Monday (December 2)
Game 1
Shibuya
Abemas
Beast X
Sega Sammy
Phoenix
EX Furinkazan
Birthday Start
December 2, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p6075
In E1-0, Sugawara is playing for the Beast X on her birthday, looking for her first 1st of the season.
Sugawara starts off the hand at 4-shanten with a red 5s. The first row gives a good number of connectors, making enough sequences to get to iishanten. However, the red 5s still floats and a 3s penchan still remains.
At the start of the second row, Sugawara draws a 4s, creating a ryanmen to solve the penchan and the floating dora problem. Two turns later, Sugawara draws the 3s and calls riichi on a 58p ryanmen.
On her ippatsu turn, Sugawara gets the 5p and wins the hand. With the uradora as her birthday present, Sugawara wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000, taking the early lead.
Birthday Middle
December 2, Game 1, S2-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p6076
In S2-2, Sugawara is the dealer in 1st place and holding a 10,000 lead over 2nd place Takaki.
With her first draw, Sugawara pairs up the white dragon to get to 3-shanten. For additional value, she also has a secured red 5m. In the first few turns, she creates a 577p shape, with the 5p being dora. When the white dragon comes out on turn 5, she calls pon and advances to iishanten.
Around the end of the first row, 3rd place Hinata is the first to tenpai and calls riichi on a 14m ryanmen.
Two turns after the riichi, Sugawara draws the red 5p double dora, upgrading her hand’s potential value. To maintain the iishanten, she breaks the 7p pair, but ends up drawing a third one soon after, an annoying backfire.
At the start of the third row, Sugawara calls a 345s chii and gets to tenpai on a 1s/5p shanpon, with a 5p win giving her a haneman. On Hinata’s next turn, she draws and discards the 5p and deals into Sugawara. Sugawara wins the hand with White Dragon/Dora 3/Aka 2 for 18,000+600 plus Hinata’s riichi stick, taking Sugawara up to 58,600.
Rinshan
December 2, Game 1, S3-4
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4088
In S3-4, Hinata is in 3rd place and just 200 ahead of 4th place Katsumata. Neither player has a 4th place yet this season. With a riichi stick and four honba on the table, the one who wins here will have a good advantage going into South 4.
Hinata starts out with a very strong 3-shanten hand with a pair of dora green dragons and a secured red 5p.
Quite early on, action abounds on the table. Katsumata calls pon on the south and advances his own hand to 2-shanten. With a pon on the red dragon, Takaki gets to iishanten with two red fives. Soon after, Katsumata calls an added kan with the souths, making the north a new dora. As Katsumata discards the green dragon, Hinata calls pon. Near the end of the row, Katsumata calls a chii to advance to iishanten. With a 678p chii, Hinata joins in on the iishanten crew.
After a pon by Takaki, he is the first to tenpai and waits on a 36m ryanmen.
Within the go-around, Hinata gets to tenpai on a 47p ryanmen.
Filling in a 7m penchan, Katsumata gets to tenpai on a 69s ryanmen.
On Hinata’s next draw, she gets the fourth green dragon and calls an added kan. On her rinshan draw, she gets…
…the 4p and wins the hand! Hinata wins with Rinshan/Green Dragon/Dora 4/Aka 1 for 3,000+400/6,000+400 plus a riichi stick, putting her just 600 behind 2nd place Takaki going into South 4.
Birthday Finish
December 2, Game 1, S4-1
In S4-1, Sugawara is in 1st place with a big lead. She just wants to end the game to secure her first win of the season.
From the start, Sugawara has pairs of both the east, green dragon and 5p, putting her 3-shanten for seven pairs and 4-shanten for a standard hand. On turn 3, she pairs up the souths. Near the end of the row, Sugawara calls pon on the green dragon to pursue a standard hand. Soon after, she calls pon on the souths, pursuing a pinzu honitsu to avoid throwing pinzu against Katsumata’s own pinzu honitsu (with a west and 1p pon already made by Katsumata).
In the second row, Sugawara pairs up the 1p to get to iishanten, with Katsumata getting to iishanten as well at the end of the row.
Calling pon on the east, Sugawara is the first to tenpai and waits on a 3p/5p shanpon, guaranteed a haneman if she wins.
On Katsumata’s next turn, he gets to tenpai on a 3p kanchan. A turn later, he improves to a wider 56p wait.
On Sugawara’s turn, she gets the 3p and wins the hand. Sugawara wins with Toitoi/Honitsu/South/Green Dragon for 3,000+100/6,000+100, finishing with 65,200, her first win of the season.
