Friday (April 25)

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Game 1

Ippatsu

April 25, Game 1, E4-0

In E4-0, Mizuhara is in 1st place with a slim 700 lead.

Mizuhara starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a sequence-based hand and a dora 2m. Within the first three turns, she gets to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten with a chance at a 456 sanshoku, needing the 6s. However, the 2m stands alone. On turn 4, she pairs up the 2m, upping her secured value and giving her a potential route to tanyao as well. For either the sanshoku or the tanyao to happen, she needs the 6s.

On turn 8, she draws a 9s to complete a 789s sequence. Though it isn’t tanyao, it does get her to tenpai and she calls riichi on a 36s ryanmen. During the ippatsu round, Setokuma discards the 3s and deals into Mizuhara. Though it isn’t sanshoku, Mizuhara still wins with a Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Dora 2 mangan hand for 8,000.

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Maou

April 25, Game 1, S1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3629

In S1-0, Hisato is in 2nd place and 8,700 behind 1st place Mizuhara.

With Hisato’s very first draw, he gets to iishanten with a ryanmen and looking for a pair. On turn 2, he discards the 8p dora to have maximum acceptance, looking for 13 different tiles to tenpai. On turn 5, he makes a pair of 2s to secure tanyao and calls riichi on a 58m ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan.

Near the end of the second row, Hisato draws the 8m and wins the hand. Hitting the uradora, Hisato wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000, moving into top spot.

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Akina Ahead

April 25, Game 1, S3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5628

In S3-1, Mizuhara is the dealer in 2nd place, 3,300 behind 1st place Hisato.

Mizuhara starts out the hand at a strong 3-shanten with a triplet of 5m (including the red 5m) and two ryanmens. Though she is only able to get to 2-shanten at the end of the first row, she is guaranteed a good wait when she gets to tenpai.

When we look to her right, Hisato is alraedy iishanten with a secured red 5p and a loosely-connected 6s dora. Pairing up the 6s and completing a 234m sequence, Hisato gets to tenpai near the end of the first row and waits dama on a 5p/6s shanpon, guarnateed at least a mangan.

Back to Mizuhara, she is iishanten and waiting on seven different tiles for tenpai. At the start of the third row, she creates a 7s triplet and calls riichi on a 14s ryanmen. Three turns later, she draws the 1s and wins the hand. Mizuhara wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 4,000+100 all, taking a sizeable lead over Hisato.

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Results

Game 23

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Game 2

Yu-seful

April 25, Game 2

In E1-0, Yu is the first dealer and hoping to lead the team to a daily double and his third win in a row.

With a pair of double easts in his 4-shanten starting hand, his sights are set on calling it and going fast. On turn 4, he pairs up the 1p dora to get an additional pair (freeing up the easts to get ponned) and adding value. By the end of the first row, Yu is 2-shanten.

With a pon on the east at the start of the second row, he is iishanten with mangan guaranteed. Two turns later, he forms a 123s sequence and gets to tenpai on a 258p wait. Soon after, Date discards the 2p and deals into Yu. Yu wins with Double East/Dora 2 for 12,000.

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Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5629

In E1-1, Yu starts out at 3-shanten, leaning towards tanyao with a connected red 5s. The first row only gives him one additional sequence, but it’s a 234s sequence that makes tanyao quite likely.

At the start of the second row, he forms another sequence to get to iishanten, looking for a pair somewhere. On his next turn, he pairs up the 8s and calls riichi on a 6s kanchan.

Immediately after, Honda chases with a 7s wait.

Both players are waiting on two tiles in the wall. Unfortunately, Honda’s tiles get gobbled up as the turns go by, leaving him with no chance of winning in the middle of the third row. Soon after, Yu draws the 6s and wins the hand. Yu wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 4,000+100 all plus Honda’s riichi stick, bringing Yu’s score up to 50,300.

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Riichi Battle

April 25, Game 2, E2-0

In E2-0, Shiartori is in 2nd place after winning the previous hand and ending Yu’s dealer reign. Shiratori still has 21,800 left to go.

