Thursday (November 21)

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Game 1

Dama

November 21, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3594

In E1-0, Nakada is the starting dealer and Takamiya is sitting to her right. Both players want to gain big points to escape the negaitve hole that they’re in.

From the start, Nakada has 9 different terminals and honours (which includes a pair of white dragons) while Takamiya is 4-shanten with a standard hand. With these terminals and honours in Nakada’s hand, she keeps thirteen orphans in mind.

Nakada discards middle tiles in her first few turns while hoping for her missing tiles. On turn 2, she draws a green dragon to get to 2-shanten and on turn 5, Nakada draws a west to get to one-away. If she can get a south and a red dragon, she will win a yakuman.

Back with Takamiya, she is progressing very well, pairing up the 1p dora and forming ryanmen shapes. By the end of the first row, Takamiya is 2-shanten with a guaranteed good wait.

On turn 9, Takamiya creates a 678p sequence to get to iishanten. If Takamiya can get an 8m, she will secure a 678 sanshoku for extra value. Two turns later, she draws the 8m and stays dama on a 25m ryanmen for mangan minimum. With a tsumo, it will be a haneman.

For Nakada, she remains focused on getting the yakuman. Unfortunately, nothing is coming to her at all.

At the start of the third row, Takamiya draws the 5m and wins the hand. Takamiya wins the hand with Tsumo/Pinfu/Sanshoku/Dora 2 for 3,000/6,000.

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Gase Game

November 21, Game 1

In E2-0, Matsugase is tied for 2nd place and is 15,000 behind 1st place Takamiya.

Matsugase starts the hand off 3-shanten for both a pairs and standard hand. With three ryanmens for potential good waits, he also has a connected dora 5s and a red 5m. With these good waits and potential additional value, Matsugase aims more for a standard hand. As he waits for the tiles to come, Takamiya opens her hand to go quickly with her dealership. With pon calls on both the green dragon and red dragon, Takamiya is the first to tenpai and waits on a 6s kanchan.

At the end of the first row, Matsugase makes a triplet of 5m to get to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten, having a chance at a three-sided wait with a 6p draw.

As Matsugase waits for iishanten, Kurosawa gets to tenpai and stays dama on a 58m ryanmen. With a tsumo, she would have a haneman for 1st place.

In the second row, Takamiya decides to up her hands value by calling pon and waiting on a 5s tanki, guaranteeing her a mangan if she wins. With the pon, it shifts the wall in Matsugase’s favour. WIth a 6p draw, Matsugase gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 369p three-sided wait. With a 3p or 6p win, he will have a mangan.

At the end of the second row, Kurosawa draws and discards the 6p and deals into Matsugase. Matsugase wins the hand with Riichi/Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 8,000, moving into sole 2nd plcae.

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In E3-0, Matsugase is now the dealer and sitting 7,000 behind Takamiya.

Matsugase starts off the hand 3-shanten with a pair of 6m dora. Matsugase’s hand develops fairly well in the first row, creating sequences, securing the dora pair and getting a red 5p. By the end of the row, he is iishanten with a bunch of kanchan choices.

As Matsugase looks for tenpai, Takamiya gets there first and calls riichi on a 2s kanchan. One remains in the wall.

After avoiding the ippatsu round, Matsugase fills in a 3s kanchan on his next turn and calls riichi on an 8p kanchan.

Though Kurosawa seemed to fold at first, the wall pushed her forward and gets her to tenpai in the third row. She calls riichi on a 36m ryanmen, but none remain in the wall.

The only player left not in riichi is Nakada. Unfortunately, she is nowhere near tenpai and has no safe tiles. Out of all the tiles in her hand, the 8p appears the safest. It is completely safe against Kurosawa’s ippatsu, and Takamiya’s early 7p makes it unlikely for her. Unfortunately for Nakada, the 8p is exactly the tile Matsugase needs.

Matsugase wins the hand with Riichi/Dora 2/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 12,000 plus two riichi sticks, bringing Matsugase up to 44,000.

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Pairs

November 21, Game 1, E4-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s70_p2307

In E4-1, Nakada is in 4th place and 11,400 behind 3rd place dealer Kurosawa.

With Nakada’s first draw, she gets a red 5s to pair up with a normal 5s, giving her four pairs in total. With most of them being middle tiles, the natural route is to go for chiitoi. On turn 3, she pairs up the 3s for iishanten and on turn 4, she pairs up the 3m. With the tenpai, Nakada calls riichi and waits on a north tanki.

At the start of the second row,Nakada draws the north and wins the hand. Nakada wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Chiitoi/Aka 1, for 2,000+100/4,000+100, moving her into 3rd place.

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Takamiya To Top

November 21, Game 1, S3-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3595

In S3-0, Takamiya is in 2nd place, but the gap between her and 1st place Matsugase is now down to just 1,400.