Results
Game 89
Beast X
1st
65,200 (+85.2)
Sega Sammy
Phoenix
2nd
17,200 (-2.8)
Shibuya
Abemas
3rd
16,600 (-23.4)
EX Furinkazan
4th
1,000 (-59.0)
Game 2
EX Furinkazan
Sega Sammy
Phoenix
Beast X
Shibuya
Abemas
Hiroshi Haneman
December 2, Game 2, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s70_p2356
In E1-0, Daigo is trying to get the Sega Sammy Phoenix back into 1st place. Any 1st place this game would put the team there.
With Daigo’s very first draw, he fills in a penchan and is already iishanten. With a red 5m double dora secured, he is poised to get a quick and expensive hand. On turn 5, he gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 369m wait.
On his very next draw, Daigo gets the 3m and wins the hand. Daigo wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 12,000.
Takame
December 2, Game 2, S1-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4089
In S1-2, Shiratori is tied in 2nd place, chasing 1st place dealer Rumi who is 21,800 ahead. A win this hand would put him into sole 2nd and move him a bit closer to the top.
Shiratori starts off at 3-shanten with a bunch of potential sequences and a dora 5s. In the first row, Shiratori fills in a 3s penchan and creates a 789s ryanmen to get to iishanten. At the end of the row, Shiratori has a choice to take a 5p kanchan tenpai, but rejects it to try to use the dora 5s and maybe get ittsuu as well.
Near the middle of the second row, Shiratori draws a 4s to get to tenpai and calls riichi on a 36s ryanmen. If he gets the 6s, he will have ittsuu for mangan. A tsumo with the 6s will give him haneman.
A few turns later, Daigo also gets to tenpai and waits dama on a 47m ryanmen, ready for a mangan and can get a haneman with a tsumo.
At the end of the second row, Shiratori draws the 6s and wins the hand. Shiratori wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Ittsuu/Dora 1 for 3,000+200/6,000+200, cutting Rumi’s lead down to just 3,000.
Sugawara Celebration
December 2, Game 2, S2-1
In S2-1, Sugawara is in 4th place and 4,800 behind 3rd place dealer Daigo. Not wanting to erase her gains in the first game, Sugawara really wants to win and keep it a positive birthday.
Sugawara starts off with a good 3-shanten hand with both a red 5m and a dora 7m as part of a 567m sequence. In the first row, Sugawara draws another 7m to create a 789m sequence and advances to iishanten.
At the start of the second row, Sugawara fills in a kanchan to get to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58p ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan if she wins. If she gets the winning tile herself, she will get a haneman.
In the second row, Rumi gets to tenpai, but has no yaku. Soon after, Sugawara draws an 8p and wins the hand. Sugawara wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 12,000+300 plus a riichi stick, putting her just 4200 behind 1st place.
Sugawara Summit
December 2, Game 2, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p6077
In S4-0, Sugawara is in 3rd place, 5,900 behind 2nd place Rumi and 7,100 behind 1st place dealer Shiratori. To take 1st place, Sugawara needs a 3/40 tsumo, a 3/50 or 4/25 direct hit, or a mangan ron.
Sugawara starts out 4-shanten with a floating red 5p and a connected 1s dora. The first row pairs up both the red 5p and the souths to get her to 2-shanten for seven pairs (3-shanten for a standard hand). In the second row, she draws a third south to get to a standard 2-shanten.
Around the table, all the players want to move up. For Daigo, he is pursuing an ittsuu. For Shiratori, he wants a honitsu. In the middle of the second row, Daigo gets to tenpai and stays dama on an 8m kanchan. Though it’s not enough to get to 3rd place, a 5,200 win is better than a 3,000 tenpai gain.
For Shiratori, who has already called pon on the white dragon and 1p, he is sitting iishanten. With a pon on the 2p, Shiratori gets to tenpai on a 5p kanchan. As Daigo draws a dangerous 6p against a clear pinzu honitsu, he chooses to fold. At the start of the third row, Shiratori switches to a 6p/7p shanpon to upgrade to a mangan.
Back with Sugawara, she is sitting at iishanten. Drawing a 9m triplet, Sugawara finally gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58m ryanmen. With mangan guaranteed, any win will get her a 1st place.
Immediately after, Shiratori draws an 8m, Sugawara’s winning tile.
With three calls, Shiratori doesn’t have much to fold. And if he does fold, there is a decent chance that he will fall into 3rd anyways. After taking almost 2 minutes to decide, Shiratori throws the 8m to maintain his mangan tenpai and deals into Sugawara.
Sugawara wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/South/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 8,000, winning the double duty daily double on her birthday.
Results
Game 90
Beast X
1st
33,600 (+53.6)
EX Furinkazan
2nd
31,500 (+11.5)
Shibuya
Abemas
3rd
24,700 (-15.3)
Sega Sammy
Phoenix
4th
10,200 (-49.8)
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