https://www.cybersport.ru/games/articles/kibersportivnaya-anomaliya-vsyo-chto-stoit-znat-o-chempionate-mira-po-tetrisu

The first version of “Tetris” in 1984 was written by Alexey Pajitnov. The Soviet programmer did it on the Elektronika-60 microcomputer. He developed a unique mechanic in which Tetrimino pieces fall into the “glass” from top to bottom, and the players move and rotate them to collect horizontal lines. The latter immediately disappear and bring a certain number of points.

Pajitnov’s game turned out to be so successful that it spread throughout the world and received many reprints.

Each of us at least once in our life has played one of the variations of “Tetris”: on a computer, on a console, or even on the famous “portable” Brick Game, popular in the 1990s. However, one of the most iconic versions is 1989’s Tetris for the Nintendo Entertainment System (hereinafter referred to as Tetris for the NES). Despite the fact that there are a lot of analogues now, it is this version of the puzzle that remains the most relevant to this day. Largely because of the simple and straightforward gameplay with clear rules. And also because of the players: it was the fans who did everything to make Tetris for the NES talk about as an esports discipline.

How did geek entertainment turn into a spectacular competition? And why do tens of thousands of people follow Tetris tournaments to this day? Answers to these and other questions are below in the text.

Nintendo World Championship as a starting point

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the two giants of the gaming industry – Nintendo and SEGA – were constantly competing with each other. To win back the audience, companies often held all kinds of events dedicated to the most popular games of their own production. In 1990, Nintendo organized a large-scale tournament Nintendo World Championship (hereinafter – NWC), dedicated to the centenary of the publishing house. The event was off-site: the organizers rode around major US cities and held local competitions. The winners competed against each other in the final round of the NWC, which took place at the Universal Film Company in California.

Legends at CTWC 2010

In the second half of the 2000s, interest in retrogaming began to grow. And in 2010, Robin Mihara, one of the 1990 NWC finalists (he came in third), deciding that now was the time, teamed up with documentary director Adam Cornelius and producer Vince Clemente for one common goal. At the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, Mihara announced that he was looking for the best in Tetris for the NES with the goal of hosting the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC). He had previously organized small local tournaments among local geeks, but now he hoped to make Tetris a professional discipline.

It took months to find and purchase the necessary equipment – so, for CRT TVs, I had to go to flea markets altogether. At the same time, Mihara himself was from Portland, Oregon, but he decided to hold the first tournament in Los Angeles in order to gather as many people as possible. The portal helped to select the best players Twin galaxieswho published world records from video games: Looking at the list of Tetris record holders for the NES, Mihara was pleasantly surprised by the number of players seriously addicted to the puzzle even 20 years later. The organizer decided to personally meet the record holders, and then gather them at the event.

After these meetings, five players automatically got to the first championship, who were noted in the history of Tetris for the NES with their achievements. They were Ben Mullen (296 closed lines), Jesse Kelkar (291 lines), Jonas Neubauer and Harry Hong (both managed to score the maximum 999,999 points) and, finally, the same NWC winner – the matured Thor Åkerlund. The other three places could be taken by anyone, having passed the qualifying round.

The tournament was held in three rounds. In the first one it was required to close as many lines as possible, and in the other two – to score as many points as possible. And at the end of the third round, the two best players competed with each other in the final. To win, it was necessary to overtake the opponent on points in two matches.

First place went to Jonas Neubauer, leaving behind Harry Hong and Matt Buko. Before the championship and during the competition, Adam Cornelius filmed a lot of materials that formed the basis of the documentary “Ecstasy of Order: The Masters of Tetris”. The movie was well received, and interest in Tetris for the NES has grown significantly in the background. Robin Mihara managed to achieve the goal: the idea of ​​the tournament began to develop.

Evolution of CTWC

In 2011, the rules of the championship changed slightly. Eight qualified players competed in the playoffs. True, the victory conditions remained the same – to win in two rounds out of three.

Despite the fact that the tournament itself, as everyone noted, was a success, the costs of organizing it were too high. The University of Southern California at Los Angeles was chosen as the venue: traffic is poor, and ticket prices are high due to rental. Promotional assistance was offered by Electronic Arts, which at that time owned the license allowing it to release Tetris on mobile platforms, but that was not enough. The future of the championship was in question.

It was a miracle that saved CTWC. Chuck Van Pelt, General Manager of the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, offered to host CTWC 2012 at his show. Small disagreements arose between the organizers of the championship over the “move”, but ultimately the common cause became more important than personal comfort.

Commentator Chris Tang recalled this at GDC 2019:

Portland has since become the home of CTWC. In a new place, the tournament has new rules. So, the victory in the final was counted already for three games out of five, and not for two out of three, as before. The players also went through the qualification and tried to score the maximum points, and the organizers after that made a tournament grid for 32 people, where the participants competed among themselves according to the playoff system. There were no significant differences from the new rules until 2016.

