In an incredible achievement, 13-year-old Blue Scuti became the first to beat Tetris, reaching the classic NES Tetris kill screen in the 2023 Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) semi-final match.
Blue Scuti’s victory marks an important moment in Tetris’s history. It solidifies his position as a force to be reckoned with in the competitive Tetris community. Here’s all you need to know…
The road to victory: Blue Scuti’s winning strategy
Blue Scuti’s winning strategy resulted from techniques that young players had been developing in recent years. These new strategies, such as “hyper tapping” and “rolling,” allowed players to operate the NES controller even faster than the buttons by tapping the underside of the controller. By 2022, many of the top players at the CTWC were using this technique.
In the 47-minute video, Blue Scuti gets increasingly tense as he approaches higher levels. When he reaches the frozen screen, signaling the game’s victory, he exclaims, “Oh my god.”
NES Tetris kill screen: A 34-year-old mystery solved
For 34 years, Tetris was considered invincible, with pieces falling too fast to keep up after players only managed to reach level 29. But Blue Scuti’s victory finally solved the mystery of the NES Tetris kill screen and showed the world that even the seemingly impossible could be achieved with the right technique and skills.
Blue Scuti’s success marks an important moment in Tetris history, and his victory will likely inspire a new generation of competitive Tetris players. His winning strategy, combining newer techniques developed by younger players in recent years, emphasizes the evolution of competitive Tetris and the importance of innovation and adaptability in the sport.
Featured image credit: YouTube
