Highlights
4th to 1st
April 8, Game 1, S1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4063
In S1-1, Hinata is in 4th place. The scores are still relatively close, with Hinata only 10,400 behind 1st place dealer Yu. A simple mangan tsumo would be enough to move into top spot.
Hinata starts out the hand 3-shanten with two ryanmens and a triplet of 1s. Her shapes are nice, but she has no value. On turn 2, she advances a step by filling in a 4s kanchan. On turn 4, she gets to iishanten. After switching her pair on the next turn, she puts herself into a perfect iishanten, guaranteeing a good wait. After a few turns of misses, Hinata gets to tenpai in the middle of the second row and calls riichi on a 25p ryanmen. During the ippatsu round, dealer Yu chases with 14s ryanmen, Despite the potential, Hinata puts an end to all the trouble by drawing the red 5p during her ippatsu turn. Hinata wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Aka 1 for 2,000+100/4,000+100 plus one riichi stick.
Big Start
April 8, Game 2, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4064
In E1-0, Matsumoto is the starting dealer and carrying the momentum from Hinata’s win to start the semifinals.
Matsumoto starts out with a messy 4-shanten and holding a lone east dora as the hand’s only potential value. In the first row, Matsumoto is hardly able to make progress, still stuck at a standard 4-shanten on turn 6 with only mildly improved shapes. At the start of the second row, Matsumoto pairs up the east to put him significantly closer to a winnable hand. Even so, he is still a bit behind the others at the table. In the middle of the second row, Taro discards the east to get to tenpai on a 258m sanmenchan.
With the east discard, Matsumoto calls pon and gets to mangan iishanten. On his next turn, he fills in a 3m kanchan and waits on a 58s ryanmen. In the third row, Matsumoto draws the fourth east and calls an added kan, upgrading his hand to a dealer haneman and activating the curry contest. Seeing Matsumoto’s dangerous hand, Taro folds when he draws a dangerous 4s. In the middle of the third row, Matsumoto draws the red 5s and wins the hand. Matsumoto wins with Double East/Dora 4/Aka 1 for 6,000 all.
Escaping Negatives
April 8, Game 2, S2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5563
In S2-0, Nakabayashi is the dealer in 4th place with a score of -3,200 and 4,100 behind 3rd place Taro.
Nakabayashi starts out with a cool 3-shanten hand with two ryanmens, a secured red 5p and all simple tiles. Nakabayashi is able to fill in his shapes quickly and gets to iishanten by turn 4 with the ability to accept the 4m dora. At the start of the second row, he draws the 4m and calls riichi on a 69m ryanmen, wanting the 6m for tanyao. A few turns later, Nakabayashi gets the 6m and wins the hand. Nakabayashi wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 6,000 all.
Rinshan
April 9, Game 1, E2-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5564
In E2-1, Mizuhara is in 3rd place and just 3,600 behind 1st place Hisato.
Mizuhara starts out the hand By filling in a penchan to get to 3-shanten. Also in her hand is a pair of easts and a floating red 5s. In the first row, she cals pon on the east and the 9p to get herself to a wide iishanten. In the middle of the second row, she throws the red 5s to get to tenpai on a 25p ryanmen. She spends the rest of the second row and part of the third row just waiting, hoping to get her winning tile. In the middle of the third row, she draws the fourth 9p. She calls kan and puts the tile aside. With the kandora flip, the 3s in her hand becomes dora. On her draw, she gets…
… the 2p and wins the hand! Mizuhara wins with East/Rinshan/Dora 1 for 1,600+100/3,200+100 to move into 1st place.
Escaping 4th
April 9, Game 1, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2557
In S4-0, Matsugase is in 4th place and 11,300 behind 3rd place dealer Mizuhara. This is his last chance to Matsugase to make ground and stop the EX Furinkazan from falling further into 6th place. To get to 3rd place, he needs a 3/50 direct hit, a mangan tsumo or a haneman ron.
Matsugase starts out with a 4-shanten hand with only a floating 2p dora for value. On turn 2, he pairs it up to firmly secure it and get him closer to a limit hand. After making a triplet of 8s and pairing up the double south, Matsugase gets to chiitoi iishanten and toitoi 2-shanten. As long as Matsugase can make the south into a triplet, he will have haneman. At the end of the first row, Matsugase calls pon on the east to get to iishanten. Immediately after, he does the same with the 9p to get to tenpai on south/2p shanpon. If he wins with the south or draws the 2p dora, he will escape 4th. Two turns later, Matsugase draws the south and wins the hand. Matsugase wins with Toitoi/Double South/Dora 2 for 3,000/6,000, finishing the game in 3rd place.
Takame
April 9, Game 2, S2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4065
In S2-0, Shiratori is in 2nd place and chasing after dealer Aki who is 17,300 ahead of him.
Shiratori starts out the hand by filling in a penchan, bringing him to 2-shanten. With the two 6-9 ryanmens in his hand, Shiratori has a chance to both get to tenpai quickly and have a 789 sanshoku. On turn 3, he draws the 9s dora to get him a step closer to sanshoku. After taking a few turns to find his pair, Shiratori finally gets it at the start of the second row and calls riichi on a 69m ryanmen, wishing for the latter for sanshoku. At the end second row, Aki discards the 9m trying to accept an expensive iishanten and deals into Shiratori. Flipping and uradora, Shiratori wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Sanshoku/Dora 1/Ura 1 for 12,000, sending him into 1st place.
