Monday (October 27)

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Game 1

Dama

October 28, Game 1, E3-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p7515

In E3-0, Nagai is in 4th place, 1,500 behind 3rd place Honda, 9,700 behind 2nd place Date and 11,200 behind 1st place Hinata.

Nagai starts out the hand at 4-shanten with a connected red 5s and a dora 1s. The red 5m comes into his hand to create a sequence and makes a ryanmen to go to 3-shanten by the end of the row.

Looking around the table, Nagai is the furthest behind, with Nagai and Hinata at 2-shanten and Date at iishanten. On turn 8, Hinata is the first to tenpai and calls riichi on a 69m ryanmen.

Within the go-around, Date chases with a 2s kanchan.

Back to Nagai, he is now 2-shanten. His first few turns, Nagai is able to stay safe by drawing and discarding honours. At the end of the second row, Nagai gets to iishanten. With a lot of potential and seeing three 2s, Nagai pushes the dora 1s to take a wide iishanten. In the third row, Nagai draws the red 5p and stays dama on a 6p kanchan, guaranteed a mangan. Within the go-around, Honda discards the 6p, a safe tile against both riichi players, and deals into Nagai. Nagai wins the hand with Tanyao/Aka 3 for 8,000+600 plus two riichi sticks.

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Date Arise

October 27, Game 1, S1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8521

In S1-1, Date is in 3rd place, 10,900 behind 2nd place Nagai and 15,500 behind 1st place Hinata.

Date starts out with a 3-shanten hand, only holding an isolated 9s for value. In the first row, Date forms a potential souzu ittsuu (needing a 5s and an 8s) and gets to 2-shanten.

In the second row, Date draws a red 5m to advance to iishanten. Over the next few turns, she converts the hand to tanyao, allowing her a more flexible and wider hand. She discards the dora 9s and gets to iishanten, wanting the 5s for a possible 4-sided wait. At the end of the row, she draws the perfect one, the red 5s, and calls riichi on a 258s4p wait. On her very next turn, Date draws the 4p and wins the hand. Date wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Tanyao/Aka 2/Ura 1 for 3,000+300/6,000+100

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Results

Game 69

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Game 2

Ooi Up

October 27, Game 1, E3-0

In E3-0, Ooi is in 1st place and 3,000 ahead of 2nd place Katsumata.

Ooi starts out the hand at 4-shanten with a lone green dragon and is a single 7s away from a 678s iipeikou. In the first row, he draws a red 5p to get a 567p sequence and advances to 2-shanten. At the start of the second row, Ooi makes a pair of 2m to get to iishanten. On his very next draw, he gets the 7s and calls riichi on a 58m ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan. Two turns later, Hisato discards the 5s and deals into Ooi. Ooi wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Tanyao/Iipeikou/Aka 1 for 8,000.

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Fighting Furiten

October 28, Game 2, S3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8522

In S3-1, Hisato is in 4th place and is 15,000 behind 3rd place Hagiwara.

With Hisato’s first draw, he gets to 2-shanten. For value, he has a secured red 5p and a potential for accepting the 4p dora. Since he has tanyao in sight, he discards the 1p (the last terminal in his hand). By turn 4, Hisato is at iishanten with three sequences and a pair. On turn 5, he draws the 2p.

On one hand, Hisato is tenpai on a 14p ryanmen. On the other, the 1p he discarded on turn 1 puts him furiten. However, with a good hand so early with a decent wait and the potential to draw the dora 4p for maximum value, Hisato decides to call riichi. If he draws the 4p, he will have at least a haneman.

As if he made a deal with the devil, Hisato gets the 4p on his very next turn to win. Hisato wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 3,000+100/6,000+100, enough to move up to 3rd place.

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Results

Game 70

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