Eric Tolt

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EricICX
A man with dark brown hair and glasses looking forward and smiling
Tolt during the 2024 Classic Tetris World Championship
Personal information
NameEric Tolt
Career information
GamesClassic Tetris
Playing career2019–present
Career highlights and awards
  • 1× World Championship winner (2022)
  • 1× Regionals winner (2022)
  • 1× Masters winner (2020)
  • Highest winning score record (2022)

Eric Tolt, known online as EricICX, is an American classic NES Tetris player from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. He is best known for winning the 2022 Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC), earning the highest winning score record, and being the first person to reach levels 37, 38, and 146: the latter of which being the first glitched color level of the game.

Tolt became interested in the game around 2018 and began to play competitively by late 2019. He soon after began to achieve a number of records, and competed in the 2020 and 2021 CTWC's. During the August 2022 Classic Tetris Monthly (CTM) tournament, Tolt achieved the records of highest winning score and first to reach level 146: the first glitched color level of the game caused by a glitch at very high levels. Two months later, Tolt won the 2022 CTWC after defeating the following year's winner, Justin Yu, in the finals. Since the 2023 CTWC, Tolt has largely stepped back from competitive play, but has remained active in the Tetris community and on YouTube.

A number of his achievements were furthermore highlighted as important stepping stones leading up to the eventual "beating of the game" on December 21, 2023, by fellow Tetris player Willis Gibson.

Personal life

[edit]

Tolt is an American who lives in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.[1] As of 2025: Tolt's YouTube channel description states he is a college freshman, but it is unknown when this description as last updated.[2]

Tetris career

[edit]

Tolt, known online as EricICX, discovered classic NES Tetris in 2018 after watching videos of the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) finals online, in particular the most recent 2017 finals.[3] He then began to play causally starting in mid-2018, and more competitively by late 2019.[3] Shortly after becoming competitive, Tolt began to achieve a number of records: including being the first person to achieve a "maxout" on the PAL version of Tetris, a point in the game where the score becomes so high that it no longer registers correctly on-screen, in November 2019,[3][1] and being the first person to reach levels 37 and 38 of the game in 2020.[3][4][5] In regards to major competitions, Tolt competed in his first CTWC in 2020 where he finished in the top 24.[3] The following year, Tolt competed in the 2021 CTWC where he placed in the top 32.[3]

Tolt during the 2022 East Coast Regional, an event he later won

Following the 2021 CTWC and leading up to the 2022 CTWC, Tolt achieved two additional high score records: including being the first person to achieve a three million point score in April (breaking the previous record by 1.4 million points), and the record for highest winning score at 6,492,500 points in August.[1][6] The latter achievement took place during the August 2022 Classic Tetris Monthly (CTM) tournament,[3] breaking the previous record set by Andrew Artiaga (known online as "P1xelAndy") three months prior by over 4.3 million points.[7] During the same tournament, Tolt also became the first person to reach level 146 of the game: first the glitched color level on the NTSC version of Tetris,[3][6] where the color pallet becomes incredibly dim due to a glitch in the code.[5] On September 27, 2022, Tolt broke the world record for fastest time to beat the game mode "Shirase" in Tetris: The Grand Master 3 – Terror‑Instinct, a game mode in which the pieces speed up dramatically fast as you continue to play, with a time of 4:05:30.[8] Tolt's record, which he referred to as his most proud achievement to date, marked the first time in 13 years the record had been broken, with the previous record of 4:09:16 being made by a player with the online name "ZAB".[8]

From October 14–16, 2022, Tolt competed in the 2022 CTWC.[3] In the qualifying rounds on October 14, Tolt achieved 14 maxouts alongside Justin Yu (known online as "Fractal"). But because Tolt's highest non-maxout score during the qualifier was lower than Yu's, he was placed in the #2 seed.[3] After earning a bye due to his high seed, Tolt worked his way up to the semifinals, where he defeated the two-time and most recent CTWC champion Michael Artiaga (known online as "Dogplayingtetris") 3–0 in a series of games.[3] In the finals, Tolt defeated Justin Yu 3–1, with the third game being the first in which both players reached two million points in a CTWC match.[3][9] During the entire championship, Tolt only lost two games.[1] The win made Tolt the fifth individual person to win the CTWC since it began in 2010.[1]