Big Finish
April 9, Game 2, S4-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2558
In S4-1, Aki is in 2nd place and just 6,700 behind 1st place dealer Shiratori. With a riichi stick and a honba on the table, Aki just needs a 2/40 direct hit, a 3/30 tsumo or a 3/50 ron to finish the game on top.
Aki starts the hand already iishanten with a secured dora 5m. To get close to having enough value, she will need to either fill in the 2s kanchan for pinfu or build her 4567m manzu shape (potentially drawing another dora 5m). On turn 3, she draws an 8m to build a 3-sided wait and guarantee pinfu. On turn 4, she gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58s ryanmen. On her very next draw, she gets the red 5s and wins the hand. Hitting the uradora, Aki wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 3,000+100/6,000+100 to win the game and send the EX Furinkazan into the positives.
Long Time No See
April 11, Game 1, E2-3
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3566
In E2-3, Date is playing for the Konami Mahjong Fight Club after not playing since March 4. She is sitting in 2nd place and 5,000 behind 1st place dealer Asami. With the first three hands going to a draw, there are now 2 riichi sticks and 3 honba waiting to be won by the next winner.
Date starts out the hand at chiitoi 4-shanten (5-shanten for a standard hand), but she has two potential ryanmens and a secured red 5m. In the first row, she pairs up the red dragon, gets rid of the rest of her loose terminals and honours. By turn 6, she is iishanten and waiting on 12 different tiles for tenpai. On turn 7, she gets there and calls riichi on a 47p ryanmen.
By this point, Rumi is already tenpai, but sitting yakuless on a 6m tanki. During the ippatsu round, she improves on that wait and calls a chasing riichi on a 58m ryanmen.
Immediately after, Date draws the 4p and wins the hand. Date wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Aka 1 for 2,000+300/4,000+300 plus three riichi sticks, moving her into 1st place.
Headbump
April 11, Game 2, E2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2559
In E2-0, Matsugase is in 3rd place and 7,200 behind 1st place Hori. With today being his birthday, a win would be a nice birthday present.
Matsugase starts out the hand with a strong 2-shanten hand with the potential to get a 789 sanshoku. Not wanting a penchan, he actually starts the hand by going back a shanten to more firmly secure his good shapes. On turn 4, he also create the possibility for a 678m iipeikou, needing only the 6m to get it. A turn later, he gets to a wide iishanten and is guaranteed a good wait when he gets to tenpai.
Both to his left and right, Hori and Futoshi are both trying to keep Matsugase below them. Late in the first row, Futoshi calls pon on the red dragon to get to iishanten. A turn later, he draws the fourth one and calls kan. The kandora flip makes the 8s a dora and gives Matsugase additional value. With a pon of the 2s in the middle of the second row, Futoshi is the first to tenpai and waits on a 36m ryanmen.
Right after, Hori gets to tenpai and waits dama on a 47s ryanmen with mangan minimum.
With a draw of the 8s dora, Matsugase is the third to tenpai and calls riichi on a 69m ryanmen. He has no sanshoku, but he can still get iipeikou with a 6m win. All the tenpai players just push their hands, knowing that a win would likely put them into 1st place. In the middle of the third row, Hori decides to call riichi for more value. Unfortunately for him, this backfires when he draws the 6m and is forced to discard it. At the same time, both Futoshi and Matsugase call ron. Since Matsugase is earlier in turn order, he is the only one allowed to win. Matsugase wins the hand with Riichi/Iipeikou/Dora 2 for 8,000 and moving him into 1st place.
Driving Forward
April 11, Game 2, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2053
In S4-0, Futoshi is in 2nd place and 5,900 behind 1st place To finish the game in 1st, Futoshi needs a 2/50 direct hit, a 3/30 tsumo or a 3/50 ron.
Futoshi starts out the hand 2-shanten with a secured 8p dora. Also holding a 3s penchan, he will need to fill it or get rid of it in order to add value with pinfu. In his first 3 turns, he converts the penchan into a 224s shape, shifting him for a potential tanyao. On turn 4, he draws a third 2s to get him to iishanten. At the start of the second row, Futoshi gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 69m ryanmen. With only two han guaranteed, he will either have to draw his winning tile himself or call ron on the 6m and hope for ura.
Sitting to Futoshi’s left is Matsugase getting to iishanten during the ippatsu turn. After safely avoiding the ippatsu round, Matsugase gets to tenpai on a yakuless 7p penchan. Though there is a chance that he would lose the 1st place if her pursues this, he also has a chance to win big points both now (by having the ability to call ron) and in the future with a dealer repeat. Taking the risk, Matsugase calls the chasing riichi and waits on a 7p penchan.
With the riichi by Matsugase, Futoshi’s winning conditions have changed. Now Futoshi is allowed to win on the 6m by ron and move into 1st place. Near the end of the second row, Futoshi draws the takame 6m and wins the hand. Futoshi wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Dora 1/Ura 1 for 2,000/4,000 plus one riichi stick, giving the Akasaka Drivens their first semifinals win since March 20, 2021.
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