Highlights
Ippatsu
April 23, Game 1, E1-0
In E1-0, Taro is playing for the Akasaka Drivens, trying to bring the team higher above the elimination line.
Taro starts out the hand at a distant 5-shanten with no value at all. In the first row, Taro makes a pinzu sequence and a bunch of manzu. By turn 6, he is iishanten with a manzu ittsuu guaranteed. On her next draw, he gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 3m penchan.
Immediately after, Yu gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58p ryanmen.
On Taro’s ippatsu draw, he plucks the 3m and wins the hand. Taro wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Ittsuu/Dora 1 for 3,000/6,000 plus one riichi stick.
Mangan Mangan
April 23, Game 1
In E2-0, Aki is in last place early after being hit with the dealer penalty.
Aki starts out 3-shanten with two ryanmens and a pair of red dragons. In the first row, Aki makes a souzu sequence and makes the red dragon into a triplet to get to iishanten. Near the middle of the second row, Aki gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 7p kanchan. On her very next draw, she gets the 7p and wins the hand. Aki wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Red Dragon for 2,000/4,000.
In E3-0, Aki is now in 2nd place and 7,000 behind 1st place Taro.
Aki starts out the hand 3-shanten for both chiitoi and a standard hand, holding pairs of west, 3p and 3m. In the first row, he draws a red 5s to create a 567 sanshoku and confirms two ryanmens to pursue a standard hand. Early in the second row, Aki calls pon on the west to get to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten with a sanshoku chance. To her right, Taro gets to tenpai on a 3s kanchan, but stays yakuless dama in hopes of getting a 1s for both junchan and sanshoku. On his very next draw, he gets the 1s and calls riichi on the 3s penchan for haneman minimum.
During the ippatsu round, Aki draws the 5p to get to tenpai and waits on a 58m ryanmen, wanting the latter for sanshoku. On Taro’s draw, he draws and discards the red 5m and deals into Aki. Aki wins the hand with West/Sanshoku/Dora 1/Aka 2 for 8,000 plus one riichi stick, moving into 1st place.
Menhon
April 23, Game 1, S1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5569
In S1-1, Yu is in 4th place, 1,000 behind 3rd place Okada, 6,000 behind 2nd place Taro and 17,000 behind 1st place dealer Aki.
Yu starts out the hand at 4-shanten with a pair of easts, a 36p ryanmen, a 7m penchan and a pair of souths. With such a messy hand, there is no clear path to a yaku. In the first five turns, Yu chooses not to get rid of his lone honours and instead get rid of the pinzu ryanmen. After making the east into a triplet, the norths into a pair and filling in the 7m penchan, Yu get to 2-shanten. At the end of the row, the dealer Aki gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen.
During the ippatsu round, Yu pairs of the green dragons and chooses to discard the 9s pair, keeping him relatively safe and shifting him towards honitsu. At the start of the second row, Yu creates a 3m penchan to get to iishanten. Shifting it to a kanchan and drawing a third green dragon, Yu gets to tenpai and waits dama on the 3m. In the third row, Aki draws and discards the 3m and deals into Yu. Yu wins the hand with Honitsu/Green Dragon for 8,000+300 plus one riichi stick, moving Yu from 4th to 1st.
Ishibashi Trap
April 25, Game 1, S3-0
In S3-0, Yu is the dealer in 1st place and holding a 5,000 lead over 2nd place Aki.
Yu starts out the hand 3-shanten with a floating red 5m and a decent chance at tanyao. In the first row, Yu creates a 567s iipeikou and advances to iishanten. On turn 6, he draws a 7m to potentially connect the red 5m. On his next draw, he gets another 7m. On turn 8, he draws the 6p to guarantee pinfu and get him to tenpai. Though Yu can throw the 7m to wait on a mangan-minimum 6m kanchan, he instead calls riichi with the red 5m and goes for the trap wait of a 2m/7m shanpon. Two turns later, Taro discards the 2m and deals into Yu. Yu wins the hand with Riichi/Tanyao/Iipeikou for 7,700.
By 700
April 23, Game 1, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2566
In S4-0, Aki is in 2nd place and 8,300 behind 1st place Yu. In order to finish on top, Aki needs a 3/40 direct hit, a mangan tsumo or a haneman ron.