Tolt has largely stepped back from competitive Tetris scene since the 2023 CTWC,[note 1] but has remained active on YouTube: creating an analysis video on Willis Gibson (known online as "Blue Scuti") after he became the first person to "beat the game" on December 21, 2023.[4] Upon Gibson "beating the game", a number of sources including the American tech website Ars Technica, Philippine broadcaster GMA Network, and Canadian publisher TheGamer, highlighted Tolt's achievements as important stepping stones leading up to the event.[4][5][10]

Playing style

[edit]

During his early Tetris career and his 2020 and 2021 CTWC's, Tolt used a playing style called hypertapping[3] which emphasizes vibrating the buttons rapidly over pressing them; a technique first popularized by Saelee in his winning 2018 CTWC tournament.[11][12] After the 2021 CTWC, however, Tolt began to use another technique called rolling,[3] a new technique created by fellow Tetris player Christopher Martinez (known online as "CheeZ") before the 2020 CTWC, which involves rolling the back of the controller with all five fingers to position the game pieces more quickly.[7][12] He has since used this technique to achieve various records, including the first three million point score, first to reach the glitched colors levels, and to win the 2022 CTWC.[3] During his winning 2022 CTWC, Tolt's strategy revolved around outlasting his opponents after the reaching the "killscreen" at level 29, in which the game pieces begin to fall at their maximum speed.[3] In a post-game interview after defeating the two-time and most recent CTWC champion in the semi-finals with this strategy, Tolt commented 'you can win by outlasting your opponent [...] "because everybody makes mistakes eventually"'.[3]

Competitive record

[edit]

This table lists notable Classic Tetris tournaments in which Gibson competed in and their outcomes. It includes any appearances at the CTWC, CTWC DAS Jonas Cup, CTWC DAS World Cup, CTM Mega Masters, as well as high placings at related tournaments, such as reaching at least semifinals in other CTWC or CTM events. CTM results prior to 2022 only list the winner and runner-up, and information may be incomplete.[13]

Competitive record of Eric Tolt in Classic Tetris
Year Tournament Size Seed Score Place Ref.
2020 CTM May Masters N/A N/A N/A 2nd [13]
CTM August Masters N/A N/A N/A 1st [13]
Classic Tetris World Championship [note 2] N/A N/A N/A 17th–24th [3]
2021 CTM March Challengers N/A N/A N/A 1st [14]
CTM July Masters N/A N/A N/A 2nd [13]
Classic Tetris World Championship [note 2] N/A N/A N/A 25th–32nd [3]
2022 CTM March Masters 16 8 0–1 9th–16th [15]
CTM April Mega Masters 32 2 1–1 [16]
CTM May Masters 16 1 1–1 5th–8th [17]
CTM June Masters 16 1 3–1 2nd [18]
CTWC East Coast Regional 8 2 4–0 1st [19]
CTM July Masters 16 10 1–1 5th–8th [20]
CTM August Masters 16 14 2–1 3rd–4th [21]
CTM September Masters 16 5 2–1 [22]
Classic Tetris World Championship 48 2† 5–0 1st [23]
CTM November Masters 16 6 1–1 5th–8th [24]
CTM December Masters 16 6 1–1 [25]
2023 CTM January Masters 16 7 1–1 [26]
CTM February Masters 16 6 2–1 3rd–4th [27]
CTM March Masters 16 1 1–1 5th–8th [28]
CTM May Masters 16 7 2–1 3rd–4th [29]
CTWC B14NK's Garage Regional 10 1† 1–1 [30]
CTM June Masters 16 2 3–1 2nd [31]
CTM Lone Star [note 3] 24 24 0–1 17th–24th [32]
CTWC Ohio Regional [note 4] 32 13† 3–1 5th–8th [33]
Classic Tetris World Championship 48 48 0–1 33rd–48th [34]
2024 CTM March Mega Masters 64 49 0–1 33rd–64th [35]
Classic Tetris World Championship 48 31 1–1 17th–32nd [36]
2025 Classic Tetris World Championship 48 46 0–1 33rd–48th [37]
CTM July TAP Masters 32 12† 1–1 9th–16th [38]
Event host
CTWC Classic Tetris World Championship held in-person [note 5]
CTM Classic Tetris Monthly held online [note 5]
Default wins
† single-dagger symbol high seed after qualifying round, awarding a single bye
‡ double-dagger symbol high seed after qualifying round, awarding a double bye

