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 18–19)[a]
Career information
GamesClassic Tetris
Playing career2018–present
Career highlights and awards
  • CTWC runner-up (2020)
  • CTWC third place (2022)

Andrew Artiaga, known online as P1xelAndy, is an American Tetris player from Texas. Competitively, Artiaga has placed second in the 2020 Classic Tetris World Championships (CTWC) and third in the 2022 CTWC. On January 4, 2024, Artiaga also became the third person to ever "beat" the game, only days after his competitors did so for the first time.

From a young age, Andrew and his younger brother Michael Artiaga experimented in coding, computing, and gaming, with their father being a web developer. Practicing classic NES Tetris only occasionally before on their home Nintendo Game Boy, both brothers would be 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 to the competitive scene. Artiaga has continued to remain competitive since, placing high in his seed for every CTWC since 2020.

Personal life and upbringing[edit]

Andrew was born to Van and Randall Artiaga, and is from Fort Worth, Texas.[3] He and his brother, Michael Artiaga, grew up around electronics, with their father being a web developer.[3][4] Artiaga further learned to experiment in computing, coding, and gaming in elementary school,[3][4] 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 Tetris alongside his brother in elementary school, after playing it on the original Nintendo Game Boy at their house.[3] Andrew and Michael, 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 1 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 at their 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 it no longer registers correctly on-screen, in his qualifying rounds.[7] In the semifinals, Artiaga lost to his brother Michael who would secure a first place in the CWTC again,[3] and finished in fourth behind his original inspiration for the game, Joseph Saelee.[2][8] In the lead up to the 2022 CTWC, Artiaga beat three world records for highest combined score in a single game, highest losing score at 1.5 million points, and 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 2 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 beat the game, becoming the third person to do so after Willis Gibson (known online as "Blue Scuti") and Justin Yu did so just days earlier.[7]

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.[9] 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][10] This was done to keep up pace with his brother, who had adopted the technique earlier.[9]

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][10] 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 3–1 1st [11]
Classic Tetris World Championship 4–0 2nd [12]
2021 CTM March Masters Event 3–2 1st [13]
Classic Tetris World Championship 6–1 4th [12]
2022 CTM March Masters Event 2–3 2nd [14]
CTM May Masters Event 3–2 1st [15]
CTM June Masters Event 3–1 [16]
CTM August Masters Event 2–1 2nd [17]
CTM November Masters Event 2–1 [18]
Classic Tetris World Championship N/A 3rd [12]
2023 Classic Tetris World Championship N/A contender [19]
2024 CTWC Heart of Texas 4–0 1st [20]
CTM January Masters Event 1–1 contender [21]

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 2020 Classic Tetris World Championship Grand Final! (YouTube video). Classic Tetris. December 18, 2020. Event occurs at 0:48. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Pape, Sam (October 7, 2022). "The Portland Retro Gaming Expo—And Its Tetris Competition—Returns". Portland Monthly. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  11. ^ "Past Tournament Results [Challengers tab]". Classic Tetris Monthly. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Results". Classic Tetris World Championship. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  13. ^ "Past Tournament Results [Masters tab]". Classic Tetris Monthly. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "CTM March 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. March 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  15. ^ "CTM May 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. May 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  16. ^ "CTM June 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. June 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "CTM August 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. August 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "CTM November 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. November 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "Fractal Wins The 2023 Classic Tetris World Championship". Tetris Interest. October 19, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  20. ^ "CTWC Heart of Texas 2023 Gold". Classic Tetris Monthly. January 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  21. ^ "CTM January 2024 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. January 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
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