Aki starts out the hand 3-shanten with a ryanmen and a 3-sided wait. Early on, Aki adds the potential for ittsuu to her hand and gets to iishanten on turn 3. Around her, both Yu and Taro are active. With a pon of the 3m, Yu gets to tenpai on a 6m kanchan before the row is over. In the second row, Aki draws the dora 4m and chooses to break her ittsuu to not discard it. On her next turn, she pairs up the 4m. Soon after, Taro gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 45m wait. Being 3,200 behind 3rd place Okada, Taro needs to win by tsumo or on the 4m to get to 3 han.
With the dangerous riichi from Taro, Yu is forced to fold. In the third row, Okada with two calls gets to tenpai on a 7m penchan, but folds when she draws a dangerous 5s. After that, Aki draws a third 4m to get to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58p ryanmen. Because of Taro’s riichi stick, Aki can now win any way she wants and move into 1st place. With only a handful of tiles left in the wall, Taro draws and discards the 5p and deals into Aki. Aki wins the hand with Riichi/Dora 3 for 8,000 plus one riichi stick, winning the game by 700.
Rumi
April 23, Game 2, E2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2567
In E2-0, Rumi has the early lead after winning a mangan in the first hand.
Rumi starts out the hand already 2-shanten with a secured 7s dora. After having a chance to be iishanten on turn 3, she gets rid of her penchan to hunt for a better shape. On turn 4, she finds that better shape and gets to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten. On her next turn, she gets to a pairless iishanten to widen her tile acceptance drastically. In the second row, she confirms ittsuu to get to tenpai on a 6m tanki, later changing to a 2s tanki. At the end of the second row, she makes one more shift to a north tanki and calls riichi. Sitting at iishanten, Uchikawa discards the north in his hand and deals in. Rumi wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Ittsuu/Dora 1 for 12,000.
Shortcut to Haneman
April 23, Game 2, E3-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2059
In E3-2, Sonoda is in 2nd place and 24,000 behind 1st place Rumi.
Sonoda starts the hand out 4-shanten for both a standard hand and chiitoi. In his first three draws, he picks up the red dragon to make a triplet. After pairing up the 3m on turn 5 and the 7m on turn 6, Sonoda gets to iishanten for chiitoi. On turn 7, he draws a lone 5m extra potential value. A turn later, he pairs up the 8s and calls riichi on a 5m dora tanki. With the red 5m in Uchikawa’s hand and a regular one in Rumi’s hand, only one 5m remains in the wall. On his ippatsu draw, he miraculously gets the last 5m and wins the hand. Sonoda wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Chiitoi/Dora 2 for 3,000+200/6,000+200.
Dora Ankou Start
April 25, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3062
In E1-0, Hori is playing for the Kadokawa Sakura Knights and is the starting dealer.
Hori starts out with a big 2-shanten hand, already holding a triplet of the 7m dora. Also at 2-shanten is Ooi across the table, holding a ryanmen and a chance at a 567 sanshoku. By turn 2, Ooi is already tenpai and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen, needing a 7m dora for the sanshoku.
During the ippatsu round, Hori is able to advance to iishanten safely. After luckily drawing some safe tiles for a few turns, Hori gets to tenpai at the start of the second row and calls riichi on a 69s ryanmen for mangan minimum. On his very next draw, Hori draws the 6s and wins the hand. Hori wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Dora 3 for 3,000/6,000 plus one riichi stick.
Menhon
April 25, Game 1, S1-0
In S1-0, Takamiya is in 4th place with just 600 points. With the team in 5th place in the standings, they need to win a lot more if they want a playoff spot.
Takamiya starts out the hand 2-shanten with a pair of white dragons and a bunch of manzu. Though honitsu is one step further than pure efficiency, Takamiya needs the points. After making a pair of easts on turn 4, she breaks her pinzu ryanmen. On turn 5, she draws a third east to get to iishanten. On her next draw, she gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 4m/white dragon shanpon.
To her left is Ooi at iishanten with a chance at sanshoku. After pushing through the ippatsu turn, Ooi gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 7p penchan.
