Classic Tetris World Championship 2020 | Interviews With The Top 8 Players
The best of the best will battle it out for the title of 2020 CTWC Champion on Sunday, December 6th.
The 2020 Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) was unique this year due to global circumstances, taking place online rather than in-person at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. Overcoming all challenges, CTWC 2020 came together beautifully and drew a large number of ambitious classic Tetris players from all over the world.
This year’s competition was intense, there's no doubt about it. Match after match, the Top 64 players battled it out until only the Top 8 remained. On Sunday, December 6th at 12:00 p.m. (PST), CTWC’s Main Event will air on twitch.tv/classictetris and the Top 8 players will put their classic Tetris skills to the ultimate test in an attempt to claim first place and the title of CTWC 2020 Champion.
Curious about how the Top 8 players were doing in the days leading up to the Main Event, we reached out and asked them a number of questions to learn more about who they are, how they're getting ready, and what advice they have for aspiring CTWC participants.
Classic Tetris World Championship 2020 | Interviews With The Top 8 Players
DOG - USA
What was your first introduction to Tetris?
I watched the 2018 Finals.
How many hours a day do you practice?
About 1 or 2.
In addition to practice, what are some other things you do to prepare yourself for the CTWC?
I play 29 starts, because those are starting to matter.
Hypertapping, yay or nay?
Hypertapping is definitely the new generation.
How many CTWC tournaments have you competed in?
None.
Have you become friends with any of the other CTWC competitors?
Yes.
Do you ever get nervous before competing? If yes, what do you do to calm your nerves?
Yes. I calm my nerves by staying confident.
What’s it been like competing at home this year as opposed to in person?
I don't really know how it feels to compete in person, but I'd imagine it's extremely different with the crowd and such.
Are you looking forward to the return of in-person CTWC events in the future?
Yes. It will be fun meeting the players in person.
Finally, what advice would you give to Tetris players who want to compete in the CTWC?
Stay determined.
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SAM FINCH - USA
What was your first introduction to Tetris?
My first introduction to tetris probably occurred when I was too young to recall, but I was first introduced to the competitive scene around Spring of 2018 when I saw the Jeff vs. Jonas CTWC finals match.
How many hours a day do you practice?
I practice enough to negatively impact my social life and emotional state. Maybe 3 hours a day of playing and 5-8 hours a day of this game running through my head.
In addition to practice, what are some other things you do to prepare yourself for the CTWC?
Some other things I do to prepare for the CTWC is watch other people play, study stacking, envision the immense relief that I’ll have after the tournament is over when I won’t feel obligated to play the game until I hate it, talk with other players. Essentially just surrounding myself with Tetris.
Hypertapping, yay or nay?
I’m a hypertapper, I like it but since I have the genetic disadvantage of being a slow tapper I look forward to a future where the butterfly technique. I’ve been helping to develop becomes viable and I don’t have to worry about not being able to hit taps that are easy for faster tappers.
How many CTWC tournaments have you competed in?
I’ve competed in no CTWCs before, haven’t competed in anything except that one CTM that one time where I embarrassed myself with two early topouts.
Have you become friends with any of the other CTWC competitors?
I was already friends with a few other competitors before the tournament, but maybe Breandan and I are closer now afterwards.
Do you ever get nervous before competing? If yes, what do you do to calm your nerves?
I get nervous before matches, but I’m pretty good at getting an arrogant mindset to keep me calm while I play.
What’s it been like competing at home this year as opposed to in person?
I’ve only ever competed in my own home, so I’m not sure what the difference would be.
Are you looking forward to the return of in-person CTWC events in the future?
I will be looking forward to the next in person CTWC if I place well here. If I don’t perform well this year I won’t be confident enough to put in the financial investment next year.
Finally, what advice would you give to Tetris players who want to compete in the CTWC?
The one big piece of advice I would give to future CTWC competitors is to not attempt this unless you genuinely love the game or are unreasonably goated.
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PIXELANDY - USA
What was your first introduction to Tetris?
My first introduction to Tetris was the CTWC 2018 finals.
How many hours a day do you practice?
I practice around 1-2 hours a day, some days more or less.
In addition to practice, what are some other things you do to prepare yourself for the CTWC?
I like to look back at my past winning games and also look at other great stackers.
Hypertapping, yay or nay?
Hypertapping is definitely the new way to play, and I think it makes for better scoring games.
How many CTWC tournaments have you competed in?
This is my first CTWC tournament.
Have you become friends with any of the other CTWC competitors?
