Alex Thach
{{Short description|American Tetris player (born 2008)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox video game player
| ID = Alex T
| image = Alex Thach 2024 CWTC (cropped 2).jpg
| alt = Thach in a black shirt holding a golden J-Piece trophy
| caption = Thach after winning the 2024 Classic Tetris World Championship
| name = Alex Thach
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2008|11|7|mf=yes}}
| games = Classic Tetris
| career_start = 2020
| highlights = {{blist|
2× CTWC champion (2024, 2025)|
1st over 10 million point Tetris game (2024)|
4th person to "beat" Tetris (2024)}}
}}
Alex Thach (born November 7, 2008), known online as Alex T, is an American classic Tetris player. He is best known for back-to-back victories in the 2024 and 2025 Classic Tetris World Championships (CTWC), becoming the first person to get a score of over 10 million points, and achieving various other records on both original and modified game cartridges which prevent crashes late game.
Thach entered the competitive Tetris scene in 2020 at 11 years old. He originally found success using the "hypertapping" technique of playing but in 2022 adopted the more competitive "rolling" technique as competition improved. Using the new technique, Thach broke multiple records in a more than hour-long game livestreamed on March 11, 2024, where he achieved the highest level reached in one game and a score of more than 10 million, also winning a $2,600 bounty made by the Tetris community for being the first to do so. On June 9, 2024, Thach won the CTWC after beating two-time former champion Michael Artiaga (known online as "Dogplayingtetris"). On June 9, 2025 he became champion again, this time without losing a single game, breaking several records in qualifying and bracket play. Thach is also known for his unique and signature victory celebration of dumping Parmesan cheese on his head.
Tetris career
Thach was born on November 7, 2008,{{cite AV media |date=November 7, 2019 |title=Late Birthday Win |work=Alex Thach |type=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e-b16CB7ng |access-date=July 31, 2024}} and lives in the U.S. state of California.{{cite AV media |date=April 3, 2024 |title=I Beat The Game Of Tetris Again Back To Back! |work=Alex Thach |type=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h796anxY788 |access-date=September 6, 2024 |quote="I Did Not Expect Beating BlueScuti, 14-Year-Old Boy In Oklahoma Gets Crushed By The 15 Year Old Boy In California."}} He entered the competitive Tetris scene at 11 years old in 2020,{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Ritu |title=15-Year-Old Gamer Breaks 6 Tetris World Records With The Highest Ever Recorded Score |url=https://www.ndtv.com/feature/15-year-old-gamer-breaks-6-tetris-world-records-with-the-highest-ever-recorded-score-5566253 |publisher=NDTV |date=May 1, 2024 |access-date=July 30, 2024}} the same year becoming the youngest player to ever maxout out the game's score counter at 999,999 points. Thach became known to the Tetris community because of these achievements, and in 2022, was able to compete in the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC), but was eliminated early and placed 16th.
On March 11, 2024, Thach uploaded a photo of a game with a score of 9.9 million points, which surpassed the previous record of 8,952,432 points set by Andrew Artiaga (known online as "PixelAndy") on January 11 earlier in the year.{{cite web |title=Highest score on NES Tetris (NTSC) |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/607869-highest-score-on-nes-tetris-ntsc |publisher=Guinness World Records |access-date=July 26, 2024}} Thach followed this game up by livestreaming a Tetris game lasting slightly over an hour, in which he broke the records for highest level and highest score reached at 235 and 16,248,080 respectively.{{cite AV media |date=March 11, 2024 |title=First Ever 10 Million Score In NES Tetris! |work=Alex Thach |type=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGDLIuxUkUU |access-date=July 31, 2024}} This game, which was played on a modified game cartridge to suppress crashes that normally occur in later levels of the game,{{cite web |last1=Bailey |first1=Dustin |title=15-year-old kid demolishes the game of Tetris, obliterating every major world record and pouring cheese over his head to celebrate |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/games/puzzle/15-year-old-kid-demolishes-the-game-of-tetris-obliterating-every-major-world-record-and-pouring-cheese-over-his-head-to-celebrate/ |work=GamesRadar+ |date=April 30, 2024 |access-date=July 30, 2024}} won Thach a $2,600 prize created by the Tetris community for the first person to reach a score of 10 million points.{{cite web |last1=Sims |first1=Daniel |title=Forgotten Tetris sequel "Tetris Reversed" resurfaces after a decade |url=https://www.techspot.com/news/102388-tetris-reversed-prototype-revealed-gdc.html |publisher=TechSpot |date=March 25, 2024 |access-date=July 30, 2024 |quote="Mere weeks later, Alex Thach nearly doubled Artiaga's record with 16,248,080 points, winning $2,600 and becoming the first person to exceed 10 million."}}{{cite web |last1=McFerran |first1=Damien |title=The Classic Tetris World Record Has Been Smashed, Again |url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/03/the-classic-tetris-world-record-has-been-smashed-again |publisher=Time Extension |date=March 25, 2024 |access-date=September 6, 2024}} Thach's highest score record was also recognized by Guinness World Records for the NES version of Tetris.
