2-TIME CHAMP VS GAME CRASHER | Tetris World Championship 2023 Semis

The journey to crown this years WORLD CHAMPION Continues! The semi finals are here as 2-time world champ dog, faces off against the 2022 finalist Fractal
Contribute to this years prize pool via Matcherino! - matcherino.com/t/ctwc2023
Order your CTWC Jersey here - forms.gle/9DyRcSMGXgfrNixs6
Join the CTWC discord server here - / discord
Casters:
Chris Tang
Sharky
James Chen
Check out these players on twitch
Dog - / dogplayingtetris
Fractal - / fractal161
Check us out on Social Media
Instagram - / classictetris
Facebook - / classictetris
Twitch - / classictetris
Twitter - / classictetris
Tiktok - / classictetris
Thanks to our amazing sponsors!
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"Download TETRIS®, The Official Mobile App of the World’s Favorite Puzzle Game. Play Tetris® anytime, anywhere." - tetrisps.sng.link/D8253/gx6n?...{idfa}&idfv={idfv}
At the 2023 CTWC, over 100 Classic Tetris pros gathered at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo to vie for 48 seeds. Qualifying consisted of 2 hour attempts where players would try to rack up as many great scores as possible. In a 48-seed bracket, the Top 16 seeds earn a bye out of Round 0, while the bottom 32-seeds compete for a spot in Round 1.
Directed by - Vince Clemente
Produced by - Vince Clemente, Kingsman36, Pumpyheart, Chris Bidwell, Sharky
Videography - Chris Higgins Anthony Jones
Stream Tech - Yobi9
Edited by Sharky
#CTWC2023

[@ClassicTetris]

SCHEDULE UPDATE: FINAL will be on SATURDAY at 10:00AM Central (16:00UTC, 8AM Pacific, 11AM Pacific) We apologize for the inconvenience and we hope you will join us for to crown this year's CTWC Champion!

[@marcgeron6264]

Hopefully when Joseph finishes school he’ll come back to playing Tetris and learn rolling and come back and win it again

[@CloudyPotato-et2mn]

Please no, Rolling literally killed watching the ctwc for many viewers who prefers an actual tetris game instead of some goofy rolling mech that allows them to go past the official kill screen, making games go on for forever and with no pressure. I would be so disappointed if Joseph drops his iconic hypertapping for silly rolling.

[@marctestarossa]

@@CloudyPotato-et2mn Couldn't disagree more. They found a great solution for limiting the time of a match. And it eventually will get to the point where the top players really consistently go to the killing kill-screen and then it comes down to what competitive Tetris imho should be about: who stacks those blocks more intelligently and more efficiently to get the most points and the most Tetris' out of a given sequence of pieces.

[@nessamillikan6247]

@@marctestarossa Well said!

[@josiahhumber4775]

He can roll, just not consistently

[@codetaku]

@@CloudyPotato-et2mn bro way to pay absolutely no attention to the tetris scene. I thought last year's CTWC was excessive but the super kill screen brings back ALL of the original stacking strategy back since you now have to go for tetrises above level 29 instead of just surviving. It's the old days but at literally double the speed.

[@martinkerrmusic]

Always love watching Dog play. But Fractal is on another level this year. A man on a mission!

[@slidenaway]

@@michajanicki6860 sidnev plays awesome, *she is awesome tetris player :)

[@andyknowles666]

Dog really did have a couple of rough games in this round, but I agree Fractal is just unbelievable - After last years insane final, i feel like Fractal is the one this time.

[@gabrielbarrantes6946]

Fractal hasn't dropped a single game!!

[@martinkerrmusic]

insane!

[@user-ol5pk4uq7n]

He is more amazing in the final. You will find it out!

[@Daiskeh26]

​@@michajanicki6860Sidnev almost won it but Fractal reverse sweeped her

[@toeknee3900]

@@Daiskeh26come on man no spoilers. I already have watched the twitch stream before this but why man

[@Heppsxd]

@@Satretik her*

[@ScepticGinger89]

Remember when a double max out in a tournament was a huge thing that made everyone go nuts? Now it's not even something worth mentioning anymore lol

[@ITZsharky1]

It's still worth mentioning but its no longer the pinnacle of skill. Double maxes still don't happen for each match up at the CTWC level. When it gets to that it will be a little scary ngl.