After a lot of tsumogiri, Ooi draws and discards the 4m in the middle of the third row and deals into Takamiya. Takamiya wins the hand with Riichi/Honitsu for 8,000 plus one riichi stick.
Dama
April 25, Game 1, S2-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3063
In S2-1, Hori is in 1st place and holding a 10,100 lead over 2nd place dealer Mizuhara.
Hori starts out the hand 2-shanten with a secured 3p dora and a red 5p. Though sitting at 4-shanten, Mizuhara tries to force her hand to be fast. Very early, she calls pon on the south and the 9s. With a 456m chii at the end of her first row, Mizuhara gets to iishanten first. A turn later, she gets to tenpai on a 25s ryanmen.
By this point, Hori is still 2-shanten. With another 3p in hand with tanyao guaranteed and a chance at a 345p iipeikou, Hori simply ignores Mizuhara. At the start of his second row, Hori fills in a kanchan to get to iishanten. A turn later, Hori fills in his last kanchan and gets to tenpai on a 25p ryanmen. He stays dama for mangan minimum, upgrading to a haneman on the 5p. Immediately after, Mizuhara draws and discards the 5p and deals into Hori. Hori wins the hand with Pinfu/Tanyao/Iipeikou/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 12,000+300 plus one riichi stick.
Fighting
April 25, Game 2, E1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3573
In E1-1, Date is sitting in a tie for 2nd place after the first hand went to a draw. After Takamiya lost the previous game, a win is imperative.
Date starts out the hand 3-shanten with a connected 2p dora. With some strong draws, Date secures that 2p dora and advances to iishanten on turn 3. Though she is the first to iishanten, Kobayashi has his hand advance well as well. At the start of the second row, Kobayashi gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 25p ryanmen.
During the ippatsu round, Date fills in her kanchan and calls riichi on a 25s ryanmen. On her very next draw, Date gets the 5s and wins the hand. Date wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1/Ura 1 for 3,000+100/6,000+100 plus one riichi stick.
Penchan Beats Ryanmen
April 25, Game 2, S3-0
In S3-0, Matsumoto is in 2nd place and 12,400 behind 1st place dealer Date.
Matsumoto starts out the hand 2-shanten with a secured red 5p On turn 3, he fills in a 5s kanchan to get to iishanten, looking for a 5p, 1s, 3s or 3m to get to tenpai. On turn 4, he gets the 1s to get to tenpai. Though it’s a 3m penchan, Matsumoto already has a triplet of 4m (making the 3m hard to use) and a red 5p for value to justify calling riichi.
During the ippatsu round, Date also gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen, holding mangan minimum.
However, on Matsumoto’s ippatsu turn, Matsumoto gets the 3m and wins the hand. Matsumoto wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Aka 1 for 2,000/4,000 plus one riichi stick. Because of that riichi from Date, Matsumoto moves into 1st place going into the last hand of the game.
Gyakuten
April 25, Game 2, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s60_p2947
In S4-0, Date is in 2nd place and 1,600 behind 1st place Matsumoto. If she gets a 1/50 ron, she would tie Matsumoto for 1st place. If she gets something better than that (including any direct hit or a 1/40 tsumo), she will be the sole 1st place.
Date starts out the hand 3-shanten with the only clear yaku being either riichi or a 789 sanshoku. A simple open sanshoku would not be enough value, so staying closed is necessary. In the first row, she makes a triplet of 1p and fills in an 8p kanchan for iishanten. On turn 7, she makes a triplet of 4s. It widens her hand’s tile acceptance from 2 tiles to 6 and lets her hit the fu minimum in a closed hand. Near the end of the row, Date draws a 7s pair to get to tenpai. Though she doesn’t have sanshoku, she meets the 1/50 minimum for a tie and calls riichi on an 8m kanchan.
With an early 7m discard and a 5m discard in the second row, the 8m is a good wait. During the ippatsu round, Shibukawa discards the 8m and deals into Date. Date wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu for 3,200, winning the game.
Make Rumi
April 26, Game 1, E2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2568
In E2-0, Rumi is in 4th place early after dealing into a mangan in the first hand.
