Tuesday (September 15)

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Game 1

Baiman

September 15, Game 1, S3-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9557

In S3-0, Daigo is in 3rd place, 3,900 behind 2nd place Aki and 6,700 behind 1st place Wataru.

Daigo starts out the hand drawing a 4s dora, creating a three-sided wait and putting him at 2-shanten. On turn 3, he gets a red 5s, adding more value to his hand. At the end of the row, he fills in a 3p kanchan and gets to iishanten, having a high chance at a good wait and the possibility of a 234 sanshoku.

Two turns into the second row, Daigo gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 147s wait. With either the 4s or 7s, he adds both tanyao and sanshoku to the hand. With the optimal 4s dora, that would give him a guaranteed baiman.

Despite the early wide wait, though, only three winning tiles remain in the wall.

Across from him, dealer Taro is in 4th place with two yakuhai pairs, desperately wanting to escape last. In the second row, he calls pon on the south for iishanten. In the third row, he does the same with the green dragon and waits on a 47s ryanmen.

With the 1s exhausted, both players are waiting on the same tiles, meaning that both players are safe from dealing in. If Aki discards the winning tile, Taro will win. If Wataru deals in the winning tile, Daigo will win.

In the middle of the third row, Daigo draws the 7s and wins the hand. Hitting the uradora, Daigo wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Sanshoku/Dora 1/Aka 1/Ura 1 for 4,000/8,000, easily moving up to 1st place.

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Winning Wataru

September 15, Game 1, S4-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p8055

In S4-0, Wataru is the final dealer in 2nd place, 13,300 behind 1st place Daigo. To move ahead, Wataru needs a 3/40 direct hit, a mangan tsumo or a haneman ron.

Wataru starts off at 2-shanten with a secured dora 5s, but the shapes are less than ideal. In the first four turns, he is able to convert two kanchan shapes into two ryanmen shapes. Before the row is done, he gets rid of his lingering penchan for 2-shanten and tanyao guaranteed.

However, Daigo is wanting to finish the game in 1st place. Before his row is done, he is dama on a 69p ryanmen.

Two turns into his second row, Wataru gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 25p ryanmen. With mangan guaranteed, he needs a direct hit or tsumo. On his very next turn, he draws the 5p and wins the hand. With an uradora for extra value, Wataru wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Dora 1/Ura 1 for 6,000 all, moving into 1st place.

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Results

Game 3

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Game 2

Ura San

September 15, Game 2, E2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s90_p2013

In E2-0, Asami is tied for 2nd place after Uchikawa hit Okada with a mangan ron.

Asami starts the game with a very strong 3-shanten hand, holding three ryanmens and a connected red 5p. By turn 5, she gets to 2-shanten as she makes a very flexible 4555p shape, guaranteeing her a good wait.

Two turns into the second row, Asami gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 69s ryanmen, wanting the 6s for mangan minimum.

At the end of the second row, dealer Kayamori discards the 9s trying to keep her 2-dora iishanten hand alive and deals into Asami. When it seems like she wouldn’t even hit mangan, her three 5p become the uradora and she is suddenly boosted to haneman! Asami wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Aka 1/Ura 3 for 12,000, jumping to 1st place.

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Aka San

September 15, Game 2, E3-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p7579

In E3-2, Uchikawa is the dealer in 1st place, holding only a 1,300 lead over 2nd place Asami.

Uchikawa starts out filling in a 6m kanchan to get to 2-shanten. With two red fives and a chance at a pinzu straight, things look like it could be expensive. The first row doesn’t do much for him except give him some bad-wait iishanten chances, but he rejects them for more flexible shapes. Still 2-shanten at the start of the second row, he adds even more value with a floating red 5s.

However, value is only useful if you can win. Immediately after, Asami gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 25 ryanmen.

With only one safe tile and so much potential value, Uchikawa pushes. In the middle of the second row, he draws a dora 4s to make a ryanmen. After making a 456p sequence and an 8p pair, he gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 36s ryanmen, guaranteed at least a haneman. On his very next turn, he draws the blessed 3s and wins the hand. Uchikawa wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1/Aka 3 for a huge 8,000+200 all plus one riichi stick win, taking him up to 63,400.

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Kayamori

September 15, Game 2

In E3-4, Kayamori has fallen into the negatives and the game isn’t even halfway done. Though tragic, it also means that there is an opportunity to make a comeback.If she starts with a win now, she will have a little bonus of 2,200 from the pot.

With her very first draw, Kayamori gets to iishanten, needing to fill in a 6s kanchan (to complete a 567s iipeikou) and a 5m kanchan. On turn 3, she draws a red 5m and waits dama on the 6s kanchan, guaranteed at least 3 han.

