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Andrew Artiaga

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P1xelAndy
Artiaga competing in the 2022 Classic Tetris World Championship qualifying round
Personal information
NameAndrew Artiaga
Born2004 or 2005 (age 19–20)[a]
Career information
GamesClassic Tetris
Playing career2018–present
Career highlights and awards

Andrew Artiaga, known online as P1xelAndy, is an American Tetris player from Texas. He is best known for placing second in the 2020 Classic Tetris World Championships (CTWC) and third in the 2022 CTWC. On January 4, 2024, Artiaga also became the third player to "beat the game" by triggering a game crash, and seven days later breaking the high score record for the game, recognized by Guinness World Records, by around two million points.

From a young age, Andrew and his younger brother Michael Artiaga experimented with coding, computing, and gaming, with their father being a web developer. Practicing classic NES Tetris occasionally on their Game Boy at home, both brothers were inspired to pursue the game further after 16-year-old Joseph Saelee's victory against the 37-year-old and previous champion Jonas Neubauer on YouTube in the 2018 CTWC, marking the beginning of a new generation of Tetris players in the competitive scene. Artiaga has since placed second in the 2020 CTWC, where he lost against his brother, third in the 2022 CTWC, and became the third player to "beat the game" by triggering a game crash on January 4, 2024, only days after it was done for the first time. Along with briefly holding the high score record for three months, Artiaga has continued to remain competitive since, placing high in his seed for every CTWC since 2020, and placing particularly well in DAS Masters events since they began in July 2024.

Personal life and upbringing

[edit]

Andrew was born to Van and Randall Artiaga, and is from Fort Worth, Texas.[3] He and his younger brother Michael Artiaga grew up around electronics, as their father was a web developer.[3][4] Artiaga further learned to experiment in computing, coding, and gaming in elementary school,[3][4] as well as practiced the skills he learned with his brother by creating characters and music for several of their father's gaming apps.[3]

Tetris career

[edit]

Artiaga was introduced to classic NES Tetris alongside his brother in elementary school, after playing it on their original Game Boy at home.[3] Both him and his brother at 13 and 10 years old respectively, began to play the game more intently after watching 16-year-old Joseph Saelee's victory against the 37-year-old and previous champion Jonas Neubauer on YouTube in the 2018 Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC), marking the beginning of a new generation of Tetris players to the competitive scene.[1][2][3] Both brothers practiced more on separate Nintendo consoles at their home, and collaborated on their shortcomings to better their playing.[3] After purchasing twin famiclones, Andrew began to compete in tournaments under the name "P1xelAndy", while his brother Michael adopted the name "dogplayingtetris" or simply "Dog".[1]

During the COVID-19 lockdowns in the United States, both brothers began to practice more often while also learning from their competitors on Twitch.[3] At 15 and 13-years-old respectively,[1][2] both Andrew and his brother qualified for the 2020 CTWC, with Andrew obtaining the top seed in his double-elimination playoffs group after scoring one million points in six games.[3][5] After beating fellow competitor Nenu Kariko,[6] Andrew made it to the final round with his brother, Michael, where they competed against each other in the same house due to COVID-19 restrictions.[3] He placed second to his brother shortly after reaching level 29, but celebrated the achievement with him by giving him a high five immediately after the match's conclusion.[3]

Seven male classic Tetris players sitting at a shared desk playing
Andrew (closest to the camera) and his brother Michael (second closest) competing at the 2022 CTWC

In the 2021 CTWC, Artiaga placed second in his seed after achieving eleven "maxouts", a point in the game where the score becomes so high that it no longer registers correctly on-screen, in his qualifying rounds.[7] In the semifinals, Artiaga lost to his brother, Michael, who went on to place first in the CTWC again,[3] finishing in fourth behind his original inspiration for the game, Joseph Saelee.[2][8] In the lead-up to the 2022 CTWC, Artiaga broke three world records for the highest combined score in a single game, the highest losing score at 1.5 million points, and the highest winning score at 2.1 million points, all within a monthly competition in May.[2] In the 2022 CTWC, Artiaga placed fourth in his qualifying seed after achieving 13 maxouts within two hours of playing.[7] He placed third at the end of the championship, beating his brother, who came in fourth. In the 2023 CTWC, Artiaga placed sixth in his qualifying seed but lost in the quarterfinals to Justin Yu (known online as "Fractal161"), who went on to win the championship.[7]