File:2024 CTWC Finals.jpg competing against Thach in the 2024 CTWC Finals]]
On April 3, 2024, Thach broke the original game cartridge records for highest score reached and latest game crash achieved, simultaneously becoming the fourth person to ever "beat the game" by triggering a game crash.{{cite web |last1=Tyson |first1=Mark |title=Teen breaks six Tetris world records — wins cash prize as first to score over 10 million points |date=April 30, 2024 |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/console-gaming/teen-breaks-six-tetris-world-records-wins-cash-prize-as-first-to-score-over-10-million-points |publisher=Tom's Hardware |access-date=July 30, 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Santabarbara |first1=Seb |title=15-year-old Tetris Player Breaks Multiple Records With The Highest Ever Recorded Score |url=https://retrododo.com/15-year-old-tetris-player-breaks-multiple-records-with-the-highest-ever-recorded-score/ |publisher=Retro Dodo |date=April 30, 2024 |access-date=July 30, 2024}} He also became the first to trigger a rare visual glitch nicknamed "Summoning Satan" by the community.{{cite web |last1=Sharma |first1=Karan |title=15-Year-Old Gamer Makes History: Breaks 6 Tetris Records With Highest Score Ever |url=https://in.mashable.com/tech/74384/15-year-old-gamer-makes-history-breaks-6-tetris-records-with-highest-score-ever |publisher=Mashable |date=May 2, 2024 |access-date=July 30, 2024}} On April 15, 2024, Thach again broke the record for highest score reached on a modified game cartridge after scoring 16,700,760 points. On June 9, 2024, Thach beat two-time previous champion Michael Artiaga (known online as "Dogplayingtetris") to earn his first CTWC title.{{cite AV media |date=September 1, 2024 |title=2-Time Champ vs 15 Y/O World Record Holder - Classic Tetris World Championship 2024 Finals |work=Classic Tetris World Championship |type=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNI_mTm3Czg |access-date=September 6, 2024}} The golden J-Piece trophy was given to Thach's mother to give to Thach, instead of being awarded by the event's host.{{r|2024CTWC|p=1:03:30}}
On March 22, 2025, Thach appeared on German television channel RTL participating in their game show Drei gegen Einen ("Three versus One"), easily defeating his challangers in a '100-line sprint' (first to clear 100 lines).{{cite AV media |date=March 29, 2025 |title= WUNDERKIND spielt Tetris mit den Füßen gegen Knossi, Elton und Tim Mälzer Drei Gegen Einen|work=RTL_de |type=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URkeUVkSahY |access-date=June 10, 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://media.rtl.com/pressemappe/Drei-gegen-Einen-Die-Show-der-Champions/|title=Pressemappe: Drei gegen Einen – Die Show der Champions|date= March 2025|publisher=RTL |access-date=10 June 2025|language=de}}
= Playing style =
File:Alex Thach cheese celebration at 2024 CTWC.jpg on her son's head after winning the 2024 CTWC, his signature victory celebration]]
Thach began playing NES Tetris in 2020 using "hypertapping", a technique where the player rapidly vibrates their arm to press the buttons on the controller. This technique was used by Joseph Saelee in his winning 2018 and 2019 CTWC tournaments.{{cite web |last1=Pape |first1=Sam |title=The Portland Retro Gaming Expo—And Its Tetris Competition—Returns |url=https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2022/10/portland-retro-gaming-expo-world-tetris-championship-2022 |work=Portland Monthly |date=October 7, 2022 |access-date=January 21, 2024 |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124081709/https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2022/10/portland-retro-gaming-expo-world-tetris-championship-2022 |url-status=live}} Thach found much of his early success with hypertapping, but was compelled to adopt a new technique called "rolling" around 2023 and 2024, as hypertapping was becoming obsolete among top players. Rolling, which was created by fellow Tetris player Christopher Martinez (known online as "Cheez") before the 2020 CTWC, is a technique where the player rolls the back of the controller with all five fingers to position the game pieces more quickly.{{cite magazine |last1=Sweet |first1=Jacob |title=The Revolution In Classic Tetris |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-revolution-in-classic-tetris |magazine=The New Yorker |date=March 26, 2021 |access-date=January 19, 2024 |url-access=limited |archive-date=January 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117033123/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-revolution-in-classic-tetris |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Karnadi |first1=Chris |title=Teens are rewriting what is possible in the world of competitive Tetris |url=https://www.polygon.com/23269073/competitive-classic-tetris-ctwc-jonas-neubauer-andy-michael-artiaga |work=Polygon |date=July 21, 2022 |access-date=January 20, 2024 |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115233118/https://www.polygon.com/23269073/competitive-classic-tetris-ctwc-jonas-neubauer-andy-michael-artiaga |url-status=live}}