Rumi starts out the hand with a strong 3-shanten with a ryanmen and a secured red 5m double dora. Within her first three turns, she creates a 258m 3-sided wait and fills in the pinzu ryanmen in her hand to get to iishanten. To her left, 1st place Futoshi is busy making quick calls. In his first four turns, he makes three calls to get to tenpai on a 3p kanchan.
After a few turns of misses and creating a 3-sided wait in souzu instead, Rumi gets to tenpai at the start of the second row and waits dama on a 36m nobetan. If she draws the 3m herself, she would have a haneman. In the middle of the second row, Futoshi calls an added kan and makes the 5s in both his and Rumi’s hand into dora. With the extra chance at uradora, Rumi calls a tsumogiri riichi. At the end of the row, Rumi draws the 6m and wins the hand. Rumi wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 3,000/6,000, moving her into 2nd place.
Chinitsu
April 26, Game 1, S3-5
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2061
In S3-5, Futoshi is the dealer in 1st place and on a roll, winning the past two hands and holding a 19,400 lead over 2nd place Rumi.
Futoshi first 13 tiles already puts him iishanten, needing a 3m, 5m, 6m or a 7p to give him a double riichi. The double riichi misses, but it may not have been the choice anyways. With 10 manzu tiles already in his hand with good shapes, his hand is screaming for a flush. On turn 5, he draws a 1m to put him chinitsu 2-shanten. In the second row, he confirms the flush pursuit by calling pon on the 1m. Near the end of the row, Futoshi draws a 6m and waits on a 147m wait. If he can win on the last 1m, he will also add ittsuu to upgrade his hand to a haneman. With no manzu in his discards, it’s hard to tell whether Futoshi is already tenpai. At the end of the row, Rumi draws and discards the 1m and deals into Futoshi. Futoshi wins the hand with Chinitsu/Ittsuu for 18,000+1,500, taking Futoshi above 60,000.
Timing
April 26, Game 1, S4-0
In S4-0, Ooi is in 2nd place and 10,600 ahead of 3rd place Rumi. A win here would both secure the 2nd place and get his team into a better position for a playoff spot.
Ooi starts out the hand with a close 2-shanten with a ryanmen but there is no guaranteed yaku in his hand. On turn 2, he draws a the 6p to get him iishanten and make tanyao much more likely. On turns 4 and 5, Ooi draws a 6p and a 7p to create a ryanmen and get him to tenpai the 58p ryanmen. With an 8p win, he would also add iipeikou.
Across from him, Rumi is iishanten with a pon of the 2p already made. In the second row, Rumi finds herself a pairs and gets herself tenpai on a 6s kanchan. Two turns later, she draws a fourth 6m and calls a concealed kan.
The rinshan and the kandora miss, but it gives Ooi a new opportunity for more dora. On his draw, he makes a tsumogiri riichi, hoping to get the juicy uradora. On his ippatsu draw, he gets the red 5p and wins the hand. Ooi wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Tanyao/Aka 1/Ura 2 for 3,000/6,000, finishing the game in 2nd with a gain of +12.5pts.
Sho Time
April 26, Game 2, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4069
In E1-0, Shiratori playing for the Shibuya Abemas, hoping to help the team get a playoff spot in their final five games of the semifinals.
Shiratori starts out the hand actually iishanten with his first 13 tiles and holding a chance at a double riichi. The double riichi misses, but he still has pairs of west, 1m, 4m, 5m (including the red 5m) and 7m in his hold. On turn 3, Shiratori gets rid of the lone 7s dora in his hand to pursue the manzu honitsu. At the end of the row, Shiratori calls pon on the 7m to go for the more flexible standard hand. On his next draw, he draws a 5m to give him the potential to go for toitoi as well. Drawing the 4m at the end of the second row, Shiratori gets to mangan tenpai and waits on a 1m/west shanpon. If he draws either of them himself, he would add sanankou to his hand for haneman. Soon after, Hisato tries to call riichi by discarding the west and deals into Shiratori. Shiratori wins the hand with Toitoi/Honitsu/Aka 1 for 8,000.
(As a side note, only 4 out of the 9 hands played were won in the whole game)
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