On January 4, 2024, Artiaga became the third player to "beat the game" by triggering a game crash, something which can only occur at very high levels. He did so just days after fellow competitive Tetris players Willis Gibson (known online as "Blue Scuti") and Justin Yu had done so for the first time.[7][9] Shortly afterward on January 11, Artiaga broke the record for highest score achieved on NES Tetris with a total score of 8,952,432 points, later recognized by Guinness World Records.[9][10] Artiaga's score broke the previous record by around 2 million points, which was regarded by the entertainment website GamesRadar+ as an accomplishment which separated him from his "little brother's shadow".[11] Artiaga held this record for two months until it was surpassed by Alex Thach (known online as "Alex T") on March 11, 2024, with a score of 16,248,080.[10] From June 8–9, Artiaga competed in the 2024 CTWC, where he was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Eve Commandeur (known online as "Sidnev") who went on to be eliminated in the quarterfinals.[12][13]

Playing style

[edit]

Artiaga began his Tetris career as a Delayed Auto Shift (DAS) player, which involved shifting falling pieces repeatedly while holding the buttons to increase the speed the pieces are turned at.[14] Before the 2020 CTWC however, Artiaga adopted hypertapping, a playing technique popularized by Saelee in the 2018 CTWC, which emphasizes vibrating the buttons rapidly over pressing them.[1][15] This was done to keep up pace with his brother, who had adopted the technique earlier.[14]

During the 2021 CTWC, Artiaga continued to utilize hypertapping as opposed to rolling,[7] a new technique created by fellow Tetris player Christopher Martinez (known online as "Cheez") before the 2020 CTWC which involves rolling the back of the controller with all five fingers to faster position the game pieces.[2][15] The success of the technique at the championship led to it being adopted by a number of top players including Artiaga before the 2022 CTWC.[2][7]