In terms of attitude while playing, Thach often makes jokes and uses comedic body language, which he has admitted helps soothe his nerves when getting through difficult levels of the game.{{r|10Mil|p=46:44}} Thach has also become well known for destroying his setup and dumping various odd items on his head to celebrate victories, most notably Parmesan cheese. This became his signature victory celebration after he poured the cheese over his head to celebrate beating multiple records in his March 11, 2024, livestream. He continued the tradition after winning the 2024 CTWC, where an inflatable pool was brought out to collect the cheese as he was doused in it by his mother and the hosts of the tournament.{{r|2024CTWC|p=1:04:20}}
Competitive record
Below is a table of the Tetris tournaments Thach participated in and their outcomes. It should be noted the table is incomplete, as results on the CTM website prior to February 2022 only list the names of the winner and the runner-up.
| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col"|Year
!scope="col"|Tournament !scope="col"|Won-Lost !scope="col"|Finishing place !scope="col" align="center" class=unsortable |{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
|---|
| 2020
| CTM December Challengers Event | align="center"|4–0 | {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| rowspan="4"|2021
| CTM January Futures Event | align="center"|4–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM June Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| Classic Tetris World Championship
| align="center"|2–2 | {{won|place=25th}} | align="center"|{{cite web |title=Results |url=https://thectwc.com/results/ |publisher=Classic Tetris World Championship |access-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-date=December 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210004618/https://thectwc.com/results/ |url-status=live}} |
| CTM December Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 | rowspan="2" {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| rowspan="10"|2022
| CTM January Masters Event | align="center"|4–0 |
| CTM February Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM March Masters Event
| align="center"|2–1 | rowspan="5" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM April Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 |
| CTM June Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM July Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM August Masters Event
| align="center"|2–1 |
| CTM September Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| Classic Tetris World Championship
| align="center"|1–1 | {{won|place=16th}} |
| CTM December Masters Event
| align="center"|2–1 | rowspan="2" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| rowspan="9"|2023
| CTM January Masters Event | align="center"|0–1 |
| CTM Mega Masters
| align="center"|6–0 | {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| CTM Lone Star Championship
| align="center"|3–1 | rowspan="6" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM August Masters Event
| align="center"|2–1 |
| CTM September Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM October Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM November Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 |
| Classic Tetris World Championship
| align="center"|2–1 | align="center"|{{cite AV media |date=December 4, 2023 |title=CTWC 2023 TOP 8 Pt. 1 {{!}} Tetris World Championship |work=Classic Tetris World Championship |type=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWfA8eoEsh8 |access-date=July 30, 2024}} |
| CTM December Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| rowspan="11"|2024
| CTM January Masters Event | align="center"|2–1 | {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM February Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM Mega Masters
| align="center"|4–1 | {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM April Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 | rowspan="4" {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| CTM May Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 |
| Classic Tetris World Championship
| align="center"|5–0 |
| CTM July Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 |
| CTM August Masters Event
| align="center"|2–1 | rowspan="6" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM August DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 |
| CTM October DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 |
| CTM November Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 |
| rowspan="8"|2025
| CTM January Masters Event | align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM January DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM February Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM February DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 | {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM March Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 | {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| CTM March DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 | rowspan="2" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM April Mega Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 |
| Classic Tetris World Championship
| align="center"|5–0 | {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} | align="center"|{{cite web |title=CTWC 2025 |url=https://thectwc.com/2025/04/24/ctwc-2025/ |publisher=Classic Tetris World Championship |date=June 2025 |access-date=June 3, 2025}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Portal bar|Gaming|United States}}
{{Tetris}}
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Category:American esports players
Category:American gaming YouTubers