Friday (December 5)

Table A

Table B

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Table A, Game 1

Nakabayashi

December 5, Table A, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10531

In E1-0, Nakabayashi starts out the game drawing a red 5p to create a ryanmen, putting him 3-shanten. Though his position is decent, he has to contend with the quick dealer Aki, who is already iishanten on turn 2 with a guaranteed good wait. On turn 5, Aki makes a concealed kan on the 9m, making the 4p into the new dora and giving Nakabayashi and extra han. At the start of the second row, she gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58s ryanmen.

Back to Nakabayashi, he gets to 2-shanten during the ippatsu draw, but has good shapes and good value to fight. In the middle of the second row, he gets to tenpai and stays dama on a 36p ryanmen since the 3p is a safe tile against Aki.

After a few turns of waiting, Nakabayashi decides to just call riichi at the start of the 3rd row. Very briefly, Matsumoto gets to tenpai on a 5s/3m, but is forced to fold when he draws the 6p. In the middle of the row, Nakabayashi draws the 3p and wins the hand. Nakabayashi wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000 plus a riichi stick.

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Honda

December 5, Table A, Game 1, E4-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10029

In E4-2, Honda is the dealer in 2nd place and is just 2,000 behind 1st place Matsumoto.

Honda starts off the hand at 2-shanten with pairs of 5m (including the red 5m) and 6m, setting up two possible sequences. In his first four turns, he creates a 123s sequence and a 4s triplet, getting him to iishanten. Ideally, he wants the 4m dora for a good wait and extra value. At the end of the row, he gets that 4m and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen, wanting the 4m for two additional han.

At the end of the second row, Honda draws the 7m and wins the hand. Honda wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 4,000+200 all, taking the lead.

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Nakabayashi

December 5, Table A, Game 1, S2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10532

In S2-0, Nakabayashi is the dealer in 3rd place and is 1,200 behind 2nd place Matsumoto.

Nakabayashi has a 3-shanten starting hand with a dora 1p, but the shapes are bad and there’s no easy route to a yaku. With a little bit of forcing, Nakabayashi could go for a pinzu half flush. After drawing a red 5p on his second turn, he prospect is a little higher. After drawing a 2p on turn 4, he goes all in and breaks his final manzu block. By the end of the row, his discard pile is only souzu and manzu and his hand is only pinzu and honours.

At the start of the second row, Nakabayashi calls a 123p chii. After drawing a 4p and a 6p, Nakabayashi gets to tenpai on a 58p/west wait.

Knowing that they are safe as long as they don’t throw dangerous pinzu or honours, his opponents push. At the end of the second row, Matsumoto gets to tenpai on a 58p ryanmen. If either Honda or Aki discard them, however, Nakabayashi will win on headbump.

Right after, Honda gets to tenpai on a 47p ryanmen.

The standoff ends on Nakabayashi’s final draw as he draws the winning 5p. Nakabayashi wins with Honitsu/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 4,000 all.

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Results

Game 137

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Table B, Game 1

Beast

December 5, Table B, Game 1, S1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p11022

In S1-1, Nakada is the dealer and holds a 9,900 lead over 2nd place Taro.

Nakada starts out with a strong 3-shanten hand with a secured red 5m and a floating red 5s. On turn 3, she gets rid of her last terminal to go for all simples. On her next turn, she advances to iishanten and still holding onto the floating red 5s, looking for a connector.

Across from her, Daigo is also iishanten. On turn 5, he is the first to tenpai and calls riichi on a 36s ryanmen.

On Nakada’s turn, she gets the 6s connector and calls riichi on a 47s ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan. On her ippatsu turn, she gets the 7s and wins the hand. Nakada wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Tanyao/Aka 2 for 6,000+100 all plus a riichi stick, pushing her up to 56,700.

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Results

Game 138

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Table A, Game 2

Ooi

December 5, Table A, Game 2, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9029

In E1-0, Ooi starts out the hand at 2-shanten with a secured red 5m. Within the first row, Ooi is able to get to tenpai on a 2m/5m shanpon, but chooses to stay dama. With a 45556m shape, it can be converted to two sequences and possibly an iipeikou with a 4m or 6m draw.

In the second row, Ooi draws a 4m to get the upgrade and calls riichi ona 36m ryanmen, wanting the 6m for the extra value. On his very next turn, he gets even more value with the ippatsu draw of the 6m. Ooi wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Iipeikou/Aka 1 for 3,000/6,000.

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Nagai

December 5, Table A, Game 2, E3-1

In E3-1, Nagai is the dealer in 2nd place and is 18,400 behind 1st place Ooi.

Nagai starts out the hand at 2-shanten with tanyao in clear sight. On turn 3, he draws a 2p to get to iishanten. Filling in a 3p kanchan on turn 5, Nagai gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 4m kanchan.

Across from him, Mizuhara also has a quick hand. Within the ippatsu round, she gets to tenpai on a 7s penchan, staying dama on Nagai’s safe tile.

And in the middle of the second row, Hagiwara calls riichi on a 14m ryanmen.

Though Hagiwara has the advantage in turn order and overlaps Nagai’s wait, Nagai manages to draw the 4m two turns later and wins the hand. Nagai wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Dora 1 for 4,000+100 all plus a riichi stick, putting him just 1,400 from 1st place.

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Nagai

December 5, Table A, Game 2, E4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p7532

In E4-0, Nagai is still pursuing top spot, just 3,000 away from 1st place dealer Ooi.

From the start, Nagai is at 3-shanten, but has a pair of green dragon a secured red 5s and a lone white dragon dora for value. As good shapes quickly start to form, he quickly abandons the white dragon to take iishanten. On turn 5, he draws a third green dragon for tenpai and calls riichi on a 69p ryanmen. At the end of the second row, Mizuhara tires to call a mangan riichi by discarding the 6p, but deals into Nagai. With the flip, Nagai’s green dragon triple becomes the uradora and double’s his hand’s han value. Nagai wins with Riichi/Green Dragon/Aka 1/Ura 3 for 12,000, moving into 1st place.

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Results

Game 139

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Table B, Game 2

Ippatsu

December 5, Table B, Game 2, E3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9525

In E3-1, Kayamori is in 2nd place and is 8,600 behind 1st place Hori.

Kayamori starts off at 3-shanten with a single dora 6s, but nothing else of major value. Her hand develops quite quickly to a tanyao hand. In the middle of the first row, she draws a red 5s and gets to iishanten. Throught he end of the first row and into the second, she gets herself to a guaranteed good wait iishanten.

Despite this flexibility, Kayamori is not the first to tenpai. With pinzu chiis, Futoshi’s half flus is the first to tenpai, waiting on a 5p/red dragon shanpon.

Immediately after, Shimoishi chases with a 258p three-sided wait.

With such a good hand, Kayamori easily keeps going. In the middl of the second row, Kayamori throws the dora 6s and calls riichi on a 369m three-sided wait.

Thought she is behind in the count with only 1 winning tile compared to Futoshi’s 2 and Shimoishi’s 4, she manages to draw that winning 6m on her ippatsu turn and wins the hand. Kayamori wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 3,000/6,000 plus a riichi stick, easily moving into 1st.

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Results

Game 140

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