CTWC 2016 focused on gameplay. Previously, in doubles competition, each participant had their own unique session. Tetris is a random game, but this fact could be an advantage for one of the players. What if someone is more fortunate with the sequence of shapes? This seemed dishonest to the audience. And the organizers found a way out: CTWC CTO Tray Garrison developed a unique cartridge for the NES – especially for the championship. In this version of Tetris, about a thousand algorithms for the appearance of figures on the screen are thought out.

Before the start of the competition, the jury rolls the dice and determines the number of the algorithm. Thus, both players start the session with the same sequence of pieces. There is no more random – only skill decides the outcome of the match. The selection of algorithms is changed every year.

Over the years, the CTWC community grew more and more, the number of those wishing to participate in the tournament also grew – therefore, the organizers eventually increased the number of players from 32 to 40. At the same time, 24 participants were selected based on the results of the first qualification, and the players from 25th to 40th place there was a chance to get into the main pool by going through another qualifying round – Round Zero. It was conducted in such a way that strong players compete with those who were weaker than them – that is, say, a participant from 25th place played with someone who got into 40th, and so on. As a result of Round Zero, eight more participants passed on – the total number of players in the end was still 32.

In 2019, the number of applicants increased to 48. Players from 17th to 48th places got into Round Zero, and after that the winner of each such match faced a player from the top 16. For example, the winner of the 17th vs 48th round competed with the 16th place winner in the first qualifier. The total number of players was also 32.

CTWC 2023 and the pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all events of 2023 went online, and so did the Tetris World Cup. At the same time, the tournament grid expanded to 64 places, and the requirements to the participants noticeably toughened due to the inability to watch their game live. Below is a short list of the conditions required to participate in the online championship:

• account on Twitch and the ability to stream;
• age from 13 years and older;
• original NES / Retron 1 / Retron 1 HD console and original cartridge;
• jury approved controller;
• the presence of a webcam and microphone, good lighting;
• the player’s face, hands and controller must be in the frame during the broadcast.

The qualifying matches were played as follows. Each player was given two hours to show the best score. At the appointed time, the judge contacted the applicant and checked the technical aspects: overlays, broadcast quality, the presence of the original controller, set-top box and cartridge. Then he asked to play a test game: by communication via Discord, the judge indicated where to place this or that figure to make sure that the player is really playing himself.

After the match, the challenger hammered into the record line the word dictated by the referee to confirm that there was no editing on the broadcast. After verification, the participant started the timer. If a force majeure occurred in the process (for example, the console freezed), the player stopped the timer and contacted the referee for a second check. For two hours of qualification, it was required to record at least three games with the best result in points – time codes were put down for the most successful sessions. All recordings were stored on Twitch: in the future, the judge looked through them and made the final decision.

The championship lasted from mid-October, that is, from the moment of qualification, until December 6, 2023, when the final took place.

Tetris as an esports

Above, we figured out how Tetris became an esports discipline. Now is the time to explain why this puzzle is perfect for esports and what attracts viewers about it all.

Why Tetris for the NES?

The secret lies in the specifics of this particular version, and also in the player’s individual approach to it. There are other variations of “Tetris” – with teleports and invisible blocks, which gives more chances for error. But in Tetris for the NES, everything is much simpler and therefore more honest: seven figures, gradually increasing speed, 29 levels, the point limit at around 999,999 (however, it was later increased) – fixed conditions allow players to focus on the basic gameplay mechanics and strive for victory using only your skill.

Unlike other esports disciplines, Tetris has no add-ons for the NES – hence, there are no new rules, standards, nerfs or bans.

If esports players who play, say, shooters can lose their grip over time, the NES Tetris pros remain at the top after decades. Young players, however, are also appreciated – any teenager, if he has enough skills, can become a champion.

Explanatory dictionary CTWC

When Tetris became a discipline, many specific terms appeared around it, which are actively used by players themselves, commentators and viewers. If you do not know their meanings, it is extremely difficult to understand what is generally happening at the championships.