[@metalheadmaniac8686]

I think I am getting addicted to Tetris championships, and I say that that is a good thing.

[@curbacz16]

It’s such a wholesome community. I’m over here still struggling on level 18 on DAS and with a PR of 268K and everyone is so supportive of one another. I think I like it too because I was a competitive swimmer, and the nature of competition is similar in the way that your actions don’t directly impact your opponent and I like that a lot. I think that creates really good sportsmanship in many sports.

[@magdcs]

Same here. Really enjoying it

[@RandomTeq]

Chris, James & Sharky! Nice chemistry.

[@hemmojito]

Absolute winning team

[@neutralrobot]

I want Fractal to complete the shut-out. That would just make my day.

[@bigmistqke]

Music volume is perfect now 👍 thanks sharky

[@ITZsharky1]

Thank you! Once again sorry about the last video viewing experience

[@metalheadmaniac8686]

One day I'm going to be in a Tetris championship; the beginning of the end of the always sucking at Tetris era begins today!

[@mentai7382]

Goodluck on your journey!

[@marisolazteca3128]

you can do it bro, good luck

[@SamEy3Am]

Same dude! Maybe we could keep each other accountable on our training regimens 😊 Best of luck!

[@ITZsharky1]

Do keep in touch! We'd love to hear about you and anyone else progress (and I love more players coming into our competitive scene)

[@SamEy3Am]

@@ITZsharky1 still gotta do a raid sometime sharky 😉 Crota's End is back!

[@bigmistqke]

Fractal is so agile in his movement. Love these quick last adjustments

[@TimothyCatan]

Fractal makes the top 4 look like a top 32 player. Such a clean sweep.

[@ITZsharky1]

😅 I was the player fractal played for top 32 lol

[@giygas7392]

Crazy how far Sharky's come in just a few years. From entering the scene after being inspired by Joseph's 2018 run, to commentating the top matches in a world championship that HE ALSO COMPETED IN. Alongside the legends Chris Tang and James Chen, no less.

[@WaldoCarmen]

Shark’s excitement and passion got me hyped

[@ambatuplay]

What a great run for our 2-Time CTWC champion.

[@mobus1603]

Why did you spoil it?

[@ITZsharky1]

@@mobus1603 It doesn't directly spoil. What a great run could mean that the run is alive and dog is having a great run or the run ended. I do always recommend you don't read the comments until after the video however.

[@mobus1603]

@@ITZsharky1 You're right, Sharky. I shouldn't have read the comments. My bad. You're the best announcer and so good for the Classic Tetris community! Thank you so much for everything you do!!

[@LScoginge]

yo that L tuck -> 5 tap was nuts.

[@oskarciesielski5663]

I love both players, can't wait for final

[@jeremyryannoel]

Just think, if the new kill screen wasn’t implemented, they could play forever. Nevertheless, this was amazing, and either one as a finalist is fantastic. Blue Scuti I was hoping to see him as a finalist (as a rookie), but Sidnev as a finalist is timely! Blue Scuti could be a finalist next year!

[@biggiemac42]

Playing forever but without trying to score aggressive tetrises on killscreen, is quite a bit less interesting. New rules change the strategy too and make it a little more about competence at aggression, rather than endurance

[@jeremyryannoel]

​@@biggiemac42 For sure, it's interesting how the super killscreen helps with that, definitely seeing it as vital in this format.

[@SuperSizedMcChicken]

Keep Sharky in the head commentary. This trio works so well. Maybe sprinkle some Vandy in here or there on the main events?

[@user-nl9kd7up6z]

They are so damn fast thinking theese kids, future looks good

[@skatexgurl]

Both Fractal and Dog are amazing players! Dog doing a hybrid of hyper tapping and rolling which is interesting to see!

