Joseph Saelee

JdMfX_
Saelee at the 2018 World Championship
Personal information
NameJoseph Saelee
Born (2002-08-21) August 21, 2002
Career information
Playing career2018–present
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× World Championship winner (2018, 2019)
  • 6× Masters winner (2019–2021)
  • 4 time highscore world record (2019–2020)

Joseph Saelee, also known online as JdMfX_ or JD, is an American Tetris player. He is best known for his back-to-back victories in the 2018 and 2019 Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) and for setting and holding the NES Tetris high-score world record for over a year. He is also known for helping pioneer the hypertapping playstyle, as well as being one of the top players during his CTWC career.[1][2]

Tetris career

Saelee first was introduced to the Classic Tetris videos on YouTube of the 2016 CTWC finals match between Jeff Moore and Jonas Neubauer. He purchased an original 1985 Nintendo NES console shortly after and began practicing. He began playing competitively in the online scene with the Classic Tetris Monthly online tournament in February 2018.[3]

Classic Tetris World Championship

He debuted in the in-person scene with the 2018 world championship, coming just "to qualify", and was able to secure a spot as the fifth seed and a first-round bye.[4][5] During his qualifying games, he set a record, being the first player to reach level 30 in a live tournament.[6] In tournament play he defeated former champion Harry Hong and the number-one seed, Japanese Tetris Grandmaster Koji "Koryan" Nishio to make it to the finals.[7][5] In an upset he swept the then seven-time champion (and at the time reigning champion), Jonas Neubauer, 3–0.[8][9][10][11][12] Saelee won $1,000 as prize money from winning, and was the youngest to win the championship at the time, at the age of 16.[13] After the match, Neubauer is quoted as saying how it's "truly an honor to pass the torch to the new generation of Tetris players".[14] This match went viral on YouTube, and many new competitors since have cited this match as their inspiration to play the game, like the two time CTWC winners Alex Thach and Michael Artiaga as well as Artiaga's brother, Andrew.[15][16] The YouTube video of the match as of February 2025 now has over 20 million views, as well as a replay being shown on ESPN2 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[16][17]

Saelee's utilized a unique play style called "hypertapping". While there have been hypertapping players in the past, notably Thor Aackerlund and Koji Nishio, the latter who inspired Saelee to become a hypertapper, Saelee was much more adept at the high speed play.[3][5][16] He was able to press the D-pad at speeds of up to 15 times per second, being the first person to reach levels 31 through 35 and being cited as the innovator of post level 29 play.[3][5][18]

In the 2019 tournament, which had begun to feature more younger players, Saelee qualified as the number-one seed and he again advanced to the finals to play against Nishio again, who was the number two seed. The match between the two hypertappers went to a deciding game five, which Saelee won, achieving back to back titles.[1][4][19][20] Alexey Pajitnov, the original creator of Tetris, personally handed the trophy to Saelee after his victory.[21]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 tournaments were held online. Due to the nature of it being online, they were able to accommodate 64 players, separating them into group brackets A-H with a loser's bracket. In the tournament, Saelee was able to make it into the top eight bracket but fell in the initial match to Jacob "Huffulufugus" Huff. The 2021 tournament was the first to have the newest playstyle of rolling, which was then still a very undeveloped technique. Saelee advanced to the semifinals before playing against Huff again. The match went to a decider that Huff would win.[22][23][24]

World records

After the 2018 CTWC, Saelee would go on to set multiple NES Tetris records. As mentioned above, he was the first person recorded to reach the levels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 38.[3][5][18][25][26] On an alternative account called "1975TylerP" he set a high score world record of 1,298,840.[27] In December 2018 he set a new high score world record with the first 1.3 million in NES Tetris history. He would go on to beat his record twice with scores of 1.375 million and 1.390 million respectively.[27] On June 14th, 2020, he would allegedly score 1.4 million points, however, it was unrecorded, and only a handful of people watching through a shared Discord call were able to witness it.[27]

Hiatus and return to Tetris (2021–2025)

Saelee, following the 2021 World Championship, would step back from the competitive scene, with the new playstyle called "rolling" beginning to outclass hypertapping.[16][27] He would make a return in 2025 in the Classic Tetris Monthly Tap Masters tournament, a tournament solely dedicated to Hypertapping, where he would qualify for the 10th seed.[28] He would advance to the semi-finals, where he would play Michael Artiaga. The best of 5 match would go to a decider that Artiaga would eventually win.[29]

Competitive record

This table lists notable Classic Tetris tournaments in which Saelee competed and their outcomes. It includes any appearances at the CTWC, as well as high placings at related tournaments, such as reaching a high level in other CTWC or CTM events. CTM results prior to 2022 list only the winner and runner-up, and information may be incomplete.[30]