	“Well” (Well) – a hole that a player creates at the edge of the playing field in order to place the most valuable piece in the game in it – an I-tetrimino, a straight line of four squares. This figure, if lowered into the “well”, can close four lines at once and thus give the maximum number of points at a time. That is why all players build this very “well”.
	“Drought” (Drought) – a stressful period for the player, when the I-piece does not appear for a long time. In Tetris for the NES, it’s always a hard random.
	“Burning” (Burn) – a process when a player “extinguishes” lines with pieces that do not fit in shape, while trying not to spoil the “well”. This strategy is used in case of a drought, so that the figures do not reach the top of the playing “order book” or to be on the safe side. Sometimes the “well” is still blocked, and then the next phase begins – Dig.
	“Excavations” (Dig) – the period when the player is trying to “dig” a hole in the “well” in order to clear the way for the I-Tetrimino.
	Tetris ready – the position of the player, in which the stressful situation is passed, the “well” is open, the participant is not in danger and he is ready to place the I-piece. Tetris – the moment when the I-tetramino closes four rows.
	“Transition” (Transition) – these are the phases when at the 19th and 29th levels the falling of figures is greatly accelerated. The player prepares for them and tries to clear as many “debris” as possible. The starting level, by the way, can be chosen before the start of the game – for example, all championship matches start from the 18th, since only experienced players are able to advance further.
	Delayed Auto Move (DAS – Delayed Auto Shift) is a phenomenon due to which experienced players can control the movement of figures at high levels. The fact is that if you press the D-pad “left” or “right”, the falling shape will slightly shift in the corresponding direction, but if you do not release the direction button after that, the shape will continue to move in the same direction after a barely noticeable pause, only much faster. At the initial levels, this is not so critical, but then DAS begins to give players a lot of problems.
	Kill screen – that’s what the 29th level is called. The pace of the game on it becomes very fast – one piece per second. Kill Screen is considered one of the main features of Tetris for the NES, as it does not provide the ability to play indefinitely, like some other versions of Tetris.
	“Hyper-tapping” (Hypertapping) – a situation when the player actively squeezes the D-pad with his thumb – up to ten times per second. This method helps to play at high levels and control DAS.

“Pace” (Pace) – The method the player chose to win. Tetris fans for the NES recognize two of these methods:

• “Aggressive”: the player does not trade on trifles and scores points only at the expense of I-pieces. Effective but risky.
• “Conservative”: the player tries to “extinguish” the ranks whenever possible. Минус в том, что одна, две и даже три «сгоревшие» линии дают меньше очков, чем четыре, «сгоревшие» благодаря I-тетрамино. Зато шансов заполнить «стакан» доверху и проиграть куда меньше.

Что притягивает зрителя?

Когда человек, не знакомый с Tetris для NES и CTWC, случайно натыкается на видео с турнира, первое его впечатление довольно предсказуемо. Всё, что он видит на экране, — два странных человека, которые яростно лупят по D-pad и складывают фигуры в ряд.

Через пять минут он понимает, что не может оторваться. Ещё 10–15 минут — и человек уже искренне болеет за одного из участников. Звучит странно, однако «тетрисные» поединки сами по себе — та ещё драма. Каким бы непревзойдённым мастером ни был лидирующий игрок, финал матча предугадать невозможно. Крис Тэнг привёл яркий пример на всё той же GDC.

CTWC 2017: решающий матч между Мэттом Буко и Гарри Хонгом. Хонг лидирует и достигает 29-го уровня. Kill Screen, 231 закрытая линия — и он заканчивает игру с разницей в 61 176 очков. В это время Буко всё ещё продолжает играть на 27-м уровне и набирать очки в относительно спокойном темпе. В конечном счёте ему удаётся набрать больше очков, чем его сопернику, и выиграть матч, хотя удача изначально была на стороне Хонга.

Такие случаи на CTWC не редкость. Непредсказуемость игры и есть то, что удерживает зрителя. Ему интересно, как профессиональные игроки берут под контроль рандомные ситуации и какие эмоции при этом испытывают. Именно поэтому на трансляциях CTWC лицо игрока всегда показывают в центре, а с недавнего времени стали устанавливать дополнительную камеру, направленную на D-pad, чтобы зритель мог наблюдать за техникой и положением пальцев участников.

Чтобы ситуация в рамках матча была понятнее, Трей Гаррисон разработал особый оверлей для трансляций, где подсчитывается разница очков. У ведущего игрока эта цифра зелёного цвета, а у того, кто проигрывает, — красного.

На оверлее отображается ещё несколько показателей, которые требуют расшифровки:

• TRT, или Tetris Rate, — показатель, обозначающий, насколько эффективно игрок набирает очки (в зачёте — совокупность «сжигания», «засухи» и Tetris). Опытные участники набирают 60% и выше.
• BRN — счётчик «сгоревших» во время фазы «сжигания» линий.

BOOM! Tetris for Jeff!

Ещё CTWC привлекает… мемами. В 2016 году по сети разошлось видео с записью финала чемпионата, где Джефф Мур и Йонас Нойбауэр сражались за первое место. И когда Мур «гасил» I-фигурой четыре линии, комментатор Крис Тэнг на эмоциях повторял одну и ту же фразу: «BOOM! Tetris for Jeff!» Это восклицание моментально стало «вирусным». Словно заворожённые, пользователи YouTube спамили «BOOM! Tetris for Jeff!» в комментариях к видеоролику. После этого мем стал ещё популярнее: даже те, кто никогда не смотрел CTWC, заинтересовались турниром, увидев весёлые видеоролики, где звучала эта фраза.

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