[@alimaja5619]

Love seeing dog play, just like Jonas (R.I.P) the faster it gets, they play even smooth. Well Dog is simply Jonas with rolling tech

[@stats7777]

Dog you are a very nice player , keep focus and see you next year

[@codetaku]

Oh I had actually forgotten that Fractal goes to MIT. That's my alma mater! So awesome what he's been able to do with classic tetris

[@ghostHackd]

Bittersweet, but this year has been so much fun! That double kill screen the other day was insane... I'm still thinking about it :D

[@Laly9899]

Lets go Dog 💪

[@johndiaz6114]

No pense q callera dog q final nos espera!!!

[@dunderdotten]

sick that many players start to play better at higher speeds :D insane.

[@marlerism]

Oh my gosh Sharky, get it together! haha #final lore drop-- I think my favorite moment remains "Interesting topography"

[@ITZsharky1]

Lol I really thought I had a near flawless one take I swear!

[@saugau54]

that square tuck at 22:56 from dog is amazing 😮

[@Yubin_Lee_Doramelin]

That double tuck!

[@dakitanmonkey]

Fractal is impressive. Moreover he is often looking on the side. I cant move my eyes away when i play.

[@grahammcnally4799]

Gg's gentlemen

[@LetsChat]

Sharkie is a one of a kind color commentator!

[@amberlandball]

His name is sharky not sharkie

[@ITZsharky1]

Lol There are few that call me 'Sharkie' but very few lol But yeah Shark or Sharky is what i'm generally referred to as

[@BADISkettu]

Theres no way theres any other champion than him... That level of play is crazy.

[@fran6b]

I heard you, Sharky! I'll be there for the match tomorrow! HYPE !!!

[@ITZsharky1]

Pushed back another day, taking me longer to edit that I thought 😅

[@fran6b]

@@ITZsharky1 You are doing an awesome work! I'll don't go anywhere no matter the time it takes! Thank for everything :)

[@brady3319]

good interview

[@BoshikaYepthomi-pe7od]

Good match 🎉🎉🎉

[@jeff13379001]

10 years later: a new playstyle called superrolling takes over CTWC allowing the players to conquer the super killscreen and infinitely line out

[@ITZsharky1]

Technical limits of the game would need to be uncapped past 60fps/60hz for that to happen lol

[@OradWasTaken]

You guys should really pad these videos at the end with a splash screen up to 60:00 so that the length of the video doesn't spoil the match.

[@ITZsharky1]

That has been taken into consideration but while under new management we wanted to try and increase average viewer duration than in previous years. That’s why at the end of these videos I talk try to add value but I can’t talk about something for 20-30 minutes when there is only one match left in the tournament (at this point) That much padding really hurts the performance of the videos and we, the new team at CTWC, are doing our best to resurrect this channel

[@OradWasTaken]

@@ITZsharky1 I see, it's kinda lose-lose huh. Too bad there's no work around though.

[@saugau54]

i feel like both alex t and dog are strugling with 5 taps in 29 speed and that's why they lost. I think it is safe to say that Fractal is the best player post Jonas era.

[@hemmojito]

Efficiency Dexterity Poetry Fractal

[@amilano9862]

Love the lore drops 🔥

[@ITZsharky1]

Glad you do! I've been really hope its been insightful!

[@fran6b]

I think Dog was a little too loose approaching the match, or stress out but I don't think so. His difficult starts cost him a lot, cause I think he had the chops to win a least a game or, who knows, the match. The interview at the end was interesting. Dog is very articulate. GG

[@loscaminosdelahormiga2571]

GG

[@biologyprodigy]

#FinalLordDrop Going beyond the level 29 kill screen is like turning Super Saiyan. It use to be this mythical thing that no one was sure was even achievable. Now it is child’s play and players are going so many more levels beyond that.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

New Champion has been announced. Identity is still secret.

