Friday (January 10)

---

Game 1

Yakuhai+

January 10, Game 1, E2-1

In E2-1, Honda is in a three-way tie for 2nd place after Ooi called riichi and took the previous hand to a draw as the only one tenpai. As a result, a riichi stick and a honba sit in the pot.

From the start, Honda has a pair of red dragons and a connected dora 4s for 2-shanten. He doesn’t make much progress in the first row, leaving him with the exact same hand he started the row with. During this time, Date develops her hand to 2-shanten and has a good wait almost guaranteed.

In the second row, Honda fills in a sequence and advances to iishanten. As he waits, he shifts his pinzu sequence to accpet the red 5p and then draws a red 5s for extra value. With a red dragon pon and a 234s chii around the edd of the row, Honda is the first to tenpai and waits on a 7s kanchan, guaranteed a mangan if he wins.

After a few turns, Date puts her hat into the ring with a riichi, waiting on a 14s ryanmen. If she gets the 4s, she will have mangan minimum.

For Honda, he has to thread the needle of pushing against the riichi and staying safe. As he draws a dora 4s, Honda switches to an 8s tanki. Within the go-around, Date draws and discards the 8s, dealing into Honda. Honda wins the hand with Red Dragon/Dora 2/Aka 2 for 8,000+300 plus two riichi sticks, moving into 1st place.

---

Recovery

January 10, Game 1, S2-0

In S2-0, Date is still in 4th place after the painful mangan deal-in in the east round. If she can manage to get a mangan tsumo or a haneman ron here, she will move up into 3rd.

Date starts out with a strong 3-shnten hand with two red fives embedded. In the first row, she gets rid of her terminals and honours, leaning towards tanyao and pinfu. By the end of the row, she is iishanten and guaranteed a good wait.

At the start of the second row, Date gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 14s ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan if she wins. In the middle of the row, Date draws the 1s and wins the hand. Date wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Aka 2 for 2,000/4,000, enough to move into 3rd.

---

Honda

January 10, Game 1, S3-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5096

in S3-0, Honda is in 1st place and holding a narrow 3,700 lead over Sugawara.

Honda starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a dora 3s, two red fives and a pair of easts (though they aren’t his yakuhai). The first row does well to fill in his sequence shapes, getting him to a wide iishanten on turn 5 and waiting on 13 different tiles for tenpai. A turn later, Honda draws a third east and gets to tenpai on a 58p nobetan. After waiting a turn with a yakuless dama, he decides to call riichi at the start of the second row.

Though the riichi commands Honda’s presence, Sugawara wants to beat him by surprise. Sitting 2-shanten with three ryanmens, a dora 3s and a red 5s, she has tiles to fight with. Shifting to tanyao, she manages to get to iishanten a turn later. With a bit more shifting and weaving, Sugawara gets to tenpai in the middle of the second row, staying dama. If she wins this hand, she will move into 1st.

The two of them draw and discard, wanting to take or keep top spot. At the start of the third row, Honda draws the 5p and wins the hand. Hitting the uradora, Honda wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 1/Aka 2/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000.

---

Results

Game 127

---

Game 2

Ippatsu

January 10, Game 2, E3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4097

In E3-1, Shiratori is the dealer in a 2nd place tie, 5,200 behind 1st place Sarukawa. A riichi stick and a honba sit in the middle.

Shiratori starts out the hand at 3-shanten and lacking in value. The first row pushes him forward to 2-shanten with routes to iipeikou and 7p sequence, but neither of those value options are secured. Meanwhile, both Takamiya and Sarukawa get themselves to iishanten.

In the middle of the second row, Takamiya calls pon on the white dragon to get to tenpai and waits on a 3p penchan.

Back to Shiratori, he has already abandoned the 789m iipeikou prospect with only one 8m remaining. With a red 5s draw, he gets a bit of value. As he throws the regular 5s, Sarukawa calls a 567s chii and gets to tenpai on a 4p kanchan.

