League snooze, WRC comeback fizzle part 1

League started again last week. I was wracking my brain for momentous hands to call attention to in a decidedly non momentous +5 point finish. The only thing that stuck out was a 3900 point hand I threw when trying to sneak off with a 1000 pointer. League was just boring this month. Meh.

How about WRC? I want to finish up WRC this month so I can make Xmas plans. The best of 34 tournament day is inexplicably in the middle of winter vacation so I’d like to know now if I need to plan for it. Actually, with the -70 point start last month realistically I already know, but I still need to play it out I guess. Here’s my 3rd session of hopefully 5 for the season.

Game 1

My kamicha and shimocha (Konno) jumped out to early leads. My big moment came in the first hand of south, Konno again dealer. Dora was 中, my situation was this:

四六456③③④④⑤東東東 tsumo五

Konno had already thrown 2 ② and 1 ③, and another 3 and 1 ⑤ were also out, while there were no ⑥ yet visible anywhere. Kamicha had ponned twice early and it felt a little like he had 2 Dora also heading for toitoi. 4 tiles still available for either wait, throw 東 for ②⑤ 2 type wait, or throw ④ for ③⑥ for only one type left, ⑥ wait, what would you do?

I have a dumb anti sanshoku tendency because I feel jilted when the wrong side of an open ended wait comes, really dumb, I know. But here if I go for it, it’s the only thing left! Not really a good reason but anyway it did just feel like there were more of those left in the wall than ②⑤. I first waited without reaching, but the next draw PonyMcPonface ponned again and threw Dora! Fine, reach! He drew and threw ⑥ ippatsu and blam! I’m in the running for top with Konno! (Anticlimactic finish, Konno drew mangan on the last hand, I was dealer, blech, moving right along)

Game 2

South round hand 2 Dora ⑦, draw 11 tenpai:

1144⑦⑧⑧⑨⑨一一九九

I played weak here, not reaching though I had ④ in my discards. Currently last place reached discarding Dora, and I have to imagine given his situation he’d have done the same if I had reached. I’m not sure if an extra 1600 would have made all the difference on the final hand but perhaps and of course I might have also hit ura Dora for haneman. For the moment it gave me a tenuous hold on first place.

I was still up about 5000 on the last hand with this after a few draws

九九①②③⑦⑧⑨88白中中

I debated 8 pon but let it pass as I’m not the biggest fan of depending on ato-zuke. The next draw, last place guy threw 中, and again I don’t think my 8 pon would have given him pause there. So I ponned and prayed but around the 10th draw, currently 2nd place reached. I drew 5 ippatsu and it could not have seemed more dangerous. Except for a 5 already in my discards, the 8 in my kamicha, and a couple 1’s, there were no Souzu on the board. I threw it hoping to draw out my last 8 but of course it was her kanchan machi. It cost me 5200 and I just barely saved second place.

This game is just dripping with regret. I played weak when I probably could have played strong. Then when I really should have pulled back, that’s when I found my spine. Two possible +20 finishes ended with just 5 each and I my dream of a big comeback was seeming pretty far fetched.

So annoying I think I’ll split this session up into two parts. Tune in tomorrow to hear how much I turned it around in the last 2 games…

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