Monday (March 24)

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Game 1

Dora Ankou

March 24, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p4114

In E1-0, Hinata is playing in her 20th game of the season, the minimum number of games to be eligible for the 4th place avoidance award. She needs to get anything except for a 4th to maintain her position at the top spot.

With Hinata’s starting hand, she has a triplet of green dragon doras, already holding the basis of a quick mangan. On top of it, she is also 2-shanten. The first row doesn’t really give her much but she does advance to iishanten with two kanchans.

On turn 8, Hinata makes a triplet of 2m, increasing her acceptance from 2 different tiles to 10 different tiles. On her next draw, she gets to tenpai on a 4s kanchan. A turn after that, she upgrades to a 47m ryanmen. Immediately after, Sonoda discards the 7s and deals into Hinata. Hinata wins the hand with Green Dragon/Dora 3 for 12,000.

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Separation

March 24, Game 1, E3-1

In E3-1, Hisato is in 3rd place, just 200 ahead of 4th place Sonoda and 10,000 behind 2nd dealer Nakada. 1,300 in bonuses will go to the next winner.

Hisato starts out the hand filling in a kanchan to get to 3-shanten. Also in his hand is a floating 8m dora for potential value. The first row gives him a 123s sequence and a 6m to be near the dora, getting her to iishanten.

On turn 8, he fills in a 7m kanchan to get to tenpai and calls riichi on a 69s ryanmen.

Having already called pon on the east, Sonoda is iishanten by the time Hisato called riichi. During the ippatsu round, Sonoda gets to tenpai and waits on an 8s kanchan.

However, none remain in the wall.

All Hisato has to do is wait. At the end of the second row, Sonoda discards the 9s trying to switch to a 58s ryanmen and deals into Hisato. Hisato wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Dora 1 for 3,900+300 plus a riichi stick.

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Defused

March 24, Game 1, S3-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s70_p2836

In S3-0, Sonoda is in 4th place with 12,600, wanting to turn the game around and remain in contention for the MVP award. At the other end, Hinata is in 1st place with 39,900.

Hinata starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a dora 4m, a red 5m and a likely tanyao. For Sonoda, he is 2-shanten with triplets of 2p and 8s. In the first row, Hinata quickly gets to iishanten, as does Sonoda with a 7899m shape.

At the start of the second row, Hinata calls a 456s sequence and gets to tenpai on a 6p kanchan.

On Sonoda’s turn, he has a chance to be tenpai on a 3m/1p shanpon. However, he won’t have any other value unless he wins by tsumo. Sitting in 4th place, he takes the risk and aims for triplets, potentially even getting a suuankou yakuman.

On HInata’s next turn, she switches to a 4p kanchan, though none remain in the wall. A turn after that, she switches to a 3s/5p shanpon.

Then, on Sonoda next turn, Sonoda creates a 9m triplet. He calls riichi and waits on a 1p/3m shanpon.

One 1p remains in the wall.

Unfortunately, his hopes are very short-lived. Immediately after, Nakada discards the 3s and deals into Hinata. Hinata wins the hand with Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 3,900 plus Sonoda’s riichi stick.

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Results

Game 209

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Game 2

Start Date

March 24, Game 2, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3620

In E1-0, Date is playing for the Konami Mahjong Fight Club, hoping to keep the positive momentum going into the final week.

From the start, Date has a triplet of the 9m dora and pairs of 1p, 1s and 8s. With tiles near the edge, she has an opportunity to go for a nice triplet hand. On turn 2, she pairs up the 4p and gets to chiitoi iishanten, toitoi 2-shanten.

As Date waits to advance, Shiratori gets to tenpai on turn 5 and calls riichi on a 7p kanchan.

With the riichi from Shiratori, Date needs to speed up the hand. When the 1p comes out, she calls pon to get to iishanten. At the start of the second row, she draws a third 8s and gets to tenpai on a 1s/4p shanpon. If she calls ron, she will have a dealer mangan. If she draws the winning tile herself, she will have a dealer haneman.

A few turns later, Sonoda gets to tenpai on a 4p kanchan. However, when he draws the unseen green dragon he chooses to fold.

It takes quite a while, but in the third row, Date finally draws the 1s and wins the hand. Date wins with Toitoi/Sanankou/Dora 3 for 6,000 all plus a riichi stick.

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Yaku Yaku Dora Dora

March 24, Game 2, E3-1

In E3-1, Sonoda is in 4th place and 6,500 behind 3rd place Sugawara.

Sonoda starts out the hand pairing up the yakuhai souths, but he still remains 5-shanten for a standard hand, 4-shanten for a pairs hand. In the first row, he pairs up the white dragon, calls pon on the souths and gets a 3m to connect to teh 1m dora. By the end of the row, he is 2-shanten.

At the start of the second row, he draws a second 1m dora for extra value. Over the next few turns, he makes triplets of white dragon and 8s to get to tenpai on a 3s penchan, ready with a mangan.

Though three remain in the wall, none of them seem to want to come. As Sonoda waits and waits, Shiratori gets to tenpai in the middle of the third row, waiting on a red dragon/4s shanpon, though only allowed to win on the red dragon.

Hoping to get the 3s, Sonoda instead gets a fourth white dragon. He calls kan, but neither the kandora nor the rinshan help.

Two turns later, Date gets to tenpai and waits on a red dragon tanki.

On Shiratori’s turn, he draws the dangerous 3s, but holds onto it and switches to a yakuless furiten 25s ryanmen, hoping to keep it until a draw.

Then, on Sonoda’s draw, Sonoda gets the 3s and wins the hand. Sonoda wins with South/White Dragon/Dora 2 for 2,000+100/4,000+100, moving up to 3rd.

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Straightforward

March 24, Game 2, S1-0

In S1-0, Sonoda is back in 4th place, but is now just 1,300 behind 3rd place Sugawara and 4,900 behind 2nd place Shiratori.

Sonoda starts out with a very strong 2-shanten hand with a secured dora 2m and a connected red 5s. In the first row, Sonoda makes a 123m and a 456m sequence, advancing him to iishanten.

In the second row, Sonoda makes a 7m triplet and a 456s sequence to get to tenpai. He chooses a 4p tanki with no yaku, looking for a potential manzu ittsuu or a 456 sanshoku upgrade.

As Sonoda waits, Sugawara gets to tenpai first and calls riichi on a 3m kanchan.

After avoiding the ippatsu round with a south draw and discard, Sonoda gets a 9m on he next turn. With the upgrade, Sonoda calls riichi on an 89m wait, with the 8m (the only tile left in the wall) giving him ittsuu.

In the middle of the third row, Sugawara draws and discards the 8m and deals into Sonoda. Sonoda wins the hand with Riichi/Ittsuu/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 8,000 plus a riichi stick, moving up to 2nd.

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Honitsu

March 24, Game 2, S3-1

In S3-1, Shiratori is the dealer in 3rd place, 3,300 behind 2nd place Sonoda. A riichi stick and a honba are in the pot.

Shiratori starts out the hand at 4-shanten with a whole bunch of souzu and honour tiles. Within the first four turns, he is rid of all non-souzu or non-honour tiles. With a 789s chii near the end of the row, Shiratori gets to 2-shanten.

In the middle of the second row, Shiratori gets to iishanten, and then fills in a kanchan a turn later to get o a 47s ryanmen.

Right after, Sonoda gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 1s/5p shanpon.

Wanting to move up, Shiratori keeps pushing. In the third row, Shiratori gets the 7s and wins the hand. Shiratori wins with Honitsu only for 1,000+100 all plus two riichi sticks, enough to go up to 2nd place going into the last hand.

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Results

Game 210

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