Takamiya starts out the hand 2-shanten for chiitoi (3-shanten for a standard hand) with a lot of simple tiles. As she discards the stray honours in the first row, she starts to for standard blocks. On turn 3, she makes a 7m triplet and on turn 4, she fills in a 4p kanchan to get her to iishanten. Through the rest of the row, she builds her hand towards a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten.

In the middle of the second row, Takamiya finally gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47s ryanmen. On her ippatsu draw, she gets the 7s and wins the hand. Takamiya wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Tanyao/Ura 1 for 2,000/4,000, taking the lead going into the final hand.

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Results

Game 77

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Game 2

Tomohiro Time

November 21, Game 2

In E1-0, Honda is playing for Team Raiden and is the dealer, trying to prevent the team from hitting the dreaded -100.0pts.

Honda starts out the hand at a slightly annoying 5-shanten hand, but does have two ryanmens for relief. Getting rid of mainly terminals and honours in the first row, Honda gets to 2-shanten at the end of the first row with the two ryanmens still intact.

In the second row, Honda fills in one of the ryanmens to make a 456p sequence and at the end of the row, he fills in a kanchan to get to tenpai. Honda calls riichi and waits on a 25s ryanmen.

During the ippatsu round, Sarukawa calls a 234p chii to get to tenpai and waits on a 58p ryanmen.

A few turns later, Date chases with an 8s tanki, guaranteed at least a mangan if she wins and can get a haneman with a tsumo.

Drawing dangerous 7s during the ippatsu round, Sarukawa decides to stand back and fold.

In the middle of the third row, Date draws and discards the 5s and deals into Honda. Honda wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Tanyao for 5,800 plus a riichi stick.

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Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5083

In E1-1, Honda starts out with a much better 2-shanten hand with two ryanmens. With good shapes already secured, all he has to do is find a pair. On turn 3, Honda gets to iishanten. With a 247s25p draw, he would have pinfu and tanyao. The ideal case would be the 2s, giving him a pair of doras. At the end of the first row, Honda draws a 7s and calls riichi on a 25p ryanmen.

Sitting to his left and wanting revenge, Date has a few sequences and a secured red 5s. After breaking up a 1s pair to avoid ippatsu, useful tiles come back to her. By the middle of the second row, she is back to iishanten.

Unfortunately, she ends up drawing both the 2p and 5p, putting her in a dangerous position. In the middle of the third row, Date draws a red 5p to get to tenpai. She tries to call riichi on a 4p/5p shanpon and throws the 2p, but deals into Honda before it completes.

Honda wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Tanyao/Ura 1 for 12,000+300.

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In E1-2, Honda starts out with a middling 3-shanten hand with a pair of 9m. With the terminal pair, the hand looks to be riichi. Efficiency and flexibility rule the first row, trying to get to tenpai as quickly as the wall will let him. On turn 5, Honda draws a third 9m to get to iishanten. On turn 8, Honda is the first to tenpai and calls riichi on a 6m kanchan. A few turns later, Rumi draws and discards the 6m trying to maintain a good iishanten and deals into Honda. Honda wins the hand with Riichi/Ura 1 for 3,900+600, taking Honda up to 48,600.

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Rumi Returns

November 21, Game 2, E4-1

In E4-1, Rumi is in 2nd place and hodling a very narrow 600 lead over 3rd place Sarukawa.

Rumi starts off the hand 3-shanten with a pair of 7s dora. To her left Honda is 2-shanten with a good wait guaranteed. Across from her, dealer Date is 3-shanten with a pair of white dragons and a floating red 5m. With the white dragon pair, Date is able to call pon early to guarantee herself a yaku, getting a red 5p soon after. By the middle of the first row, both Honda and Rumi are iishanten. The first to tenpai is Rumi, who calls riichi on a 5s/7s shanpon. Drawing either of them herself will add sanankou and boost the hand up to haneman.

In the middle of the second row, Date is the next to tenpai, calling a 234s chii and waiting on a 45p wait.

Near the end of the second row, Honda joins in and calls riichi on a 69s ryanmen.

It’s Honda’s 3 vs. Rumi’s 2 vs. Date’s 3. At the start of the third row, Honda draws and discards the 5s and deals into Rumi. Rumi wins the hand with Riichi/Dora 2 for 6,400+300 plus a riichi stick.

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Ippatsu

November 21, Game 2, S1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3596

In S1-0, Date is in 4th place and 12,900 behind 3rd place Sarukawa.

Date starts off the hand at at 3-shanten with a pair of white dragons. The first row provides Date with a 789s and a pair of 6s to get her to iishanten. With the second pair, it gives her a chance to call pon on the white dragon if she needs to.

In the second row, most players have stalled. WIth Honda being the dealer and having a lot of pairs, Honda decides that he should speed up the hand and calls pon on the 9s. Soon after, he calls pon on the 7p and waits on a 6p/east shanpon.

At the end of her second row, Date draws a red 5s to create a 456s sequence and gets to tenpai. She calls riichi and waits on a 36p ryanmen. On her very next draw, she gets the 3p and wins the hand. Date wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Aka 1 for 2,000/4,000.

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Results

Game 78

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