Tuesday (December 16)

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Game 1

Yu

December 16, Game 1, E3-0

In E3-0, Yu is the dealer in 3rd place and is just 4,900 from 1st.

Yu starts out with an incredible starting hand, being already iishanten with a honitsu hand and pairs of east and south. Though the hand could be extremely expensive closed, even a simple east pon would put him tenpai for a mangan. On turn 3, Yu calls that pon and gets to tenpai on a 3m kanchan. At the start of the second row, Yu decides to switch to a south/4m shanpon, but his winning tile count ends up being reduced from four tiles to just one: a single south.

Across from him, 2nd place Futoshi is iishanten. Within the go-around, Futoshi gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen. Despite the wide wait, he only has a single 7m to hope for.

It’s a 1 vs. 1 battle. Just two turns into the battle, Yu draws that final south and wins the hand. Yu wins with Honitsu/Double East for 4,000 all plus a riichi stick, easily moving into 1st.

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Honda Dealership

December 16, Game 1, E4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10032

In E4-0, Honda is the dealer in 4th place, 1,500 behind 3rd place Okada, 15,200 behind 2nd place Futoshi and 22,900 behind 1st place Yu.

Honda starts off the hand 4-shanten for a standard hand (3-shanten for a pairs hand) with an 8p as its only value. The first row doesn’t provide him with too much, only getting him to 2-shanten with few good shapes.

Yu, on the other hand, has been progressing well and is basically guaranteed a good wait. At the end of the first row, he is the first to tenpai and calls riichi on an 89s wait.

During the ippatsu round, Honda draws the red 5p. Being iishanten with no safe tiles anyways, he pushes. After shifting to a guaranteed tanyao, Honda gets to tenpai in the middle of the second row and calls riichi on a 7p kanchan. Though he is at a disadvantage witha 4 vs. 1 battle, Honda manages to get the 7p near the end of the hand anyways and wins. Honda wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 4,000 all plus a riichi stick, moving him up to 2nd place and within 4,900 of 1st.

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Okada On Top

December 16, Game 1, S2-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8028

In S2-1, Okada the dealer has been doing well to move ahead. Having been in 4th place just a few hands earlier, she is now in 2nd place and is just 5,000 behind 1st place Yu. A riichi stick and a honba sit in the pot.

Within the first two turns, Okada makes a single south into a triplet, getting her to 2-shanten. On turn 5, she draws a red 5m to make a pair. At the end of the row, she draws a fourth south and calls a concealed kan. With the flip, she makes the 6m into the new dora, one the the kanchans she can have in her hand. With her draw, she gets a red 5m, another boost in score and setting her up for a mangan.

However, a challenger approaches as 4th place Honda gets to tenpai first and calls riichi on a 58m ryanmen. Just one more han is enough to push him into 1st place.

With Honda’s discarded 2p to call riichi, Okada calls pon to advance to one-away. After making a ryanmen then filling in the 6m kanchan, Okada gets to tenpai on a 58p ryanmen.

To Okada’s right, 1st place Yu wants to avoid dealing in. However, he can’t defend against both players. Wanting to keep his iishanten and seeing that the 8p is safe against, Honda, he discards it and ends up dealing into Okada. Okada wins the hand with South/Dora 1/Aka 2 for 12,000+300 plus two riichi sticks, moving Okada into 1st place Yu down to 4th.

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Results

Game 155

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Game 2

Shibu Shibu Time

December 16, Game 2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8029

In E1-0, Shibukawa is playing for the Kadokawa Sakura Knights, wanting to get his team a daily double.

Shibukawa starts out the hand at 3-shanten. He has no value, but he has the ability to accept the 9p dora. In the first row, he completes a 345s sequence and creates a ryanmen in pinzu, getting to iishanten. In the middle of the second row, Shibukawa draws the 9p dora and calls riichi on a 25p ryanmen.

Immediately after, Nakabayashi chases with a 36p ryanmen.

And right after that, Setokuma discards the 4p (the only safe tile in between) and calls riichi on a 36m ryanmen.

Still within the ippatsu round, Shibukawa manages to draw the 5p and wins the hand. Shibukawa wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 2/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000 plus two riichi sticks.

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Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8030

Moving to E3-2, Shibukawa has been moving up steadily, already at 51,900.

Shibukawa starts off at 3-shanten with three ryanmens. Creating a fourth ryanmen on turn 2, Shibukawa guarantees himself pinfu and a good wait. By turn 4, he already has a red 5p as part of a sequence and creates a three-sided wait in souzu.

In the middle of the second row, Shibukawa draws a 5s to get to tenpai on a 69m ryanmen. As the second row turns into the third row, it looks like the hand might go to a draw. Then, on his last draw, Shibukawa gets the 9m and wins the hand. With Shibukawa’s 7p pair becomes the uradora, he wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Aka 1/Ura 2 for 6,000+200 all, moving Shibukawa up to 70,500.

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Sonoda Separation

December 16, Game 2, S1-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p7032

In S1-2, Sonoda is down with just 2,300, but he is above 4th place Nakabayashi by 3,900.

Sonoda starts off with pairs of 7s, west, 2p and 9m, putting him 2-away from seven pairs. On turn after another, Sonoda pairs up the 8m and the 4p dora to get to tenpai on a 5m tanki. On turn 5, he switches to a 2s tanki.

Though with any tanki, it’s difficult to win. With this difficulty, his opponents have a chance to chae. In the middle of the second row, Shibukawa calls pon on the white dragon and gets to tenpai on a 7s kanchan.

Soon after, Setokuma calls riichi on a 4p dora kanchan.

Despite the two other tenpai players, Sonoda has the most winning tiles of all of them. Near the end of the second row, Sonoda draws the 2s and wins the hand. Sonoda wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Chiitoi/Dora 2 for 3,000+200/6,000+200 plus a riichi stick, putting Sonoda 20,700 ahead of 4th place Nakabayashi and 2,100 behind 2nd place Setokuma.

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Results

Game 156

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