Yes, I think the NES Tetris community is close because it isn't a huge community.
Do you ever get nervous before competing? If yes, what do you do to calm your nerves?
Sometimes I get nervous. I usually just take deep breaths and it works pretty well.
What’s it been like competing at home this year as opposed to in person?
I've actually never competed in person.
Are you looking forward to the return of in-person CTWC events in the future?
I am definitely looking forward to going to CTWC irl. It would be cool to meet other players.
Finally, what advice would you give to Tetris players who want to compete in the CTWC?
You really have to just keep training, you will always have room to get better.
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JOSEPH SAELEE - USA (Defending CTWC Champion)
What was your first introduction to Tetris?
My first introduction to Tetris was through Tetris DS. My uncle had a DS and every time I’d visit, I would ask to play on it.
How many hours a day do you practice?
I practice about 2 hours a day when I play, but I probably average 6 hours a week.
In addition to practice, what are some other things you do to prepare yourself for the CTWC?
Not much, I just make sure I’m eating well and taking care of myself physically and mentally.
Hypertapping, yay or nay?
Hypertapping, yay.
How many CTWC tournaments have you competed in?
I’ve competed in 2 CTWC’s and 1 regional qualifier.
Have you become friends with any of the other CTWC competitors?
Yes, I usually hang out with the new generation of players in a Discord server. We usually join to talk and play other games.
Do you ever get nervous before competing? If yes, what do you do to calm your nerves?
No, I’m usually not nervous before competing.
What’s it been like competing at home this year as opposed to in person?
I guess it’s more convenient to just set up your games at home and just play. Not being able to meet these players in real life is a bummer though.
Are you looking forward to the return of in-person CTWC events in the future?
Yes, I hope we can go back as early as next year.
Finally, what advice would you give to Tetris players who want to compete in the CTWC?
I would tell them to make sure you’re up to date with the Tetris community so your experience at the CTWC will be sweet.
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HUFFULUFUGUS - USA
What was your first introduction to Tetris?
I started with Puyo Puyo Tetris after seeing some videos about CTWC on YouTube sometime around 2017-2018, then in February I got everything I needed for NES Tetris.
How many hours a day do you practice?
Depends on the day, sometimes 20 minutes, and it can go as long as 4 or 5 hours. Usually it's not that long.
In addition to practice, what are some other things you do to prepare yourself for the CTWC?
I think of different moves I could make, and I review my gameplay to see mistakes I make a lot.
Hypertapping, yay or nay?
Yay.
How many CTWC tournaments have you competed in?
One, only this one.
Have you become friends with any of the other CTWC competitors?
I'm friends with almost everyone in the Top 64.
Do you ever get nervous before competing? If yes, what do you do to calm your nerves?
I get nervous, but I replace that with excitement.
What’s it been like competing at home this year as opposed to in person?
I've never been in person, but it's better than nothing.
Are you looking forward to the return of in-person CTWC events in the future?
Yeah.
Finally, what advice would you give to Tetris players who want to compete in the CTWC?
Tetris is all about having a good mindset, you got to know that sometimes you do bad and sometimes you do good. If you have a bad mindset, you'll never do good.
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ALLEN - USA
What was your first introduction to Tetris?
My first introduction to Tetris was in early 2018, when a friend introduced me to Tetris Friends.
How many hours a day do you practice?
On days when I practice, I practice for two hours.
In addition to practice, what are some other things you do to prepare yourself for the CTWC?
In addition to practice, I'm going to get lots of sleep to prepare for the CTWC.
Hypertapping, yay or nay?
Yay.
How many CTWC tournaments have you competed in?
Two, 2019 and 2020.
Have you become friends with any of the other CTWC competitors?
Yes, we have our own group chat where we also have voice calls.
Do you ever get nervous before competing? If yes, what do you do to calm your nerves?
Yes, I do get nervous before competing. To calm my nerves I remind myself that I play Tetris to have fun and I shouldn't take anything too seriously.
What’s it been like competing at home this year as opposed to in person?
Competing at home instead of in person this year, the experience is much more quiet and relaxed in comparison. It isn't as exciting as an in-person experience but it's also a lot less nerve-wracking.
Are you looking forward to the return of in-person CTWC events in the future?
Yes, I'm looking forward to the return on in-person CTWC events.
Finally, what advice would you give to Tetris players who want to compete in the CTWC?
If you want to compete in CTWC, don't ever give up, as long as you're having fun playing the game. If you stick to it you'll gradually improve and you'll eventually be skilled enough to make it to CTWC.