Shiratori starts out the hand at 3-shanten with three ryanmens and a pair of yakuhai wests, looking good for a relatively quick hand. However, when the first west comes out from Date, he passes on it to look for extra value. Even as the last west comes out, Shiratori refuses to call it. By the end of the first row, he is still at 3-shanten.

More trouble comes at the start of the second row as Date gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 7m dora tanki.

Within two turns of the riichi, Shiratori is able to get to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten and has a route to stay safe while keeping it.

Towards the end of the second row, he is met with another riichi, this time from Honda calling riichi on a 47p ryanmen.

Within the go-around, Shiratori calls the third riichi and waits on a 58s ryanmen.

In the middle of the third row, Date draws and discards the red 5s and deals into Shiratori. Shiratori wins the hand with Riichi/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 5,200 plus two riichi sticks.

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Suzuki Tsumo

April 25, Game 2, E3-0

In E3-0, Yu is still in 1st place, but wants to make more space between him and the approaching Shiratori.

Yu starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a connected dora 2s. With a pair of 1m in his hand, he is more or less forced to stay closed and wait for the tiles to come. He is able to make three ryanmens and a triplet of 8s in the first row, getting him to 2-shanten.

In the second row, Honda is the one to make quick progress. With a 3p pon and a 456p chii, Honda gets to tenpai on a 47m ryanmen.

On Yu’s next turn, he draws a 4s to complete a 234s sequence and get to iishanten. Near the end of the row, he creates a 456p sequence and calls riichi on a 25m ryanmen. Shiratori calls pon on the east within the go-around to break the ippatsu and get to tenpai on a 69s ryanmen, but it ends up shifting the wall in Yu’s favour and gives him the red 5m for the win. Yu wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 2,000/4,000.

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Shiratori Spike

April 25, Game 2 E4-0

In E4-0, Shiratori is the dealer and 24,600 behind 1st place Yu.

Shiratori starts out the hand at 4-shanten, but does have two sequences completed. In the first row, he makes a 4m pair and a 58m ryanmen shape to get to 2-shanten, wanting to make another block with his extra 5s or floating 5p.

In the middle of the second row, he draws a 3s to get to iishanten. With a red five 5m draw at the end of the row, he gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 4s kanchan. The 4s kanchan is not exactly the best wait, but his patience will some turn bear fruit. On his last draw, the second-last tile in the wall, Shiratori draws the 4s and wins the hand. With the 4s also being the uradora, Shiratori wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 4,000 all, cutting Yu’s lead down to just 8,600.

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Honda

April 25, Game 2, E4-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5122

In E4-1, Honda is in 3rd place and quite far away from 2nd place. However, his main goal is to extend the lead over their playoff rivals, the Konami Mahjong Fight Club. With Date in 4th place and in the negatives, Honda winning more points will help Team Raiden a lot.

Honda starts out the hand fills in a 6s kanchan to secure the dora 5s and get to iishanten. The hand leans a bit towards tanyao, but the 14p ryanmen could cause a bit of a problem. The first row is very helpful to Honda, forming sequences and ryanmens to get to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten. Getting an extra ryanmen at the end of the row, Honda breaks the 23p block to secure tanyao.

As Honda waits, Yu keeps building his hand. Having called pon on the yakuhai south in the first row, he gets to tenpai in the middle of the second row on a 6s kanchan. Though Date ends up drawing an extra one, she doesn’t throw it so she can accept another dora. Soon after, Yu calls a 345s chii and switches to a 14s/4p wait.

Checking back on Honda, he has doubled his tenpai acceptance from 4 to 8 different tiles after drawing a triplet of 8s which could be pared down to pair if necessary.

Soon after, he is met with another challenge as Date calls riichi on a 369p wait, wanting the 9p for ittsuu and the mangan.

After some waiting, Honda finally gets to tenpai in the third row and calls riichi on a 47p ryanmen.

Yu initially folds when he draws the red 5m, but he is able to get back to tenpai and throw the 5m safely soon after.

On Honda’s last draw, he gets the final 4p in the wall and wins the hand. Honda wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Dora 1 for 2,000+100/4,000+100 plus Date’s riichi stick, a big swing between Team Raiden and the Konami Mahjong Fight Club.

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Results

Game 24

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Intro | Standings