Friday (November 14)

Table A

Table B

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Table A, Game 1

Uchikawa Up

November 14, Table A, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p7524

In E1-0, Uchikawa starts off the hand with not much to speak of, being 5-shanten with a floating red 5s and 9m dora. However, useful tiles start coming fast and furious. By the end of the first row, he is iishanten with two red fives and pairs of south and north. On turn 8, he gets to tenpai and calls riichi on the north/south honour shanpon.

The wait is quite good, but it doesn’t mean it will come easily. Calling chii on Uchikawa’s riichi tile, Matsumoto gets to tenpai on a 6s kanchan.

Right after that, Asami calls riichi on an 8m kanchan.

At the end of the second row, Matsumoto discards the south and deals into Uchikawa. Uchikawa wins the hand with Riichi/Aka 2/Dora 1 for 8,000 plus a riichi stick.

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Megumu Moment

November 14, Table A, Game 1, E3-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p11520

In E3-0, Aikawa is the dealer in 2nd place and is 14,200 behind 1st place Uchikawa. From the very start, Aikawa is 3-shanten with pairs of red dragon and east. When the east comes out, Aikawa immediately calls pon to get her hand going. Over the next few turns, her hand shifts towards a potential chanta hand, having multiple terminal sequences. By the middle of the second row, Aikawa gets to tenpai on an 8s kanchan, guaranteed a mangan if she wins.

Within the go-around, Asami gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 7m tanki.

Aikawa does a little bit of pushing, but switches her hand to a 7s/red dragon shanpon when she draws an additional 7s. Within the go-around, Asami discards the 7s and deals into Aikawa. Aikawa wins the hand with Double East/Dora 3 for 12,000 plus a riichi stick, coming within 1,200 for 1st place.

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Results

Game 101

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Table B, Game 1

Genta Gets Up

November 14, Table B, Game 1 E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9516

In E1-0, Genta starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a single dora 8m for value. Genta draws a red 5s as part of a ryanmen and a 7m to connect to the dora 8m within the first few turns. By turn 5, Genta is at a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten. After a bit of fishing, Genta gets to tenpai in the middle of the second row and calls riichi on a 25m ryanmen. Two turns later, Genta draws the 2m and wins the hand. Genta wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 2,000/4,000, taking the early lead.

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Aka Aka Aka

November 14, Table B, Game 1, S1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s80_p2410

In S1-1, Setokuma is in 4th place, 5,000 behind 3rd place Shimoishi and 6,900 behind 2nd place dealer Shibukawa.

Setokuma starts out the hand with a very strong 2-shanten haned with two secured red fives and strong waits. By turn 2, he gets to iishanten. On turn 4, he gets to tenpai, but chooses not to call riichi. With a 4556s shape and two triplets, he can pare down one of them if he draws anything around that shape. His hand is so good that 9 different tiles will give him a good wait tenpai, one of those waits giving him a 5-sided wait. He reduces it to just 6 different tiles when he draws the 5p, gambling for a potential 456 sanshoku.

Things look good for Setokuma, but he is faced with a huge challenge as Shimoishi calls riichi on a 7s penchan at the end of the first row.

In the middle of the second row, Setokuma draws the red 5p to create a pair. With this hand, he breaks up the rest of the norths to move towards tanyao. With a fine ballet, Setokuma dances his way around the dangerous situation. In the middle of the third row, Setokuma gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 14p ryanmen. Two turns later, Setokuma draws the 1p and wins the hand. Setokuma wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Aka 3 for 2,000+100/4,000+100, moving into 2nd place.

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Results

Game 102

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Table A, Game 2

One Horse Race

November 14, Table A, Game 2, E2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p11521

In E2-0, Kazuma is the dealer in 2nd place and is just 3,000 behind 1st place Sonoda.