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NENU - Indonesia
What was your first introduction to Tetris?
I'm not sure it was NES or not, but I remembered playing versus mode with my mother and brother, so maybe SNES. I discovered CTWC from CTWC 2016 Finals video, when the "Boom, Tetris for Jeff" meme blew up. And it kept snowballing until I found CTM on Twitch around May 2019 and started playing competitively.
How many hours a day do you practice?
Normally 1 hour a day. Sometimes a few hours a week, or I don't play at all for weeks. Usually because I need to rest my hand from hypertapping (it's tiring lol).
In addition to practice, what are some other things you do to prepare yourself for the CTWC?
I like to evaluate my games, for example what placement I can do better / what mistakes did I make / adjustment that I missed, etc. It's really improving my gameplay, I've been doing this from the first time I started playing competitively. I like watching other good stacker gameplay too, and second guessing their moves. If I make a different move, I compare them to my move to know what is the best move. Also I tend to not play too often before a tournament to maintain a good mentality.
Hypertapping, yay or nay?
Yes, I still use DAS sometimes though.
How many CTWC tournaments have you competed in?
This is my CTWC debut.
Have you become friends with any of the other CTWC competitors?
Yeah, sometimes we talk on Discord or Twitch stream.
Do you ever get nervous before competing? If yes, what do you do to calm your nerves?
For now I would say no? Maybe a little, yes haha. I was so nervous in my first CTM match. Just do your fingers before play haha.
What’s it been like competing at home this year as opposed to in person?
I have not been able to compete in person before because I'm in Indonesia. So it is a nice opportunity for me to play online this year, especially because I got help from community to get my gear (console, cartridge, etc) ready. So, shoutout to Xerxos, Jeff, and Kim!
Are you looking forward to the return of in-person CTWC events in the future?
Absolutely! I'm looking forward to it if I get the opportunity. There are so many great people in the CTWC community that I want to meet in person!
Finally, what advice would you give to Tetris players who want to compete in the CTWC?
Uh, idk lol. Maybe I would say learn good stacking, learn parity, learn adjustment, play in online matches (CTM, CTL, CTB, CTG, friendlies, etc.) throughout the year if you can.
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CHEEZ - USA
What was your first introduction to Tetris?
My first introduction to Tetris was stumbling upon the 2016 CTWC Finals in a YouTube rabbit hole in 2017, and I started to play seriously after watching Trey Harrison's Tetris Effect video in 2018.
How many hours a day do you practice?
I practice for 5+ hours for a few days every week.
In addition to practice, what are some other things you do to prepare yourself for the CTWC?
I play against top-tier players and virtual players to push my limits.
Hypertapping, yay or nay?
Yes, I hypertap.
How many CTWC tournaments have you competed in?
CTWC 2020 is my first CTWC tournament.
Have you become friends with any of the other CTWC competitors?
Yes, I've become friends with basically all of the Top 8. The Discord servers connect all of the players together into an active community, so you get to know most of the top-tier players.
Do you ever get nervous before competing? If yes, what do you do to calm your nerves?
Yes, I get nervous, and I don't really have anything to combat that. I just try to use the shaking to my advantage when hypertapping and focus on trying to make good decisions.
What’s it been like competing at home this year as opposed to in person?
I don't know what it's like competing in person, but I imagine that competing in person is a lot more nerve-racking because there's a crowd directly in front of you, and you're playing in an unfamiliar situation. At home, you only have a Twitch stream and a viewer number in your home, which probably makes it a lot more comfortable.
Are you looking forward to the return of in-person CTWC events in the future?
This CTWC format is definitely a lot more convenient, but I think the full CTWC experience can only be in real life, and I would like to be a part of that in the future.
Finally, what advice would you give to Tetris players who want to compete in the CTWC?
Ask the community when you struggle with something. The Discord servers and Twitch chats are probably the main sources of information to improve at Tetris nowadays, so learn from the best to become the best.
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We want to thank each of the Top 8 players for taking the time to answer our questions about CTWC 2020, and we wish them the best of luck in the Main Event on Sunday, December 6th.
To check out all the action for yourself, be sure to tune in December 6th at 12:00 p.m. (PST) on twitch.tv/classictetris! You can also catch videos from CTWC 2020 on their YouTube channel.
For more on the Classic Tetris World Championship, be sure to check out the event's official website, follow CTWC on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), and check out CTWC videos and streams on YouTube and Twitch!