[@pokemario99]

#finalloredrop this finals is going to be massive. i didn’t think either finalist would be so unstoppable but i’ve seen nothing but the best play since the top 8

[@ITZsharky1]

It wasn't until I was editing the videos that i realized that sidnev won so many matches 3-1

[@theleftuprightatsoldierfield]

I think it might be time for level 19 starts in the tournaments. Give the players the option to start on 18 or 19 in the first few rounds and then start on 19 automatically in the quarterfinals and beyond

[@ITZsharky1]

Hey everyone! Sharky here. I recommend watching to the end for extra background information on the two finalist! #FinalLoreDrop Don't worry no spoilers lol...

[@user-gf6mf7ku7c]

А финал когда будет? When will the final be?

[@ron7006]

#finalloredrop ... "cut" 😂 more more more Sharky 👍

[@ITZsharky1]

Man it’s a struggle out here. 😂

[@PichettoFratame]

Hahahah I love the „cut“ in the lore drop

[@ITZsharky1]

One taking the lore drops is hard lol.

[@PichettoFratame]

@@ITZsharky1 hahaha I can imagine, love that it stayed in the take

[@terryliu9015]

MIT mathematician and tetris god? waow

[@dennisamelunxen8283]

Wow amazing gameplay! Before getting to the finals, may I take this opportunity to suggest two small changes in the graphics? 1. A de-sync counter that shows who is ahead/behind in pieces would be nice. Easy to understand, small number, easy to implement. Would be really nice. 2. The drought counter, as soon as the drought is over, it disappears. Now, when the drought is happening I want to focus on the gameplay, not keep track of the number. But when it's over and I want to check how long it was, it's gone. How about, when the line piece shows up, change the drought counter from red and blinking to green and not blinking and keep it for a few seconds? That would be really great. Anyway, can't wait for the finals!

[@ITZsharky1]

The de-sync counter would be VERY difficult to pull of. The software we use for the HD up scaling and the various stats isn’t built for that, and the amount of technical implementation for it would be something very difficult to implement if possible at all. And doing it manually in post edits is out of the question. As for the drought counter it could be something that is done as it’s more simple but we don’t want information overload. In it current iteration I believe the drought counter is fine. Thank you for the suggestions though!

[@MetroAndroid]

Daang, Fractal knocked out both Andy AND Dog. They might should coordinate their seeds so at least one avoids him next year xD

[@righteousbilly]

Dog is a great player but he isn't keeping up with the players at the very top. He did an amazing job but it will take more than just adapting to rolling to make it top 1 or 2. You can tell players like Sidnev and Fractal are on another level.

[@ITZsharky1]

I would disagree. Yes maybe in this tournament he wasn’t strong enough to beat fractal but he’s still a top 2 player in online comps. Fractal had his best tournament run of his career

[@histovue]

@@ITZsharky1 I would have to disagree. Fractal is on another level of skill.

[@ITZsharky1]

@@histovue I mean I’m basing what I said on the online performance of dog as well as the recent competitive history of both players in events like CTL and CTM , and I wouldn’t say that Fractal is on a whole different level than dog or other players of the same skill ceiling. But in this tournament Fractal played better

[@ThatLazyyGuy]

30:53

[@linca07]

What's the tune in game two called?

[@avanittersum2156]

#finalLoreDrop

[@ddodd69]

I searched Google and it says the champioship was on October 13-15 yesterday, why is this uploaded in December?

[@ClassicTetris]

Sharky here - CTWC underwent a change in management so this year was getting used to a new team and such. Overall these videos do take time to edit so that added to the delay

[@knifeteeth]

SAME PIECES GANG!!!

[@NarutoSSj6]

Gg

[@user-kg6wg7jj1l]

Комментаторы конечно же на высоте,молодцы* *На высоте дна по сравнению с Юрием Профессионалом. исследование поведено независимыми зрителями Ютуб.

[@tantctantzerchyun8869]

Both are very creative stackers, but fractal is just a better roller..

[@thesantahater]

If I had a dollar every time the commentators says "needs a long bar", we would be able to pay everyone who QUALIFIED

[@KINGTICOROSENBERG]

Super close games, couldve gone for anyone

[@pureOwarrior]

What is that super kill screen? Is it new?