Year Tournament Size Seed Record Place Ref.
2018 CTWC World Championship 40 5 5-0 1st [19]
2019 CTM February Masters N/A N/A N/A [30]
CTM March Masters N/A N/A N/A 2nd [30]
CTM October Masters N/A N/A N/A 1st [30]
CTWC World Championship 48 1 5-0 [19]
2020 CTM January Masters N/A N/A N/A [30]
CTM May Masters N/A N/A N/A [30]
CTM June Masters N/A N/A N/A [30]
CTWC World Championship [note 1] 64 1 4-1 5th–8th [23]
2021 CTM January Masters N/A N/A N/A 1st [30]
CTWC World Championship [note 2] 64 3 5-1 3rd–4th [22]
2025 CTM Tap Masters 32 10† 3-1 [29]
Event host
CTWCClassic Tetris World Championshipheld in-person [note 3]
CTMClassic Tetris Monthlyheld online [note 3]
Default wins
†single-dagger symbolhigh seed after qualifying round, awarding a single bye
‡double-dagger symbolhigh seed after qualifying round, awarding a double bye

Notes

  1. ↑ held online due to COVID-19 pandemic
  2. ↑ held online due to COVID-19 pandemic
  3. 1 2 unless indicated otherwise by a footnote

References

  1. 1 2 Tamayo, Paul (2019-10-21). "Teenage Tetris World Champion Wins The Throne Two Years Running". Kotaku. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  2. ↑ "16-year-old Tetris prodigy defeats seven-time world champion to become king of classic Tetris". Eurogamer.net. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sweet, Jacob (2021-03-26). "The Revolution in Classic Tetris". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  4. 1 2 "Tetris prodigy Joseph Saelee talks Classic Tetris and defending his championship". Shacknews. 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Karnadi, Chris (2022-07-21). "Teens are rewriting what is possible in the world of competitive Tetris". Polygon.com. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  6. ↑ "Highest level reached during live competition at the Classic Tetris World Championship". 20 October 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  7. ↑ "16-year-old Tetris prodigy Joseph Saelee beats seven-time world champion to win 2018 CTWC". Shacknews. 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  8. ↑ Connellan, Shannon (2018-10-22). "Watch the moment when a 16-year-old becomes the world champion of 'Tetris'". Mashable. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  9. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (2019-10-20). "Joseph Saelee Wins The Classic Tetris World Championship". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  10. ↑ "Teen dethrones 7-time Tetris World Champion | New York Post". Fox News. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  11. ↑ Szathmary, Zoe (2018-10-22). "California teen wins Tetris World Championship, 'dethrones' 7-time winner". Fox News. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
  12. ↑ Wade, Jessie (2018-10-22). "16-Year-Old Becomes New Tetris World Champion". IGN. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
  13. ↑ rawmeatcowboy (2019-10-21). "Joseph Saelee Wins Classic Tetris World Championship". GoNintendo. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  14. ↑ Gach, Ethan (2018-10-22). "16-Year-Old Dethrones Tetris World Champion With Difficult Hyper-Tap Technique". Kotaku. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  15. ↑ "Tetris World Champion "Alex T" Talks Tetris, Rock Climbing and Parmesan Cheese in an Exclusive Interview". The Classic W. 2025-08-11. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Schonbrun, Zach (2021-12-28). "A New Generation Stacks Up Championships in an Old Game: Tetris". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  17. ↑ Classic Tetris (2018-12-04). 16 Y/O UNDERDOG vs. 7-TIME CHAMP - Classic Tetris World Championship 2018 Final Round. Retrieved 2026-02-07 – via YouTube.
  18. 1 2 "First player to reach the killscreen in Tetris (NES)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  19. 1 2 3 "Results – Classic Tetris World Championship". thectwc.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  20. ↑ PTA (2019-11-07). "PRIMETIME AMUSEMENTS SERVICES". PrimeTime Amusements. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  21. ↑ Trusdale, Scott (2019-10-21). "Joseph Saelee wins the Classic Tetris World Championship for the second time in a row - The Northern Quota". The Northern Quota - Latest news from Manchester. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
  22. 1 2 Wingfryer (2023-09-17). "2021 Classic Tetris World Championship: Timestamps". Tetris Interest. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  23. 1 2 Wingfryer (2023-09-17). "2020 Classic Tetris World Championship: Timestamps". Tetris Interest. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  24. ↑ Wingfryer (2021-11-09). "2021 Classic Tetris World Championship: Top 8 Players". Tetris Interest. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  25. ↑ Good, Owen S. (2019-04-13). "Elite Tetris player takes the NES version where no one has gone before". Polygon. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  26. ↑ Ago, Redbar0nin #gaming • 6 Years (2020-02-17). "A 17-year-old breaks the tetris world record". Steemit. Retrieved 2026-02-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. 1 2 3 4 Summoning Salt (2024-05-13). The History of Tetris World Records. Retrieved 2026-02-08 – via YouTube.
  28. ↑ "CTM Tap Masters July 2025". go.ctm.gg. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  29. 1 2 "CTM Tap Masters July 2025 Tap Masters". go.ctm.gg. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Tournament Results – Classic Tetris Monthly". Retrieved 2026-02-24.
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