Thursday (January 8)

Table A

Table B

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Table A, Game 1

Beast Start

January 8, Table A, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p11030

In E1-0, Nakada is the starting dealer and starts off 2-shanten with a red 5m. Within the first four turns, Nakada is able to make a sequence around the red 5m and get to iishanten. After a bit of juggling sequence blocks, Nakada has a chance to take a 7p kanchan tenpai at the start of the second row. However, she chooses to reject it in hopes of improving the wait or maybe even pairing up the 8p dora. At the end of the second row, she draws a 7p. Though it would have been her winning tile, her hand shape now also has pinfu. Being tenpai, she calls riichi on a 58s ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan.

Calling a 234m chii on Nakada’s discarded 3m, Takamiya gets to tenpai on a 14s ryanmen.

However, this only ends up working against her. On her next turn, Takamiya discards the 8s trying to keep tenpai and deals into Nakada. Nakada wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 12,000.

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Results

Game 181

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Table B, Game 1

Up Uchikawa

January 8, Table B, Game 1, E3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p7543

In E3-1, Uchikawa is the dealer and tied for 2nd place, 6,100 behind 1st place Taro.

Uchikawa starts out the hand at 4-shanten, but has lots of sequence candidates and a secured red 5s. Within the first three turns, Uchikawa is able to create a pair, get himself to 2-shanten and guarantee himself a good wait. On turn 4, he gets to iishanten and has the possibility of getting a three-sided wait in souzu.

Across from him, 4th place Nakabayashi is close by at 2-shanten. With some good draws, Nakabayashi ends up being the first to tenpai, calling riichi on a west/5m shanpon at the start of the second row.

During the ippatsu round, Uchikawa gets to tenpai as well and calls riichi on a 369s three-sided wait, wanting the 9s for a souzu straight. On his very next turn, he gets the 9s and wins the hand. Uchikawa wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Ittsuu/Aka 1 for 6,000+100 all plus a riichi stick.

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Genta

January 8, Table B, Game 1, S2-0

In S2-0, Genta is the dealer in 3rd place, 27,800 behind 2nd place Taro.

Genta starts out the hand at 4-shanten, but has a lot of flexibility with his middle tiles. Throwing only honours and terminals in the first row, Genta gets himself to 2-shanten. At the start of the second row, he gets to iishanten with tanyao guaranteed. The rest of the second row mostly gives him terminals and honours to discard, but turn 12 gives him a red 5s for a perfect iishanten.

At the start of the third row, he makes a 6s triplet. Though this cuts off the red 5s, it does put him tenpai. Genta cuts the red 5s and calls riichi on a 258p three-sided wait.

Within the go-around, Nakabayashi gets to tenpai ona 36s ryanmen.

Then, on Genta’s ippatsu draw, he gets the perfect red 5p and wins the hand. Genta wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Tanyao/Aka 2 for 6,000 all, enough to move him within 3,800 of 2nd place.

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Results

Game 182

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Table A, Game 2

Beast Start

January 8, Table A, Game 2, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p11031

In E1-0, Tojo is playing for the Beast, trying to continue the momentum from Nakada’s win.

Tojo starts out with a very strong 3-shanten hand, having a red 5p and a good wait guaranteed. With such hand quality, Tojo is able to get to iishanten by turn 3. After guaranteeing herself tanyao on turn 5, her hand stalled for a bit. After a lot of frustrating draws, Tojo finally gets to tenpai near the end of the second row and calls riichi on a 36s ryanmen.

To her right, dealer Shibukawa is iishanten. fter a pon of the 3m in the middle of the third row, Shibukawa is tenpai on a 147s three-sided wait. Unfortunately, he only gets a yaku with the 4s and 7s. What’s worse, he’s furiten because of the 1s he discarded at the end of the first row.

However, Tojo quickly puts Shibukawa out of his misery as she draws the 3s and wins the hand. Tojo wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Aka 1 for 2,000/4,000, taking the early lead.

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Top Takizawa

January 8, Table A, Game 2, S3-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8544

In S3-0, Takizawa is the dealer in 2nd place, sitting 7,700 behind 1st place Kazuma.

Kazuma starts out the hand with pairs of 8s, 1p, 8p and 5p (including the red 5p). With a single east dora in his hand as well, a pairs hand definitely seems like the way to go. On turn 3, Takizawa pairs up the 9s for iishanten. Pairing up the south at the start of the second row, Takizawa gets to tenpai and decides to call riichi on an east tanki. At the start of the third row, he draws the east and wins the hand. Takizawa wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Chiitoi/Dora 2/Aka 1 for a valuable 6,000 all, moving into 1st.

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Results

Game 183

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Table B, Game 2

Absolute Aki

January 8, Table B, Game 2, E1-3
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p7544

In E1-3, Aki is the dealer in 1st place, holding a 7,400 lead over 2nd place.

Aki starts off the hand at 3-shanten with a dora 9m and a three-sided wait in pinzu. The first row is a bit slow for Aki, only adding one additional shape but not completing any sequences. Near the middle of the second row, Aki fills in a 4m kanchan to get to iishanten. Two turns later, she completes a 345s in souzu for iishanten. With just the right draws, her 345p sequence could be secured to give her the sanshoku.

At the end of the second row, she pairs up the dora 9m for tenpai and calls riichi on a 258p three-sided wait. With a 2p win, she will have at least mangan. With a 5p or 8p win, she will upgrade to a haneman minimum because of the sanshoku. Sure enough, in the middle of the third row, Aki draws the 8p and wins the hand. With an uradora, Aki wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Sanshoku/Dora 2/Ura 1 for an exciting 8,000+300 all baiman, lifting her score up to 57,700.

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Results

Game 184

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