Monday (March 9)

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Game 1

Honda

March 9, Game 1, E1-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10053

In E1-1, Honda is the starting starting dealer tied for 1st place, being in a riichi battle with Daisuke and the hand going to a draw. As a result, the two riichi sticks will go to the next winner.

Honda starts off at 3-shanten with pairs of south, red dragon and white dragon. Before Date or Aikawa get their next draw, Honda calls pon on the red dragon. On his next draw, he pairs up the east. He has four honour groups and the possibility of having all honours with the right draws, but honitsu is there at the very least. Soon after, he calls pon on the white dragon for iishanten.

Because of Honda’s calls, Daisuke got his draws faster. In the middle of the second row, Daisuke is the first to tenpai and calls riichi on a 5p tanki.

During the ippatsu round, Honda gets to tenpai and waits on an east/south shanpon. On his very next turn, he draws the east and wins the hand. Honda wins with Honitsu/Double East/White Dragon/Red Dragon/Dora 1 for a huge 6,000+100 all dealer haneman win, plus three riichi sticks.

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Aikawa

March 9, Game 1, S2-0

In S2-0, Aikawa is in 4th place, 4,900 behind 3rd place Date.

Before Aikawa has a chance to get her first draw, Daisuke calls pon on the east to get his triplet hand going. When we see her hand, she is at 4-shanten with no value. Despite the distance, she quickly builds sequences for herself. At the end of the first row, Aikawa gets to tenpai with pinfu and calls riichi on a 25m ryanmen.

Right after, Honda gets to tenpai on a 47p ryanmen. Since he’s in 1st place, he stays dama with his own pinfu.

Within the go-around, Date discards the 5m trying to take toitoi tenpai and deals into Aikawa. With an uradora hit, Aikawa wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Ura 1 for 8,000, a strong direct hit to move into 3rd place.

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Results

Game 277

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Game 2

Miura

March 9, Game 2, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p11551

In E1-0, Miura starts out the hand at 3-shanten with one dora. Just three turns later, Miura is iishanten. The hand mainly hinges on the 8p to secure the 7p dora.

At the end of the row, Hisato calls pon on the red dragon to get to tenpai on a 1s/2s shanpon. When he draws the 7p dora on his next turn, though, he breaks tenpai.

At the start of the second row, Miura gets to tenpai and secures it, calling riichi on an 8p kanchan.

Within the go-around, Tojo gets to tenpai on a 5s/8m shanpon, guaranteed a mangan if she wins. Later, she calls chii to switch to a 36m ryanmen.

At the start of the third row, Miura draws the 8p and wins the hand. With the uradora flip, Miura gets the surprise ura 3 with the 8s triplet and wins the hand. Miura wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 1/Ura 3 for 3,000/6,000.

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Hisato

March 9, Game 2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8559

In S1-0, Hisato is in 4th place, 6,800 behind 3rd place dealer Tojo, 7,700 behind 2nd place Setokuma and 24,300 behind 1st place Miura.

Hisato starts out the hand drawing a red 5p. With a pair of white dragons and an 8s dora, she has a route to a yaku with some good value. In the first row, he adds a 4p pair in her hand. On turn 8, he adds a 7m pair to her hand as well, putting him iishanten for seven pairs.

In the middle of the second row, he pairs up the 8s dora and calls riichi on an 8m tanki, guaranteed at least a haneman. Two turns later, Setokuma discards the 8m trying to take tenpai and deals into Hisato. Hitting the uradora as well, Hisato wins with Riichi/Chiitoi/Dora 2/Aka 1/Ura 2 for a surprise 16,000 baiman to move into 2nd place.

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In S2-0, Hisato is now the dealer and 8,300 behind 1st place Miura.

He starts out at 2-shanten with two completed sequences and a secured pair. In the first row, he completes a sequence from scratch to get to iishanten. He holds some floating tiles in order to find his final block.

Acros from him, Setokuma is iishanten as well. In the middle of the second row, Setokuma fills in a kanchan and calls riichi on a 25p ryanmen.

Being already iishanten with not much to fold with, Hisato keeps going. Towards the end of the row, he gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47s ryanmen, wanting the 7s for iipeikou. Though he doesn’t get the 7s, he does draw the 4s on his ippatsu turn and wins the hand. Hisato wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu for 2,600 all plus a riichi stick, moving him into 1st place.

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Setokuma

March 9, Game 2, S4-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10054

In S4-2, Setokuma is the dealer in 3rd place, 8,400 behind 2nd place Miura and 12,500 behind 1st place Hisato. With two honba, a dealer mangan would be enough to move into 1st place.

Setokuma starts off at 3-shanten with a pair of white dragons and a pair of the dora 5m (including the red 5m). On turn 2, he draws a third white dragon to secure a yaku. By turn 4, he is iishanten.

At the end of the first row, Tojo is actually the first to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen. She has an equally valuable hand, having 3 han secured and could up it to 5 han if she wins on the 4m.

Though there is a threat of riichi, both Hisato and Setokuma are iishanten and keep pushing. In the second row, Hisato is the next to tenpai and waits dama on a 4s tanki.

Soon after him, Setokuma gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 25p ryanmen. Immediately after, Tojo discards the 2p and deals into Tojo. Tojo wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/White Dragon/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 18,000+600 plus a riichi stick, easily moving into 1st place.

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Results

Game 278

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