On Shiratori’s next draw, he gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47s ryanmen. Immediately after, Sarukawa draws and discards the 7s and deals into Shiratori. Shiratori wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Aka 1 for 12,000+300 plus a riichi stick, moving into 1st.

---

Dama Control

January 10, Game 2, E3-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s70_p2509

In E3-2, Kurosawa is in 2nd place and 13,300 behind 1st place dealer Shiratori.

Kurosawa starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a secured red 5m. In the first row, Kurosawa creates a bulky 23334445m shape, allowing her to take a 2m or a 5m to have iipeikou. Otherwise, she can use it as two triplets. In any case, she gets to iishanten on turn 5.

In the first row and going into the second, Kurosawa breaks her 3p penchan, but ends up drawing the 3p immediately after. However, she is able to make a 4p triplet and a 5s pair at the start of the third row to get to a 25m ryanmen. With a bit of dreaming, the hand can technically become a suuankou tanki yakuman.

In the middle of the third row, Kurosawa draws a 6m and shifts to a 47m/5s wait.

Right after, Shiratori gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 14s ryanmen.

Unfortunately, Shiratori draws the red 5s two turns later and deals into Kurosawa. Kurosawa wins the hand with Tanyao/Aka 2 for 3 han. With the kan and triplets, it rounds up to 60 fu, giving Kurosawa 8,000+600

---

To Top

January 10, Game 2, S2-3

In S2-3, Shiratori is in 2nd place and 3,400 behind 1st place Kurosawa.

Shiratori start out the hand at 2-shanten with fairly wide acceptance. On turn 2, he gets to iishanten. Over the next few turns, he shifts his hand towards tanyao, going for extra value and a better wait. On turn 5, Shiratori gets to tenpai and waits dama on an 8p/7s shanpon.

Looking around the table, everyone has a hand that they can fight with. Soon after, Shiratori get to tenpai, Kurosawa gets to iishanten with a 567m iipeikou chance. In the second row, Kurosawa draws that 7m and waits dama on a 4p/8s shanpon.

On Shiratori’s turn, he draws the red 5s, shifts to a 345s sequence and calls riichi with his shanpon.

During the ippatsu round, Sarukawa gets to tenpai and chases with a 4p akcnahn.

Near the end of the first row, Kurosawa draws a dangerous 6s and decides to break her tenpai.

Right after, Takamiya gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 36m ryanmen.

At the end of the second row, Sarukawa draws and discards the 8p, crowning Shiratori the victor of the riichi battle. Shiratori wins the hand with Riichi/Tanyao/Aka 1 for 5,200+900 plus two riichi sticks.

---

Fight Club Fighting

January 10, Game 2, S3-0

In S3-0, Takamiya is in 2nd place, 11,800 behind 2nd place Kurosawa and 16,500 behind 1st place Shiratori. After Date’s 4th place in the previous game and the approaching threat by Team Raiden, Takamiya wants to fight for the Fight Club.

Takamiya starts out the hand technically at 2-shanten, but Takamiya doesn’t want to go for anythign cheap. In her first four discards, she throws out the pinu in her hand to go for a manzu honitsu. In the process, she calls pon on the red dragon and 1m, as well as drawing a red 5m. By the end of the first row, she is iishanten for a mangan.

In the middle of the second row, Takamiya gets to tenpai and waits on a 47m wait. If she can get the 3m or 6m, she can widen it to a three-sided wait.

Two turns later, 4th place Sarukawa gets to tenpai and calls riichi on an 8m kanchan. His hand is expensive with mangan guaranteed and a chance at haneman, but unfortunately all the 8m are dead.

After drawing a safe tile during the ippatsu round, Takamiya draws a 3m on her next turn and switches to a 369m wait. A few turns later, she draws the 3m and wins the hand. Takamiya wins with Honitsu/Red Dragon/Aka 1 for 2,000/4,000, putting her within a 3-han hand from finishing the game in 1st.

---

Results

Game 128

---

Intro | Standings