Because there’s no sense of pressure, nobody has the incentive to change their play style. This allows Asami to advance comfortably, getting to tenpai at the start of the second row and calling riichi on a 69s ryanmen.

Two turns later, Uchikawa calls a 789p chii and waits on a 36p ryanmen, only allowed to win on the 6p for a pinzu ittsuu.

On her next draw, Kayamori improves to a 69s ryanmen and calls riichi, guaranteed at least a mangan. On her very enxt draw, Kayamori draws the 9s and wins the hand. Kayamori wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Aka 2/Ura 1 for 3,000+300/6,000+300 plus two riichi stick, taking her up to 3rd place.

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Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p9558

In S1-1, Kayamori is now in 3rd place and 7,700 behind 2nd place Asami. Two riichi sticks and a honba are in the pot.

Kayamori starts out the hand already 2-shanten with a pair of red dragons. If she gets rid of the 7p block in her hand and gets the 9s, she can guarantee herself chanta. On turn 2, she fills in a 2m kanchan (completing a 123m sequence) and starts to discard the 7p pair. On turn 5, she draws a third red dragon for tenpai. She calls riichi and waits on a 69s ryanmen. If she wins off the 9s, she will have a mangan minimum.

Two turns later, she draws a fourth red dragon and calls a conceald kan.

Though the rinshan nor the kandora help, the extra uradora gives rise for a potentially expensive hand. What’s more, a tsumo on the 6s now gives her a mangan as well.

Two turns into the second row, Kayamori draws the ideal 9s and wins the hand. And with the flip, Kayammori’s red dragon quad becomes the uradora! Kayamori wins the hand with surprising Riichi/Tsumo/Chanta/Ura 4 for a 4,000+100/8,000+100 baiman plus two riichi sticks, more than doubling her score to 33,500 and moving her into 2nd place

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In S2-0, Kayamori is now the dealer and is 20,400 away from taking the lead.

Kayamori starts off with a completed sequence with the dora 5m, but she sits far away at 5-shanten. The row creates a 789p sequence and a 12p block. It’s enough to get to 2-shanten, but she still needs a bit more for a stronger hand.

At the start of the second row, she creates a 4567s shape, providing good flexibility. On her next turn, she breaks her penchan and guarantees herself a good wait. A turn after that, Kayamori gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 25m ryanmen, wanting the 5m dora for the dora value and the 345m iipeikou.

During the ippatsu round, Asami discards the 2m and deals into Kayamori. With the flip, she hits two uradora for the upgrade to haneman. Kayamori wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Dora 1/Ura 2 for 18,000.

From -500 to over 50,000, Kayamori proves that it’s never over until it’s over.

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Dora Driven

September 15, Game 2

In S3-2, Asami is at -200 and in 3rd place. The top spots are quite far away, but the opportunity to gain points remains.

Asami starts off with quite a fortuitous hand, being the south seat in the south round with a pair of south dora. A pon of them will automatically give her five han. The rest of her hand isn’t too shabby either, being at 3-shanten with some call potential. At the end of the first row, she gets to call pon on the south to get to 2-shanten. On the next go-around, she calls a 567s chii for iishanten. On her next draw, she completes a 567p chii and waits on an 8s kanchan.

RIght after, Okada (who is also negative) calls riichi on a 2s/4s shanpon.

With the top two players not wanting any part in this , it becomes a battle between Asami and Okada. It mostly becomes a draw and discard affair, with the only change being Asami drawing a red 5s and switching to a 6s kanchan, guaranteed a haneman. On her next draw, Asami draws the 6s and wins the hand. Asami wins with Double South/Dora 3/Aka 1 for 3,000+200/6,000+200 plus two riichi sticks.

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In S4-0, Asami is now the dealer and starts out 2-shanten with a pair of green dragons and some good waits. The first row doesn’t change much in her hand, but she does secure a 5p dora as part of a 567p sequence. Two turns into the second row, Asami gets to iishanten with the green dragon looking to be her pair.

Asami may be forced to keep it as a pair as Okada makes the green dragon her sixth pair and calls riichi on a 5m tanki.

Within the go-around, Uchikawa gets to tenpai for seven pairs as well, waiting dama on a 5p tanki.

In the third row, Asami gets the desired 2s and calls riichi on a 7m kanchan. A few turns later, Okada discards the 7m and deals into Asami. With the uradora flip, she adds two more han as the green dragon becomes the uradora. Asami wins the hand with Riichi/Iipeikou/Dora 1/Ura 2 for 12,000 plus Okada’s riichi stick.

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Results

Game 4

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