Tuesday (January 6)

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Game 1

Flush

January 6, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9034

In E1-0, Hinata is the starting dealer and gets to 3-shanten with her first draw. Her hand leans towards sequences and goes for efficiency. However, she only gets to 2-shanten within the first few turns.

Nagai, on the other hand, has a quick tanyao hand. On turn 4, he gets to tenpai on a 7m kanchan, staying dama on his 5-han hand. On his next turn, he decides to call a tsumogiri riichi, guaranteeing him haneman minimum.

With the riichi by Nagai, and not too much going for her, she starts to fold. But, she ends up drawing lots of manzu while discarding pinzu. At the end of the second row, Hinata is miraculously at a manzu flush tenpai, waiting on a 3m penchan. If she draws it herself, she would have a baiman. Just two turns later, she gets that 3m and wins the hand. Hinata wins with Tsumo/Chinitsu/Iipeikou for 8,000 all plus a riichi stick, doubling her score to be at 50,000 in a single game.

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Nagai Northward

January 6, Game 1, E2-4
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p7541

In E2-4, Nagai is the dealer in 2nd place and is 34,600 behind 1st place Hinata. Two riichi sticks and four honba are in the pot, offering 3,200 to the next winner.

Nagai starts out at 3-shanten with a red 5s in hand. The first row provides him with a red 5p and a pair of green dragons, getting him to 2-shanten. In the second row, his standard hand starts to become a pairs hand. Having only a single pair at the start of the game and only three at the start of the second row, Nagai gets to chiitoi tenpai at the end of the second row. Though he could choose to be tenpai on a 5s tanki, he chooses instead to discard the red 5s and calls riichi on a 3s tanki, setting up an Ishibashi trap.

Having safe routes of advancement Daigo is able to keep pushing. In the third row, Daigo calls riichi on a 7m/green dragon shanpon.

But, Daigo’s riichi stick is a donation. Within the go-around Nagai draws the 3s and wins the hand. Nagai wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Chiitoi/Aka 1 for 4,000+400 plus three riichi sticks.

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Hagiwara Hit

January 6, Game 1, E4-2

Hagiwara is the dealer in 3rd place and is 20,900 behind 2nd place Nagai.

Before Hagiwara’s first draw, he is already iishanten and has a chance at double riichi. He doesn’t get that tenpai, but he is nonetheless iishanten. After a few turns of tsumogiri, Hagiwara gets to tenpai on turn 5 and waits dama on a yakuless 1p tanki, waiting for an improvement. At the start of the second row, he gets the improvement and calls riichi on a 147s three-sided wait.

Initially, Daigo folds his hand, but he manages to get to iishanten in the middle of the second row. At the end of the second row, Daigo gets to tenpai and calls riichi ona 47p ryanmen.

However, Daigo’s ryanmen with only a single tile left is no match for Hagiwara’s three-sided wait. In the third row, Hagiwara draws the 4s and wins the hand. Hagiwara wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1/Ura 1 for 4,000+200 all plus one riichi stick, putting him just 3,100 from 2nd place.

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Another One

January 6, Game 1, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p7542

In S4-0, Nagai is in 2nd place and is 4,600 behind 1st place Hinata. If Naga can get a 2/40 direct hit, a 3/30 tsumo or a 3/40 ron, Nagai can get his 11th win of the season.

Nagai starts out the hand at 3-shanten with only a secured red 5m for value. Within the first four turns, Nagai gets to iishanten and added a red 5s to his hand. At the start of the second row, Nagai has a chance to call a 345s chii, but chooses not to, even as that would put him tenpai on a 3/30 hand. Instead, he ends up getting to iishanten with tanyao guaranteed and a chance at a 567 sanshoku, needing a 6s and a 7p.

As Nagai waits for either of them, Hinata calls a 3p pon and gets to tenpai on a 2m/3m. A single on waits int he wall, but winning this hand secures her win.

Towards the end of the second row, Nagai is able to call a 567s chii and gets to tenpai on a 47p ryanmen, needing a 7p win or a 4p tsumo for 1st place. On his very next turn, he draws the 7p and wins the hand. With Nagai’s Tanyao/Sanshoku/Aka 2 for 2,000/4,000, he gets his 11th win of the season.

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Results

Game 179

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Game 2

Ooi

January 6, Game 2, E2-1

In E2-1, Ooi is in 1st place after winning a mangan in the first hand and a 2,000 all to start his dealership. Now Ooi wants more.

Ooi starts out with a 3-shanten hand with strong leaning on tanyao. In his first three turns, he completes sequences to get to iishanten. On turn 5, he gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 258s three-sided wait, guaranteed at least a mangan. Just two turns after that, he draws the 5s and wins the hand. Ooi wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Aka 1 for 4,000+100 all, moving Ooi up to 51,300.

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Revival

January 6, Game 2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9535

In S2-0, Genta is in 4th place, 1,400 behind 3rd place Katsumata and 5,600 behind 2nd place Kurosawa.

From his first 13 tiles, Genta has a chance to double riichi, but doesn’t get the right tile with his firt draw. With a lot of time and lots of opportunities for improvement in the first row, Genta decides to go back to 2-shanten early on, breaking his north pair to gamble for a better wait. By the end of the first row, Genta manages to get to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten. At the start of the second row, Genta gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58m ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan.

To his left, Katsumata manages to maintain his iishanten through the second row and into the third row. At the start of the third row, Katsumata draws a fourth 9s and calls a concealed kan. It helps neither player right now, but the additional uradora chance could help Genta. In the middle of the third row, Genta draws the 8m and wins the hand. With an uradora hit, Genta wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 3,000/6,000, putting Genta within 9,000 of 1st place.

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In S3-0, Genta starts out 4-shanten for seven pairs and 5-shanten for a standard hand. In the first row, he pairs up the south and starts making sequence shapes. By the end of the first row, Genta is 2-shanten for a standard hand.

In his hand is a single isolated 6m, something that he has held since the beginning. This hold ends up paying off as he pairs it up in the middle of the second row, getting to iishanten. On his next turn, he calls pon on the south and gets to tenpai on a 3s/6m shanpon. Two turns later, Genta draws the 6m and wins the hand. Genta wins with South/Dora 3 for 2,000/4,000, moving into 1st.

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Results

Game 180

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