Monday (December 1)

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Game 1

Genta

December 1, Game 1, E1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9523

In E1-1, Genta is in a three-way tie for 2nd place, trailing 1st place deler Kurosawa by 2,000.

Genta starts out the hand filling in a 3p penchan to get to 2-shanten. For value, he has a red 5s and an 8p dora. In the first row, he manages to complete a 678p sequence and get to iishanten.

At the start of the second row, he creates a 69s ryanmen, joining his 69m ryanmen. With the guarantee of pinfu and the possibility of a 678 sanshoku, Genta tosses the red 5s. While Genta waits, Hinata calls a concealed kan and makes Genta’s 2p into dora. On Genta’s next turn, he gets the 9s. Though it isn’t the perfect tile, he does get to tenpai and calls riichi on the 69m ryanmen.

Near the end of the row, Genta draws the 9m and wins the hand. With the 9m also being uradora, Genta wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 2/Ura 1 for 3,000+100/6,000+100, taking a healthy lead.

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Takame

December 1, Game 1, S3-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8025

In S3-0, Hori is in 3rd place, 12,000 behind 2nd place Genta and 14,800 behind 1st place dealer Hinata.

Hori starts off at 3-shanten holding a red 5p for value. Despite this red 5p, however, Hori’s shapes are leaning towards the edges, needing only a 2p and a 1m for a 123 sanshoku. His hand is also aided by a 9p pair, giving the potential for either chanta or junchan. In the first row, he makes the 9p pair into a triplet and the easts into a pair, getting him to iishanten. He holds onto the red 5p as an alternative.

Across from him, Genta is also going for edges. In his entire first row, he has only discarded edge tiles. After calling a 789s sequence in the middle of the second row, he gets to tenpai on a 1p/9m shanpon. However, none remain in the wall.

At the start of the third row, Hinata is the next to tenpai, calling riichi on a 36m ryanmen.

Immediately after, Hori finally draws a 2p to complete a 123p sequence and calls riichi on a 14m ryanmen. If he wins on the 4m, it will be riichi only. But if he wins on the 1m, he will have at least a mangan. On Hinata’s next turn, she draws and discards the 1m and deals into Hori. Hori wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Chanta/Sanshoku for 12,000 plus a riichi stick. With the direct hit and the riichi stick, Hori moves into 1st place.

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Noten

December 1, Game 1, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s80_p2515

In S4-0, Hori is the final dealer and holding a very slim 1,000 lead over Genta. Noten payments or even the dealer penalty can cost him his 1st place.

Hori starts out with a very strong 3-shanten hand with two ryanmens and pairs of the green dragon and south. On turn 3, he adds a pair of the red dragon dora to strengthen the hand even further. In the second row, he calls a 123p sequence to confirm chanta and get to iishanten. A turn later, he calls pon on the red dragon to get to haneman tenpai, waiting on a green dragon/south shanpon.

With so much value being visible, nobody dares to push too hard. With at lead a dealer mangan showing, a deal-in could be disastrous. For Genta, he essentially folds right away, breaking a 3s from a 234s sequence. And when he draws the south at the start of the third row, all hope is gone.

On his last turn, he is able to discard safely to avoid the danger.

To his right, though, 3rd place Hinata has managed to get herself to tenpai on a 5s kanchan, albeit in furiten.

On Hori’s last turn, he isn’t able to get his winning tile. When the hand goes to a draw…

…Hori declares himself noten!

With Genta clearly folding, there is very little chance for Genta to be tenpai. Making this calculation, Hori decides to declare hiself noten to end the game and finish in 1st place, a superb play.

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Results

Game 129

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Game 2

No More Ura San

December 1, Game 2, E4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9524

In E4-0, Kayamori is in 3rd place, 2,000 behind 2nd place dealer Honda and 8,600 behind 1st place Ooi.

Kayamori starts off creating a triplet of 7m to get to 4-shanten. Also in her hand is a lone 4m dora for value. In the first row, she made that 4m into a pair and added a 1p triplet to get herself to 2-shanten. On turn 7, she fills in a 6p kanchan for iishanten.

Right after, dealer Honda gets to tenpai first and calls riichi on a 6s tanki.

Two turns later, Ooi chases with a 369p wait, wanting the 9p for max value.

On Kayamori’s turn, she draws a third 4m. With sanankou in her hand, she pushes and stays dama on a 3s tanki. On her next turn, she improves the wait and calls riichi on a 235m wait (with only the 3m giving sanankou. Immediately after, Honda discards the 2m and deals into Kayamori. With the flip, Kayamori’s 7m triplet is the new dora to boost her hand from a mangan to a baiman! Kayamori wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Dora 3/Ura 3 for 16,000 plus two riichi sticks, catapulting her up to 1st place with 41,300.

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Dora Dora Dora Aka Aka

December 1, Game 2, S4-1

In S4-1, Ooi is in 2nd place and is 16,400 behind 1st place Kayamori. With a riichi stick and a honba in the middle a haneman tsumo is enough to tie first 1st place. For sole 1st place, he would need a mangan direct hit or a baiman ron.

Ooi starts off at 3-shanten with no value to speak of. In the first row, he gets to iishanten, but the value is still lacking. In the second row, he draws a red 5m and shifts his hand to a potential tanyao.

In the middle of the second row, 4th place Hori calls an added kan on the 2s, trying to up his hand’s value. The kandora flip makes his 7s into the new dora, but also gives Ooi two more dora as well. With Ooi’s new value, he now has mangan minimum.

When the red 5p comes out from Honda, Ooi calls a 345p chii and gets to iishanten with tanyao confirmed. A turn later, he calls pon on the 6s and gets to tenpai on a 2m/7m shanpon, with the 7s giving him a haneman. He just wants to draw it himself.

In the middle of the third row, Hori discards the 7s and deals into Ooi. Ooi wins the hand with Tanyao/Dora 3/Aka 2 for 12,000+300 plus one riichi stick. It’s not enough for 1st place, but it’s a respectable boost to his score to end the game.

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Results

Game 130

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