Right off the bat, Kazuma has an amazing iishanten hand with a chance to call double riichi. Though he doesn’t get the double riichi, he is able to make a 3-sided wait to go along with his ryanmen, guaranteed pinfu however he gets to tenpai. On turn 3, Kazuma gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 14p ryanmen. Seven winning tiles remain in the wall.

Despite the huge chance at winning, the mahjong gods are never too generous. Through the first and second row, nothing comes out. Even as his count remains at 6 winning tiles in the wall, nothing comes.

This drought gives people the chance to catch up, including Sonoda. At the start of the third row, Sonoda calls a 678p chii and gets to tenpai on a white dragon/7m shanpon, though only allowed to win on the white dragon.

The wall nears its end while Kazuma still has four winning tiles left in the wall. On Sonoda’s second-last turn, he draws a dangerous 8m and chooses to fold. Then, on Kazuma’s last draw, he finally gets the 4p and wins the hand. Kazuma wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Aka 1 for 4,000 all.

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Dora Aka Ura

November 14, Table A, Game 2, E2-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p7525

In E2-2, Katsumata is in 4th place, 2,000 behind 3rd plce Ooi and 6,000 behind 2nd place Sonoda.

Katsumata starts out the hand at 4-shanten with not much to speak of. As he discards honours and terminals, he creates a ryanmen and gets a red 5s as well. At the end of the first row, he draws a dora 2p to complete a sequence and get to iishanten. Waiting on 9 different tiles to get to tenpai. At the start of the second row, Katsumata pairs up the 8s for tenpai and calls riichi on a 7m kanchan.

Near the end of the second row, Katsumata draws the 7m and wins the hand. Hitting the uradora, Katsumata wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 3000+200/6,000+200, moving into 2nd place.

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Results

Game 103

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Table B, Game 2

Sakura Start

November 14, Table B, Game 2, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8020

In E1-0, Akutsu starts out the hand at 4-shanten with a tanyao hand in view. Akutsu’s hand quickly advances. After drawing a red 5p, making sequences and a pair of 5s, Akutsu gets to iishanten on turn 5. From there, his hand slows a bit, but the tile acceptance slowly widens. In the middle of the second row, Akutsu gets to tenpai on a 147p three-sided wait, wanting the 7p for maximum value.

In the middle of the third row, Akutsu gets the perfect 7p and wins the hand. As if the haneman isn’t enough, his uradora flip makes is 5s pair into the new dora and upgrades it to a baiman! Akutsu wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Iipeikou/Aka 1/Ura 2 for 4,000/8,000.

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Direct

November 14, Table B, Game 2, E3-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10023

In E3-0, Hagiwara is the dealer in 2nd place, 11,000 behind 1st place Akutsu.

Akutsu starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a pair of easts, a secured red 5m and a lone north dora. Within the first go-around, Hagiwara calls pon on the double east to get the hand going. Filling in a 2s kanchan on his next turn, he gets to iishanten. On turn 5, he completes a 345p sequence and gets to tenpai on a north tanki. Immediately after, Akutsu discards the north trying t take iishanten and deals into Hagiwara. Hagiwara wins the hand with Double East/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 12,000. With the direct hit off 1st place, Hagiwara gets to 1st place and has a 13,000 lead over Akutsu.

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Recovery

November 14, Table B, Game 2, S2-0

In S2-0, Akutsu is in 4th place, a surprising position for the player who won a baiman to start the game. He is currently 6,500 behind 3rd place dealer Kayamori and 8,000 behind 2nd place Nakada.

Akutsu starts out the handat 4-shanten with a pair of wests and a lone red 5p. With Akutsu also being the west player, he has the potential to have an expensive open hand. Within the first few turns, Akutsu connects the red 5p to create a ryanmen and forms some sequence shapes. At the end of the second row, Akutsu fills in a 2m kanchan and gets to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten.

At the start of the second row, Akutsu gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47s ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan. At the start of the third row, he draws the 7s and wins the hand. Hitting the uradora, Akutsu wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 2/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000, moving into 2nd place.

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Results

Game 104

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