[@ClassicTetris]

Yes! It is twice as fast as the normal killscreen and starts at level 39!

[@kovacuator]

Is it remotely playable for a high caliber level roller? @@ClassicTetris

[@ITZsharky1]

No it is not. The most a player has been able to get, if my memory serves me correctly is 20 lines by Alex T from a Super Kill screen start (No pieces already existing on the board) It is actually the final killscreen@@kovacuator

[@vmyk6816]

Fractal let’s booom!

[@kovacuator]

It's 2023 and people in the background are still waving and jumping in front of a camera 😮‍💨

[@franciscovcm3910]

This title is funny

[@biggiemac42]

Knowing who the finalists were I was guaranteed to be happy no matter what. Nothing against the other players but fractal vs sidnev was my dream pairing and it would not matter who wins

[@noelmacapinlac4441]

#finalloredrop

[@Daijobustory]

Tetris changes a man, Dog used to be white

[@aurei7775]

Nice but too bad video length time is effectively a spoiler after you know you wins the first 2 games or even 1st game

[@ITZsharky1]

Yeah, I tried to put in a decent amount of filler but trying to give value for 10 minutes straight with only one match left in the tournament is difficult. We tried this approach this year because have 10+ minutes of the blank screen was helping the videos performance

[@twi82wi]

Could that guy go two sentences with saying "right now"?

[@RHR147]

When the final?

[@ClassicTetris]

Tomorrow

[@anchikumarov7200]

Fractal didn't show his best game. Dog should show his best in the begining

[@pearldragon514]

Only use one hand rule?

[@Dyas777]

I remember that I thought that Joseph was unbeatable. And then Dog showed up. And now Dog lost. How many levels are there?

[@ITZsharky1]

In the game a max of 255 levels, underneath the current tournament ruleset the most a player would be able to get is to level 39

[@Dyas777]

@@ITZsharky1 I meant how many levels of virtuoso there are

[@ITZsharky1]

@@Dyas777 😅

[@awesomeboxlord]

Maybe i dont understand this too much but why do players now use different seeds, i thought players were meant to have the same seed

[@enterpassword3313]

Seeding is like ur rank in the tournament before it starts. 1 seed is expected to win, 2 seed 2nd place etc

[@awesomeboxlord]

@@enterpassword3313 im meaning the piece order

[@wingfryer]

​@@awesomeboxlord The piece orders are the same. The seed display that you see under the player's name is the seeding rank, which is something else.

[@yogipratama9370]

Fractal unstopable

[@marcuspeterson9840]

I just waited an hour to wait 5 more minutes?! Meh. What's 5 more minutes.

[@wingzero2348]

Please have a championship with just DAS allowed, way more exciting with max outs being hit with only limitations, to be the best das player you need ridiculous skill. Till date jonas is still the greatest DAS player of all time.

[@raykyledecastro6083]

you havent seen Sharky play with DAS, he can beat Fractal using DAS

[@treepowo]

#FinalLoreDrop LET'S GO SIDNEV

[@thesantahater]

Who was here before the video name change

[@LunamLegionam]

i wanna be a ct player

[@ITZsharky1]

Go for it! There are plenty of ways to get started

[@LunamLegionam]

@@ITZsharky1 lol i main modern tetris so it wouldn’t be too hard to switch over

[@ITZsharky1]

@@LunamLegionam definitely adjusting to level different game mechanics will be a challenge especially level 19. If you have TEC you can try out the classic score attack mode too

[@oisyn-]

Not trying to be Negative Nancy, but that was a bit anticlimactic. I really feel Dog threw his games with his conservative play. Especially game 2 with his early burns on level 18 instead of going for more aggressive center well or row 2/3/4 tetrisses. It was really frustrating to see.

