Feb 25 2008Guy Plays Tetris Near The Speed Of Light
This is a video of a guy playing an arcade Tetris game. Fast. Like "wow" fast. He really likes to keep the right side open to drop the sticks in and get those four-banger drops. It's amazing. And to top it all off, after he beats the game at around the 5:10 mark the blocks on the playfield turn invisible and he still tears it up. Now I don't know if this guy is a magician or a government cyborg sent to take over the world, but regardless, he can play some Tetris. I bet he got to see the rocketship blast off and the whole Russian band on the original Gameboy version. That lucky bastard, I could never make it past level 9-3.
If you don't know what I'm talking about there's a video of someone beating Tetris level 9-5 after the jump.
Fastest Tetris Player [collegehumor]
Thanks to Brian, who rules at Tetris and life, for the tip
Reader Comments
1. blp - February 25, 2008 10:52 AM
Nice! But I'd like to see how good he is at 3D Tetris http://www.tetrical.com/ Then he could teach me because I can't get one line.
2. blp - February 25, 2008 10:58 AM
OK I commented before watching the whole thing. How is that possible? They were invisible! I call video editing shenanigans. If it is real then he's not a real human unless he uses more than 10% of the brain the rest of us use.
3. Skeps - February 25, 2008 11:25 AM
I was gonna say this is the most pathetic man in the world, until the very end when It showed the Japanese writing (I wasn't paying attention to the beginning). So I thought ohhhh he's Japanese, that makes it ok, waaaait a second....
4. Derek - February 25, 2008 11:31 AM
He needs to get laid...
5. robot jesus - February 25, 2008 11:53 AM
what in the hell?!!!
6. Paul Graham - February 25, 2008 11:57 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris:_The_Grand_Master
If you want to learn a few things about this absolutely insane version of Tetris, check the article here. It's called "20 G" mode, in which the tetrads basically hit the bottom of the screen instantly.
By the way, you can learn a particular version's algorithm for piece drops if you are a psycho. That's how you basically know what to expect 5 or 10 pieces down the road. When it speeds up to even more rediculous speeds, that is probably what he is doing, just placing the tetrads from memory.
7. premature - February 25, 2008 12:48 PM
This guy is pretty fast.....but, is he as fast as me at having sex? I think not.
8. Tetra - February 25, 2008 12:53 PM
I love how when someone is a master at a sport or art, they are regarded as a grand master and adored.
When someone is a master at a video game, they're losers/virgins.
9. daguz - February 25, 2008 12:57 PM
I came twice b4 the vid-io evn loaded...
10. Sf - February 25, 2008 1:58 PM
#8 ehehe I think the dude is sexy....look at the way those supple hands so masterfully handle the joystick....hitting the right spot everytime...
11. guate6 - February 25, 2008 2:06 PM
Holy fucking wow, I must admit, that's pretty awesome. I agree with #8.
12. Peter Basher - February 25, 2008 2:32 PM
Funny how the footage of the screen and hands is separate... I call BS on this one, even from memory, at that speed...bollox.
13. jakebarnes - February 25, 2008 2:42 PM
I bet this guy has a gnarly case of "Tetris Dreams" that haunted every adolescent in the 80s.
14. whistle - February 25, 2008 4:50 PM
It could easily be a faked video. I'm not saying it is, I don't disbelieve this person is highly skilled. But the way it is setup, masking could easily create this video as everything but the clock and the backdrop is highly sped up. That's how I roll, I fake it.
15. nrgspike - February 25, 2008 4:51 PM
My brain's ability to comprehend what it was being shown melted after 3 minutes and just started to enjoy the bleepy noises and pretty colours.
16. Mr V - February 25, 2008 5:00 PM
I don't think he's got the algorithm memorized. He's got a systematic technique that reduces complexity and defeats the "randomness" of the game and allows him to plan his moves regardless of the algorithm or speed.
He's reading a full 4 pieces ahead. That much anyone should figure out.
Note there is a "Held" tetrad bank in the top left corner where he usually keeps the first straight tetrad he gets, then every other straight tetrad between the ones he uses to destroy 4 rows with.
He taps buttons 1 and 2 just once for each piece if necessary to turn a tetrad left and right respectively through 90 degrees. He almost never turns it 180 degrees. He's already seen which way it needs to turn for a best fit 4 pieces ahead.
Sticking all the tetrads to one side is an aid as well as a strategy. All he's doing is making a best guess at where each tetrad should drop, always leaving space on the extreme right, the probability is that the tetrads will find a good fit more often than not. This is how he can do the invisible bit.
This works because there are only 7 types of tetrads. By treating the straight tetrads as a special case, he is really only working with 6. By avoiding working with 180 degree turns, he only has 3 variations of each tetrad to place rather than 4. Thus reducing complexity.
Each tetrad has a specific set of "best fits" with its other tetrads and there are a limited number of those best fits. If this player is memorising anything at all, its those "best fits". That's how he can plan ahead so efficiently because no matter what the top layer of his bricks are, in his head, he already knows the best fit for each of the 7 tetrad shapes on his next drop but he knows the next 4 ahead of time, so he has no guesswork anymore. He just has to be quick with the controller.
If you think this is impossible, then think of poker players who are able to card count and predict what's in your hand to a chilling level of accuracy based simply on what cards he receives for a few hands out a deck made of 4 packs of cards. As opposed to 7 tetrad types, he's calculating from 10 number cards and 4 face cards and aces and jokers, the random shuffle and body language.
I hope you can grasp what I'm trying to say, it's quite difficult to put into words.
17. Sirus - February 25, 2008 6:14 PM
@ 16 - well said, but you have taught me more than I ever wanted to know about tetris strategy. Kind of like when I went to 2 girls 1 cup, only less vomit inducing, well maybe not.
18. Derek - February 25, 2008 10:20 PM
I agree with number two, has to be faked.
And if it's not, we can just burn him for witchcraft.
19. red - February 26, 2008 12:32 AM
@#8 thats generally because to be good at a sport it requires athletic ability/ health/physical coordination of much of your body, and for art, it requires massive creativity. For video games it basically means you stayed indoors a lot, in a chair, ate something, and played a lot of video games. over and over. and fragging someone doesnt look as graceful as a dunk, juke, goal, or block.
20. tiddly winks - February 26, 2008 1:34 AM
All you haters just take a minute to imagine what those hands could do down your pants.
21. o_o - February 26, 2008 5:22 AM
Holy fuck.. Sweet mother of... Check out the end, he played without even being able to see the tiles!
22. Samuel - February 26, 2008 8:59 AM
Did somebody say arthritis?
23. laz - February 26, 2008 9:16 AM
i'm super impressed. i wonder how good he is at chess?
24. Omphaloskeptic - February 27, 2008 12:51 AM
Ever stop to consider those might be female hands, conditioned and toned from years of tetris to resemble man hands?! I'm scared too.
25. Garrett - February 27, 2008 2:23 AM
He should organize garages.
26. Opiel16 - February 29, 2008 4:35 PM
#16 awsome logic and explination, please let me marry your brain! (Any chance you know about bose einstein condensates?)
And I figure it could be faked, but I don't think it is.
27. GrimWorld - March 5, 2008 12:57 PM
if you watch closely the hand movements and angles do match the drops perfectly, i had to watch it 5 or 6 times....(the first 4 were out of sheer amazement the last couple were to see if it was real) the hands movements line up perfect and 16 explained somthing i already knew but id have to say dont care what any of you believe thats real (ive seen people that can do almost as good but lose it the last time teh speed jumps up)