Tuesday (December 23)

---

Game 1

Taki Time

December 23, Game 1, E2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8541

In E2-0, Takizawa is in 4th place after dealing into Shimoishi in the firt hand for 5,200.

Sttarting off, Takizawa has quite an uninspiring hand, being at 4-shanten with only a very isolated dora 1m for value. On turn 2, he draws a red 5m, giving him at least a bit of hope. The hand moves quite quickly from there, getting a 7m to be a potential connector for the red 5m, getting a third 1p and a third 7p. By the end of the first row, Takizawa is at iishanten and gets rid of the now useless 1m dora.

At the start of the second row, Takizawa draws a fourth 1p and calls a concealed kan. Neither the rinshan nor the kandora help, but the extra chance for uradora might. On his next turn, he fills in the 6m kanchan. He gets to tenpai and waits dama on a 6s tanki without a yaku. He switches to a north tanki, but still doesn’t call riichi. Then, creating a 58m nobetan, Takizawa finally makes the riichi call.

To his right, Shibata is the dealer and is just one-away from a closed manzu honitsu. With such potential value, Shibata makes the big risk and discards the red 5s during the ippatsu round. Continuing to push, Shibata finally gets to tenpai in the middle of the third row and stays dama on a 147m wait. A 1m win will give him a haneman.

This hope is short-lived, however, as Takizawa draws the 5m just two turns later and wins the hand. With a lot of fu, Takizawa’s Riichi/Tsumo/Aka 1hand is enough for a 2,000/4,000 mangan.

---

Taki Time

December 23, Game 1, S3-2

In S3-2, Takizawa is in 1st place with a narrow 2,100 lead over dealer Shimoishi. With two riichi sticks and two honba in the pot, the point boost makes his position very precarious, especially just one step away from the final hand.

Takizawa starts out at 3-shanten with a red 5m next to the dora 7m. On turn 2, Takizawa creates a 14p ryanmen and on turn 4, he pairs up the 1s for iishanten. At the start of the second row, Takizawa draws an 8m to complete a 789m sequence. Though it renders Takizawa’s 5m useless, it does get him to tenpai. With this tenpai, Takizawa calls riichi on the 14p ryanmen. Two turns later, Shibata discards the 1p and deals into Takizawa. Takizawa wins the hand with Riichi/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 5,200+600 plus two riichi sticks, giving him a 9,900 lead going into the final hand.

---

Results

Game 167

---

Game 2

Date

December 23, Game 2, E2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8542

In E2-0, Date is the dealer in 3rd place, 1,000 behind 2nd place Aikawa and 8,500 behind 1st place Tojo.

Date starts off the hand at 3-shanten with a pair of red dragons and a connected dora 5m. During the first row, her isolated tiles end up becoming sequence shapes, pushing her hand to be flexible. By turn 5, she has a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten and starts discarding her red dragon pair in favour of the 1m pair.

At the start of the second row, Date draws another 5m dora. Making a 1m triplet a turn later, Date gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58s ryanmen. At the end of the row, she draws the 5s and wins the hand. Date wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 2 for 4,000 all, taking the lead.

---

Aikawa Attacks

December 23, Game 2, S3-0

In S3-0, Aikawa is the dealer in 3rd place, 1,700 behind 2nd place Date and 7,200 behind 1st place Tojo.

ikawa starts off the hand at 3-shanten, holding two completed sequences, a pair of 7s and an isolated red 5m. In the first row, Aikawa creates an 89m shape and draws a red 5s to create a 45s shape, getting her to iishanten. At the start of the second row, she draws the 7m to complete a 789m sequence and get to tenpai. Throwing the red 5m, Aikawa calls riichi and waits on a 36s ryanmen. In the middle of the third row, she draws the blessed 3s and wins the hand. With the 5s being the uradora, Aikawa wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 4,000 all, moving into 1st.

---

Surprise Ura

December 23, Game 2, S4-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p11532

In S4-2, Aikawa is in 1st place holding a 8,800 lead over 2nd place Tojo. She wants to win this hand to secure her second win of the season. A riichi stick and two honba are in the pot.

Aikawa starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a very flexible shape in manzu. On turn 2, she pairs up the green dragon to give her a yaku option. After discarding mostly terminals and honours through the rest of the row, Aikawa gets to iishanten, waiting on 16 different tiles for tenpai.

To her left, 3rd place Date wants to move up. In the middle of the second row, She calls pon on the 7p and gets to tenpai on a 4m/8p shanpon. With the 4m being the dora, a 4m tsumo would give give her 1st place.

On Aikawa’s turn, she gets to tenpai on a 147m three-sided wait. However, she is only allowed to win on the 1m, being the only tile to give her a yaku: ittsuu.

And right after, Tojo calls riichi on a 14m ryanmen.

With such a wide wait and wanting to prevent Tojo from winning, Aikawa decides to call a chasing riichi, now allowed to win on any of the three tiles. Just two turns later, Aikawa draws the dora 4m and wins the hand. With the green dragon suddenly becoming the uradora, Aikawa wins an amazing Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 2/Aka 2/Ura 2 for a 4,000+200/8,000+200 baiman plus two riichi sticks, finishing the game with a 54,900 1st place.

---

Results

Game 168

---

Intro | Standings