kurosawa, a riichi at tenpai would be enough for 1st place. As Kurosawa sits patiently, 4th place Takamiya gets to tenpai in the second row and calls riichi on a south/1p shanpon. With a ron on the last south, she would have enough to escape 4th. Looking further, a tsumo on the south with just one more han is enough to spring up into 1st place.
As Konami Mahjong Fight Club fans hope for the miracle haneman, Team Raiden fans have realized that the winning requirements have changed. With Takamiya’s riichi stick, Kurosawa now only needs a 2/40 hand in order to get 1st place, allowing her to be dama and still win. What’s more, the ability to be dama gives her more opportunities to take 1st place through simple tenpai payments (where calling riichi would mean that she gives up any chance of 1st place through tenpai payments). Kurosawa keeps pushing in hopes of getting to 1st. In the third row Kurosawa gets to tenpai and waits on a 58s wait (though five of them are in her hand), staying dama. Within the first go-around, Takamiya discards the 5s and deals into Kurosawa. Kurosawa wins the hand with Tanyao/Aka 1 for 2,600 plus one riichi stick, enough to finish the game in 1st place by 400.
To 1st
February 16, Game 1, E3-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2541
In E3-2, Aki is tied for for 3rd place, 3,000 behind 2nd place Daigo and 7,400 behind 1st place dealer Matsumoto.
Aki starts out the hand at a distand 5-shanten, but has three ryanmens in hand. In the first row, her hand naturally drifts towards pinfu and tanyao. By the end of the row, she is 2-shanten with both of them guaranteed. Just three turns later, Aki gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58s ryanmen. At the end of the row, Aki draws the 8s and wins the hand. Flipping the uradora, Aki’s 7m, the only duplicate tiles in her hand, becomes dora and upgrades her hand to a haneman. Aki wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Ura 2 for 3,000+100/6,000+100.
Kayamori Curry
February 16, Game 2, S3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4544
In S3-1, Kayamori is in 4th place is in 4th place, 600 behind 3rd place Hinata, 2,100 behind 2nd place dealer katsumata and 14,900 behind 1st place Shibukawa. From the very start, we see that Kayamori amazingly has all four 1s, all four of them dora. All she needs to do is call kan to be guaranteed at least a mangan and activate the curry contest. However, she tempers her enthusiasm and holds onto them for now, waiting for the right time to strike.
To Kayamori’s right, Hinata has a very fast hand, already iishanten with her first draw. On turn 2, Hinata gets to tenpai and calls a very quick riichi on a 1m/east shanpon.
During the ippatsu round, Kayamori advances to 2-shanten. Never being able to discard the dora, Kayamori calls kan and breaks the ippatsu.
At the end of the first row, Kayamori advance to iishanten. Near the end of the second row, Kayamori fills in a 5p kanchan to get to tenpai and calls riichi on a 3s kanchan. Immediately after, Hinata draws and discards the 3s and deals into Kayamori. kayamori wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Dora 4 for 12,000+300 plus one riichi stick, bringing her up to 2nd place and 1,400 from 1st place going into the last hand.
Hinata Heights
February 16, Game 2, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4053
In S4-0, Hinata is in 4th placeafter dealing into a haneman while in riichi. Sitting 14,800 behind 3rd place Katsumata, Hinata needs a mangan direct hit, a haneman tsumo or a baiman general ron.
Hinata starts out the hand 3-shanten with a pair of 8m and a connected red 5m. She holds the groundwork for a mangan, but still has to build for a haneman. In the first row, she builds sequences to aim for pinfu, but still has a penchan when she gets to iishanten on turn 4. On turn 6, she fills in the penchan and gets to tenpai on a 25p ryanmen. She calls riichi, hoping for tsumo to get to a haneman.
During the ippatsu round, Katsumata gets to tenpai and calls riichi as well, also on a 25p ryanmen with pinfu.
Two players on the same wait, only one winner. On Hinata’s ippatsu draw, she amazingly draws the 2p and wins the hand. With a flip of the uradora, she adds one more han to her hand to upgrade to a baiman. Hinata wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 2/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 4,000/8,000 plus one riichi stick, finishing the game in 3rd place.
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