Friday (October 10)

Table A

Table B

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Table A, Game 1

Ippatsu

October 10, Table A, Game 1, S3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8510

In S3-1, Hisato is the dealer and holding a 4,200 lead over 2nd place Daigo. A riichi stick and a honba are up for grabs.

Hisato starts off with a solid 3-shanten hand with pairs of green dragon and north. Within two turns, Hisato gets to iishanten with a strong chance at a good wait. It takes a few turns, but Hisato draws a third green dragon on turn 8 and calls riichi on a wide 47p/north wait.

With this wait, it’s no surprise that Hisato is able to draw the 4p on his very next turn to win the hand. Hisato wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Green Dragon for 4,000+100 all plus a riichi stick.

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Results

Game 41

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Table B, Game 1

Aikawa

October 10, Table B, Game 1, S1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s80_p2169

In S1-1, Aikawa is in 3rd place and 7,700 behind 1st place dealer Shimoishi. A riichi stick and a honba sit in the middle.

Very early on, Aikawa has pairs of white dragon, green dragon and south. With a red 5s as part of a pair and a sequence in manzu, she is set up for a quick hand. With a pon of the white dragon and green dragon. Aikawa gets to tenpai on a south/5s shanpon. At the same time, she has to fight against Akutsu who has called an early riichi on a 3m penchan.

Just past the second row’s midpoint, Aikawa draws the double south and wins the hand. Aikawa wins with Double South/Green Dragon/White Dragon/Aka 1 for 2,000+100/4,000+100 plus a riichi stick, taking the lead.

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Shortcut to Haneman

October 10, Table B, Game 1, S2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p11007

In S2-0, Shimoishi is in 2nd place and 6,700 behind 1st place Aikawa.

With Shimoishi’s very first draw, he gets his fifth pair, putting him iishanten for chiitoi. Having a 3m, 7m and 6p pair in the mix, it will be very difficult to go for triplets. By turn 4, Shimoishi is tenpai and calls riichi on a red dragon tanki.

At the end of the first row, Shimoishi draws the red dragon and wins the hand. Hitting the uradora, Shimoishi wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Chiitoi/Ura 2 for 3,000/6,000, taking back the lead.

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Results

Game 42

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Table A, Game 2

Ippatsu

October 10, Table A, Game 2, E2-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10009

In E2-2, Setokuma is in 4th place and just 200 behind the 2nd place tie.

Setokuma starts out the hand at 4-shanten with a cluster of manzu. In the first row, he builds a potential 567m iipeikou shape with a red 5m, as well as two ryanmens to get to 2-shanten. He still tries to look for a pair.

Right after, Date is the first to tenpai and calls riichi on a 4m kanchan, looking to get a haneman if she draws it herself.

To both defend against the riichi and to learn towards good shapes, Setokuma breaks his manzu penchan. In the process he makes a pair of 2s and fills in a 4s kanchan. Being tenpai, he calls riichi and waits on a 58p ryanmen, also looking to draw it himself for mangan.

Hitting the big upgrade, Setokuma draws the red 5p on his very next turn and wins the hand. Setokuma wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Iipeikou/Aka 2 for 4,000+200/8,000+200, a big baiman to move up.

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4-Sided Wait

October 10, Table A, Game 2, S1-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10010

In S1-2, Setokuma is in 2nd place and just 200 behind 1st place Sonoda.

Setokuma’s starting hand is 4-shanten with a connected red 5p. In the first row, Setokuma draws a very wide manzu shape with a red 5m, as well as strengthens the pinzu shape. Being at 2-shanten by the end of the draw with a good chance at a good wait, things look promising.

In the middle of the second row, Kayamori puts some pressure on the table by calling riichi on a 3m/east shanpon.

During the ippatsu turn, Setokuma creates a 34445667m shape. If he can finish the 58s ryanmen first, he has the oppotunity to wait on a four-sided wait. With such good prospects in wait and value, Setokuma pushes.

At the end of the row, Date adds pressure as well and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen.

Within the go-around, Setokuma draws the perfect tile, the red 5s and calls riichi on a 2358m wait, holding a very, very good chance at hitting haneman. Immediately after, Kayamori draws and discards the 2m and deals into Setokuma. With the 2m also being the uradora, Setokuma wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Tanyao/Aka 3/Ura 1 for 16,000+600 plus two riichi sticks, taking his score all the way up to 53,400.

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Date Dama

October 10, Table A, Game 2, S4-1

In S4-1, Date is in 3rd place and 9,800 behind 2nd place Sonoda. With a riichi stick and a honba in the middle, Date needs a direct hit off of Sonoda for 3/40, a 3/50 or 4/25 tsumo (for a tie), or a haneman ron for 2nd place.

Date starts off the hand at 3-shanten with no value accept the potential for a 3s dora acceptance. She also has the chance at a 789 sanshoku, but she would need a 9s, 9p and 7m to make it happen. Very quickly, two calls allow Date to get some extra turns. In the process, Date draws a 9s, filling in one part of the sanshoku problem. A few turns later, she draws the 9p, getting to iishanten and guaranteeing the sanshoku. She just have to keep the hand closed.

In the second row, Date draws the 3s dora to get to tenpai. She chooses to stay dama since she needs either a direct hit off Sonoda or a tsumo in order to move up (thereby preventing a permanent furiten situation). Two turns later, Sonoda discards the 7m and deals into Date. Date wins the hand with Sanshoku/Dora 1 for 5,200+300 plus a riichi stick, finishing in 2nd place.

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Results

Game 43

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Table B, Game 2

Dama

October 10, Table B, Game 2, S3-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8009

In S3-0, Hori is the dealer in 1st place with a 13,200 lead over 2nd place Uchikawa.

Hori starts off completing a sequence to get to 2-shanten. Even if he were to discard the floating red 5m in the future, his east dora pair can be called to give him mangan. It takes Hori until turn 5 to connect the red 5m. It may be a weak 4m kanchan, but it plays its part in getting a potential 345 sanshoku, needing a 5s and a 4m to complete it.

At the start of the second row, Hori fills in the 4m kanchan to get to iishanten. At the start of the third row, he gets the needed 5s for tenpai, waiting dama on an 8m/east shanpon. If he draws the 8m himself, it will be a haneman. If he draws the east himself, it will be a big dealer baiman. Sure enough, Hori manages to draw the east on his very next turn and wins the hand. Hori wins with Tsumo/Sanshoku/East/Dora 3/Aka 1 for 8,000 all, boosting his hand up to 68,700.

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Results

Game 44

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