Competitive record

[edit]
Year Championship Score Finishing place Ref.
2020 CTM March Challengers Circuit 4–0 1st [16]
Classic Tetris World Championship 4–0 2nd [17]
2021 CTM March Masters Event 4–0 1st [18]
Classic Tetris World Championship 6–1 4th [17]
2022 CTM February Masters Event 2–1 Contender [19]
CTM March Masters Event 3–1 2nd [20]
CTM April Masters Event 1–1 Contender [21]
CTM May Masters Event 4–0 1st [22]
CTM June Masters Event 4–0 [23]
CTM July Masters Event 2–1 Contender [24]
CTM August Masters Event 3–1 2nd [25]
CTM September Masters Event 1–1 Contender [26]
CTM November Masters Event 3–1 2nd [27]
CTM December Masters Event 1–1 Contender [28]
Classic Tetris World Championship N/A 3rd [17]
2023 CTM January Masters Event 2–1 Contender [29]
CTM February Masters Event 1–1 [30]
CTM March Masters Event 0–1 [31]
CTM Mega Masters 3–1 [32]
CTM May Masters Event 2–1 [33]
CTM Lone Star Championship 5–1 2nd [34]
CTM August Masters Event 4–0 1st [35]
CTM September Masters Event 0–1 Contender [36]
Classic Tetris World Championship N/A [37]
CTM October Masters Event 0–1 [38]
CTM November Masters Event 1–1 [39]
CTM December Masters Event 2–1 [40]
2024 CTM January Masters Event 1–1 [41]
CTWC Heart of Texas 4–0 1st [42]
CTM February Masters Event 2–1 Contender [43]
CTM Mega Masters 3–1 [44]
CTM April Masters Event 2–1 [45]
CTM May Masters Event 0–1 [46]
Classic Tetris World Championship 1–1 [12][13]
CTM July DAS Masters Event 4–0 1st [47]
CTM August DAS Masters Event 1–1 Contender [48]
CTM September DAS Masters Event 4–0 1st [49]
The Jonas Cup 3–1 3rd [50]
CTM October DAS Masters Event 4–0 1st [51]
2025 CTM January DAS Masters Event 4–0 [52]
CTM February DAS Masters Event 4–0 [53]
CTM March DAS Masters Event N/A Scheduled [54]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ While no exact date is given, Artiaga was 15 years old during the 2020 CTWC on December 6, 2020.[1][2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Sweet, Jacob (March 26, 2021). "The Revolution In Classic Tetris". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Karnadi, Chris (July 21, 2022). "Teens are rewriting what is possible in the world of competitive Tetris". Polygon. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Schonbrun, Zach (December 28, 2021). "A New Generation Stacks Up Championships in an Old Game: Tetris". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Artiaga, Michael (November 5, 2021). "Experience: I'm the best Tetris player in the world". The Guardian (Interview). Interviewed by Linton, Deborah. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Tate, Dylan (December 8, 2020). "13-year-old defeats brother to win Classic Tetris World Championship". upcomer.com. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  6. ^ Shaver, Morgan (December 7, 2020). "Classic Tetris World Championship Ends In Brother Versus Brother Showdown". Prima Games. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Fractal and PixelAndy become the Second and Third Players to Beat NES Tetris". Tetris Interest. January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Guinness World Records 2023 (in German) (Deutsche Ausgabe ed.). Ravensburg: Ravensburger. September 15, 2022. p. 105. ISBN 978-3473480555. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Simmerman, Alexis (January 3, 2025). "23 new Guinness World Records set in Texas in 2024, from largest to fastest". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Highest score on NES Tetris (NTSC)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Bailey, Dustin (February 20, 2024). "After years in his little brother's shadow, a young Tetris pro has emerged to obliterate the game's world record score". GamesRadar+. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Classic Tetris World Championship XV – Day 2 Tournament Begins! (YouTube). Classic Tetris World Championship. June 8, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Classic Tetris World Championship XV – Day 3 Finals (YouTube). Classic Tetris World Championship. June 9, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  14. ^ a b 2020 Classic Tetris World Championship Grand Final! (YouTube). Classic Tetris. December 18, 2020. Event occurs at 0:48. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Pape, Sam (October 7, 2022). "The Portland Retro Gaming Expo—And Its Tetris Competition—Returns". Portland Monthly. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "Past Tournament Results [Challengers tab]". Classic Tetris Monthly. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c "Results". Classic Tetris World Championship. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "Past Tournament Results [Masters tab]". Classic Tetris Monthly. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "CTM February 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. February 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  20. ^ "CTM March 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. March 2022. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  21. ^ "CTM April 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. April 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  22. ^ "CTM May 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. May 2022. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  23. ^ "CTM June 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. June 2022. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  24. ^ "CTM July 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. July 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  25. ^ "CTM August 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. August 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  26. ^ "CTM September 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. September 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  27. ^ "CTM November 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. November 2022. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  28. ^ "CTM December 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. December 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  29. ^ "CTM January 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. January 2023. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  30. ^ "CTM February 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. February 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  31. ^ "CTM March 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. March 2023. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  32. ^ "CTM Mega Masters 2023". Classic Tetris Monthly. April 2023. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  33. ^ "CTM May 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. May 2023. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  34. ^ "CTM Lone Star Tetris Championship". Classic Tetris Monthly. May 2023. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  35. ^ "CTM August 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. August 2023. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  36. ^ "CTM September 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. September 2023. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  37. ^ "Fractal Wins The 2023 Classic Tetris World Championship". Tetris Interest. October 19, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  38. ^ "CTM October 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. October 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  39. ^ "CTM November 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. November 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  40. ^ "CTM December 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. December 2023. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  41. ^ "CTM January 2024 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. January 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  42. ^ "CTWC Heart of Texas 2023 Gold". Classic Tetris Monthly. January 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  43. ^ "CTM February 2024 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. February 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  44. ^ "CTM Mega Masters 2024". Classic Tetris Monthly. March 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  45. ^ "CTM April 2024 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. April 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  46. ^ "CTM May 2024 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. May 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  47. ^ "CTM DAS Masters July 2024 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. July 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  48. ^ "CTM DAS Masters August 2024 DAS Masters". Classic Tetris Monthly. August 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  49. ^ "CTM DAS Masters September 2024 DAS Masters". Classic Tetris Monthly. September 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  50. ^ "2024 09 - USA-D - Jonas Cup 2024, Portland, OR". Classic Tetris World Championship. September 2024. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  51. ^ "CTM DAS Masters October 2024 DAS Masters". Classic Tetris Monthly. October 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  52. ^ "CTM DAS Masters January 2025 DAS Masters". Classic Tetris Monthly. January 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  53. ^ "CTM DAS Masters February 2025 DAS Masters". Classic Tetris Monthly. February 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  54. ^ "CTM DAS Masters March 2025 DAS Masters". Classic Tetris Monthly. March 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
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