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Since the 2023 CTWC, Tolt only competed in two events in 2024, and two in 2025 (see the Competetive record section for more details)
  2. ^ a b held online due to COVID-19 pandemic
  3. ^ held in-person, CTM Texas regional
  4. ^ also known as the "WPL Championship 2023"
  5. ^ a b unless indicated otherwise by a footnote

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Tetris Champion: Winners of the Classic Tetris World Championship". Tetris Interest. 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  2. ^ "EricICX [Description]". EricICX. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Phou, Evan (October 18, 2022). "EricICX Wins The 2022 Classic Tetris World Championship". Tetris Interest. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Lim, Ron (January 4, 2024). "13-year-old is first to beat Tetris". GMA Network. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Orland, Kyle (January 2, 2024). "34 years later, a 13-year-old hits the NES Tetris "kill screen"". Ars Technica. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Shaver, Morgan (August 24, 2022). "NES Tetris player smashes previous score records, captures first ever glitched colors". Shacknews. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Karnadi, Chris (July 21, 2022). "Teens are rewriting what is possible in the world of competitive Tetris". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Yarwood, Jack (September 30, 2022). "Tetris The Grand Master 3 Speedrunner Records First World Record in 13 Years". Time Extension. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  9. ^ Lindell, Martin (October 19, 2022). "A Look Inside The Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2022". Time Extension. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  10. ^ Lucas, James (January 2, 2024). "Tetris Has Finally Been Beaten After 34 Years". TheGamer. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  11. ^ Sweet, Jacob (March 26, 2021). "The Revolution In Classic Tetris". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Pape, Sam (October 7, 2022). "The Portland Retro Gaming Expo—And Its Tetris Competition—Returns". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d "Past tournament results [Masters tab]". Classic Tetris Monthly. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  14. ^ "Past tournament results [Challengers tab]". Classic Tetris Monthly. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  15. ^ "CTM March 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. March 2022. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  16. ^ "CTM April 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. April 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "CTM May 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. May 2022. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "CTM June 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. June 2022. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  19. ^ Phou, Evan (May 11, 2025). "2022 CTWC East Coast Regional: Timestamps". Tetris Interest. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  20. ^ "CTM July 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. July 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  21. ^ "CTM August 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. August 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  22. ^ "CTM September 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. September 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  23. ^ "2022 Classic Tetris World Championship: Timestamps". Tetris Interest. September 17, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  24. ^ "CTM November 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. November 2022. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  25. ^ "CTM December 2022 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. December 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  26. ^ "CTM January 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. January 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  27. ^ "CTM February 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. February 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  28. ^ "CTM March 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. March 2023. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  29. ^ "CTM May 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. May 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  30. ^ Phou, Evan (May 24, 2025). "2023 CTWC B14NK's Garage Regional: Timestamps". Tetris Interest. Archived from the original on June 24, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  31. ^ "CTM June 2023 Masters Event". Classic Tetris Monthly. June 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  32. ^ "CTM Lone Star Championship 2023". Classic Tetris Monthly. July 2023. Archived from the original on November 12, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  33. ^ Phou, Evan (May 26, 2025). "2023 CTWC Ohio Regional: Timestamps". Tetris Interest. Archived from the original on July 3, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  34. ^ Phou, Evan (October 16, 2023). "2023 Classic Tetris World Championship: Timestamps". Tetris Interest. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  35. ^ "CTM Mega Masters 2024". Classic Tetris Monthly. March 2024. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  36. ^ "2024 Classic Tetris World Championship: Timestamps". Tetris Interest. June 11, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  37. ^ "2025 Classic Tetris World Championship: Timestamps". Tetris Interest. June 23, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  38. ^ "CTM Tap Masters July 2025 Tap Masters". Classic Tetris Monthly. July 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.