Monday (September 14)

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Game 1

Season Start!

September 14, Game 1, E1-0

In E1-0, the M-League 2026-27 season officially starts! Taking the first dealership is Konami Mahjong Fight Club’s Takizawa Kazunori.

Takizawa starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a white dragon triplet already secured, as well as a connected red 5s as part of a 36s ryanmen. Within the first go-around, he calls pon on the west to get to 2-away. Before the end of the first row, Takizawa gets to iishanten.

At the start of the second row, Takizawa draws a 3m triplet and gets to tenpai on a 36s ryanmen, with the 3s being the dora. At the end of the second row, Hinata discards the 6s and deals into Takizawa. Takizawa wins the hand with White Dragon/Aka 1 for 3,900, winning the first hand of the season.

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Stick Collection

September 14, Game 1, E4-2

In E4-2, there are two riichi sticks and two honba in the pot, giving the next winner 2,600 in bonuses. Sitting as the dealer is Aikawa in 2nd place, 2,500 behind 1st place Nakabayashi. Any win is enough to move ahead.

Aikawa starts out the hand at 3-shanten for both a standard and a paris hand, but there isn’t much value to speak of. In the first four turns, she discards terminals and honours to shift herself to tanyao. On turn 5, she draws a red 5s double dora to create a ryanmen. By the end of the row, she is still 3-shanten, but her shapes are much better and tanyao is guaranteed.

In the second row, Aikawa fills in a 5p kanchan and creates a 678m sequence to get to iishanten. Before the row is done, Aikawa calls a 345s chii and gets to tenpai on a 25m ryanmen.

In the go-around, Hinata gets to tenpai too and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen.

To Aikawa’s right, Takizawa has a very expensive hand, holding two 5s dora and a red 5m. However, his hand also has a 2m, a dangerous tile against Aikawa.

At the start of the third row, Takizawa draws a red 5p. Takizawa has two choices for tenpai:

• Throw the 2m for a 58m ryanmen
• Throw the 6m for a 3m kanchan

With the ryanmen being such good wait and giving a haneman if he calls riichi, Takizawa throws the 2m and tries to call riichi.

As Takizawa calls riichi, Aikawa calls ron. Aikawa wins the hand with Tanyao/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 5,800+600 plus three riichi sticks, moving her into 1st place.

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Escaping 4th

September 14, Game 1, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s90_p2004

In S4-0, Hinata is in 4th place, 7,200 behind 3rd place Takizawa. To move ahead of Takizawa, Hinata needs a 3/30 direct hit, a 3/50 or 4/25 tsumo, or a mangan ron.

On Hinata’s first draw, she gets to 3-shanten. With sequences and simple tiles, both tanyao and pinfu will be key to getting enough value. On turn 4, she gets to a perfect iishanten. On turn 5, she fills in a ryanmen and gets to tenpai. She has two choices:

• Throw the 5m for a 369m wait
• Throw the 8m for a 36m ryanmen

Though the three-sided wait doesn’t guarantee tanyao, there is a bigger chance for ippatsu, so she takes the three-sided wait. In the middle of the second row, Hinata draws the 3m and wins the han. Hinata wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Ura 1 for 2,000/4,000, finishing the game in 3rd place.

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Results

Game 1

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Game 2

Welcome Back, Asakura

September 14, Game 2, E2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p10554

In the second game of the 2026-27 season, Asakura Koushin (one of the original members of the U-Next Pirates) returned to the M-League stage for the first time in more than 4 years.

We pick up the game in E2-0, after Hisato beat Asakura’s riichi with a cheap pinfu tsumo. Asakura has lost his first dealership, but it’s early in the game and is 4,200 behind 1st place.

Asakura starts out the hand at 2-shanten for seven paris, 3-shanten for a standard hand. After his first discard, all but two of his tiles are either souzu and honours. Though a souzu honitsu seems like the way to go, However, in the first four turns, Asakura creates a 567p sequence with a red 5p, killing the souzu flush.

To Asakura’s right, Matsumoto makes calls to push for a quick tenpai. He goes between a 2s kanchan to a 1s tanki.

At the end of the first row, Asakura draws a 4s triplet and calls riichi on a north/3s shanpon. Even as Matsumoto switches to a better 58m wait, he doesn’t even have a chance to take advantage of it. Immediately after, Asakura draws the north on the ippatsu turn and wins the hand. Asakura wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/North/Red Dora 1 for 2,000/4,000, moving into 1st.

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Sasaki Sequences

September 14, Game 2, E3-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8581

In E3-1, Hisato is in 3rd place, 4,000 behind 2nd place dealer Miura and 7,800 behind 1st place Asakura.

Hisato starts out the hand far from tenpai at 5-shanten, but he has a regular 5p dor aand a red 5p double dora as part of a 4556p shape. In the first fourt turns, he advances to 3-shanten with tanyao as the most obvious yaku. However, on turn 5, Matsumoto puts pressure on the table and calls riichi on a 36s ryanmen.

Even as Hisato throws some safe tiles, the hand continues to advance. By the middle of the second row, Hisato gets to iishanten for mangan, pushing him to push.

At the start of the third row, Hisato gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47p ryanmen, guaranteed a haneman. Two turns later, Hisato draws the 7p and wins the hand. Hisato wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 3,000+100/6,000+100 plus a riichi stick, going from 3rd to 1st.

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Matsumoto Movement

September 14, Game 2

In S1-0, Matsumoto is in 4th place, 9,800 behind 3rd place Miura.

Matsumoto starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a secured red 5p for value. In the first row, he shifts, the hand to a perfect iishanten, with the ideal draw being the 6s to create both pinfu and tanyao.

Two turns into the second row, Matsumoto completes a 234s sequence and calls riichi on a 69s ryanmen. Again, the ideal draw tile is the 6s, which would give him a mangan minimum. Near the end of the row, Miura discards the 6s trying to taking iishanten and deals into Matsumoto. Matsumoto wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Tanyao/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 8,000. With the direct hit, Matsumoto moves up to 3rd place.

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Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9053

Moving to S3-1, Matsumoto is 14,200 behind 2nd place Hisato and 15,600 behind 1st place Asakura. A mangan direct hit on either of them would push him into 2nd place. With riichi stick and a honba in the pot, a haneman tsumo could put him on top.

Matsumoto starts off at 2-shanten with a secured red 5s. In the first row, Matsumoto shifts his hand to guarantee tanyao, building up value. At the start of the second row, he gets to iishanten, getting to a perfect iishanten a turn later with a small chance at a 567 sanshoku.

As Matsumoto waits for his tenpai, Matsumoto gives the whole table a scare as he calls a concealed kan on the 4p dora in the middle of the second row. Just as the west becomes the new dora, Matsumoto draws one. Not wanting to be hasty and discarding the once-cut west, he reduces his hand to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten.

At the start of the third row, Matsumoto completes a 456m sequence. Being tenpai with two opportunities at uradora, he calls riichi on a 58p wait. In the middle of the row, Hisato throws the 8p trying to call riichi and deals into Matsumoto. Getting an uradora, Matsumoto wins the hand with Riichi/Tanyao/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 8,000+300 plus a riichi stick. With the direct hit, Matsumoto moves into 2nd going into his dealership.

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Results

Game 2

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Intro | Standings