Joseph Saelee wins the Classic Tetris World Championship for the second time in a row

It’s been an exciting weekend for Tetris fans, as the 10th annual Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) draws to a close, with 2018’s champion Joseph Saelee returning as the world champion of classic Tetris.

After an intense 48-person tournament, filled with Tetris pros, Saelee faced off against Japanese Tetris grandmaster Koryan, and,in a close series of five matches emerged as the CTWC’s world champion. He was then handed his trophy by none other than surprise guest Alexey Pajitnov, the original creator of Tetris. 

In addition to the trophy, the top 16 players were given cash prizes, provided by The Tetris Company to help celebrate the tournaments 10thanniversary. The champ Saelee won $3,000, second place winner Koryan was given $1,500, and third and fourth place winners, Batfoy and DanQZ respectively, won $750. $500 was gifted to players ranked fifth through eighth, and $250 for ninth through 16th.

Winners were also provided with brand new Tetris producrs, such as Tetris Micro Arcade uni and Tetromino Light kits.

Tetris is the definition of a classic game, and seeing the game being played much better than most is a wonderfully humbling yet strangely engaging experience. For anyone who wants to watch the finals, or the entire tournament, streams of the matches can be seen of the CTWC’s twitch channel.  Or, if you want to find out more about the mentality and lives of top players, as well as see the beginning of the CTWC decade-long legacy, the documentary Ecstasy of Order – The Tetris Masters is available to watch here.