[@ITZsharky1]

To be fair dog is know as a consistent comp player not aggressive. Game 2 it came down more so 29 play and not wanting to risk it a little more which understandably so. Aggression =/= efficiency. Fractal also this tournament leading up to now (for spoiler sake) has simply had the better 29 efficiency than his opponents. It a bit more nuance than saying that dog should've been more aggressive and going for centerwell (which is generally a bad idea for efficiency) or should've gone for more aggressive set ups

[@oisyn-]

@@ITZsharky1Oh to be clear, I don't want to take anything away from Dog because he clearly a top notch player, and his performance only seems a bit off because he was playing Fractal of all people 🙂. But then again, Dog knew what he was up against, so I would've liked him to get out of his comfort zone and actually play as if his tournament life depended on it, as it literally did 😄. Also, I was rooting for him so that's also why I'm a bit disappointed.

[@ITZsharky1]

@@oisyn- yeah that understandable! A lot of player were caught off guard my fractal playing post 29 so efficiently so consistently too. I personally wanted more games but fractal just played really well

[@fidelp89]

I feel like dogs game has regressed a bit. He’s still one of the best in world but maybe not playing as much nowadays

[@DanVWeller]

He’s the only new gen player to have made it to the semis 4 years in a row, wouldn’t say he’s dropped off that much. He definitely is still right up there.

[@ddpult]

I feel like it's more that everyone else has caught up

[@user-kg6wg7jj1l]

Дог это брат Энди? Господи,он совсем недавно ребенком был,вымахал то как,лицо какое то серьёзное.

[@Clarinet69]

Why are y'all posting this 2 months late?

[@ITZsharky1]

So this year CTWC went through a change. There is a new team that runs the events and channel so we've had some growing pains in dealing with this transition of leadership so to speak. That in combination with editing the videos not being as simple as a lot of people think, it's been a real challenge adjusting. But come next year we aim to have this out in a more timely manner!

[@Clarinet69]

@@ITZsharky1 awesome and great job this year in the tournament!

[@sainttrunks1982]

Dang, This should be the Main event, not the Semi's argh..

[@ITZsharky1]

So many matches this year was like that

[@martinkerrmusic]

Sidnev was #1 seed, so well worthy of the final

[@TheGreatDudist]

I miss the days of when a double max-out was a huge thing. Now it's practically expected. Worse yet is the development of rolling, where everyone has to play an exact way (which is in no way how the game was designed to be played) in order to even be competitive.

[@KingWafl]

The introduction of the super killscreen really killed my interest in "NES Tetris". It's just a modded game now. I'm just a spectator though, so I understand if actual players like it

[@BrianVoong-yh7do]

Sharky is much better commentating here, doesn't sound like an auctioneer. Someone needs to get rid of the Tetris rate display because its both really meaningless and will get James Chen to shut up about it.

[@ITZsharky1]

I do aim to get better at casting but the I speak as fast as I do on 19+ because that’s the only way I can convey what I want to say without it becoming irrelevant by the time I finish saying it. But I do appreciate the feedback as I strive to become better and better at casting

[@BrianVoong-yh7do]

@@ITZsharky1 I think it gets way too tiring listening to someone talk that fast for that long.

[@ITZsharky1]

@@BrianVoong-yh7do well when you a solo caster most of the time, there really isn’t a choice. The more people that get added to the cast 1-2 then the more I tone it back to try to be professional and not overbearing.

[@BrianVoong-yh7do]

@@ITZsharky1 Nah I think you do a fantastic job here. You do you though. But there always is a choice, just look at how amazing Vandy and Jonas are.

[@ITZsharky1]

@@BrianVoong-yh7do Yeah there commentary styles are great! I’m just not really the funny on the mic (or in general) so I craft my style on something comfortable to me. I have been studying from other casters outside the scene on ways to improve. But yeah once again I appreciate the feedback! I can get better unless I have discussions with people that give constructive criticism

[@SkyeMoon19]

i am still rooting for dog 🐕 this year but man, fractal🩻 just crack the code this year from stacking consistency to kill screen plays.. well dasurv champion sheeeshh 🔥🔥🔥 love from 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

[@DK-ZERO]

#finalloredrop @ITZsharky 😉👍

[@DK-ZERO]

cut

[@bturnbough]

#finalloredrop