Mr Noda has blown it!
Last January he was presented with the Cockseye Three-Player Mahjong Trophy, an earthenware statue of a bull, which was his to keep for the year (view the report, here).
At the end of the year he was supposed to hand it back in to the Central Committee so that the bull could be presented to the winner of the 2007 Cockseye Three-Player Mahjong League.
Unfortunately, however, due care was not taken, and it transpires that Mrs Noda has…
THROWN THE BULL AWAY!!!
As Mr Noda is therefore unable to fulfil his obligations to the Central Committee, he has been duly stripped of his title and an even bigger bull (which the Central Committee has yet to procure) will be awarded to the new winner of the 2007 Cockseye Three-Player Mahjong League, which a quick perusal of last year’s table reveals to be none other than David, which is to say, er, oh gosh! MYSELF [insert blushing emoticon here]!
The only way back into the fold is for Mr Noda to repent, and be seen to repent, for his negligence by paying a fine in the traditional manner, namely, by standing the members of the Central Committee drinks all round.
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Last week Noda, Jaime, Ray and David played the first game of the New Year. As David was toiling at the coal face until the tardy hour of ten at night, he was the last to join the table.
However, his curiosity as to the progress of the first session of the year was satisfied by news updates from Jaime, who also sent photographic evidence of how the very first game had gone (left). As you can see, Noda had been hit with Double Ron, and Jaime and Ray were nicely in the black.
By the time David arrived at Kodama-jansou Tim had left and the players were just starting their third game, with Jaime now the clear leader and Ray heading towards the red with Noda.
David declined the other players’ invitation to join the table as his stomach was rumbling and he preferred to devote his whole attention to Mama’s Yakimeshi Setto. Even so, David barely had time to polish off his last mouthful of rice before the game had ended.
David joined in the fourth game, and despite being about to nod off after a greulling day’s labour, he was well seated as “North” to Noda’s “East” and so avoided the worst of Noda’s attempted recovery. Ray’s crafty defensive tactic of not declaring a hidden 1-Character, and then Green Dragon, Kan so that he would have several safe tiles to discard when someone else declared Riichi staved defeat off for a few plays, but once safety had been exhausted, Ray’s knack of choosing to pluck from his hand exactly the tile that needed sank him after all.
At the end of the fourth game Noda thought he had won, but David’s risky declaration of Riichi on a one tile (7-Coins) wait immediately after Noda had declared (on a three-tile wait) paid off as David drew the tile from wall. That result was enough for David to pip Noda to the post by 1,000 points, or one “issen tenbou”.
Noda had finished for the night, and David thought it more than prudent to call it a night as well, although it was a pity to finish so early on an night when Ray was able to play.
So Jaime finished top dog in three figures for the night, to claime the “first leader of the year” award, with David in his favourite position of “second and in the black” and Ray picking up the first wooden spoon of the year.
Jaime +35, +36, +65, -29 = 107
David –, –, –, +27 = +27
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Noda -50,* +12, -21, +6 = -53
Ray +15, -48, -44, -4 = -81
*Double Ron
David Hurley
Japanese-Mahjong.com
Japanese-Games-Shop.com