Andrew Artiaga

'''Andrew Artiaga''' (born August 5, 2005), known online as '''P1xelAndy''', is an American ''[[Tetris]]'' player from Texas. He is best known for placing second in the 2020 [[Classic Tetris World Championships]] (CTWC) and third in the 2022 CTWC. In 2024, Artiaga also became the third player to "[[Tetris (NES video game)#Technical problems at very high levels|beat the game]]" by triggering a [[Crash (computing)|game crash]]. Seven days later, Artiaga further broke the high score record for the game by around two million points, for which he was recognized by ''[[Guinness World Records]]''.

'''Andrew Artiaga''' (born August 5, 2005), known online as '''P1xelAndy''', is an American ''[[Tetris]]'' player from Texas. He is best known for placing second in the 2020 [[Classic Tetris World Championships]] (CTWC) and third in the 2022 CTWC. In 2024, Artiaga also became the third player to "[[Tetris (NES video game)#Technical problems at very high levels|beat the game]]" by triggering a [[Crash (computing)|game crash]]. Seven days later, Artiaga further broke the high score record for the game by around two million points, for which he was recognized by ''[[Guinness World Records]]''.

From a young age, Andrew and his younger brother [[Michael Artiaga]] experimented with coding, computing, and gaming, with their father being a [[web developer]]. Practicing ''Tetris'' occasionally on their [[Game Boy]] at home, both brothers were inspired to pursue the game further after 16-year-old [[Joseph Saelee]]'s victory against the 37-year-old and previous champion [[Jonas Neubauer]] on [[YouTube]] in the 2018 CTWC, marking the beginning of a new generation of ''Tetris'' players in the competitive scene. Artiaga has since placed second in the 2020 CTWC, where he lost against his brother, third in the 2022 CTWC, and became the third player to "beat the game" by triggering a game crash on January 4, 2024, only days after it was done for the first time.

From a young age, Andrew and his younger brother [[Michael Artiaga]] experimented with coding, computing, and gaming, with their father being a [[web developer]]. Practicing ''[[Tetris (Game Boy video game)|Tetris]]'' occasionally on their [[Game Boy]] at home, both brothers were inspired to pursue the game further after 16-year-old [[Joseph Saelee]]'s victory against the 37-year-old and previous champion [[Jonas Neubauer]] on [[YouTube]] in the 2018 CTWC, marking the beginning of a new generation of ''Tetris'' players in the competitive scene. Artiaga has since placed second in the 2020 CTWC, where he lost against his brother, third in the 2022 CTWC, and became the third player to "beat the game" by triggering a game crash on January 4, 2024, only days after it was done for the first time.

Along with briefly holding the high score record for three months, Artiaga has continued to remain in the competitive ''Tetris'' scene, placing high in his [[Seed (sports)|seed]] for every CTWC since 2020, and performing particularly well in Delayed Auto Shift (DAS) Masters events since they began in July 2024.

Along with briefly holding the high score record for three months, Artiaga has continued to remain in the competitive ''Tetris'' scene, placing high in his [[Seed (sports)|seed]] for every CTWC since 2020, and performing particularly well in Delayed Auto Shift (DAS) Masters events since they began in July 2024.

== ''Tetris'' career ==

== ''Tetris'' career ==

Artiaga was introduced to ''Tetris'' alongside his brother in elementary school, after playing it on their dad's original [[Game Boy]] at home. Both him and his brother at 13 and 10 years old, respectively, began to play the game more intently after watching 16-year-old [[Joseph Saelee]]'s victory against the 37-year-old and previous champion [[Jonas Neubauer]] on [[YouTube]] in the 2018 [[Classic Tetris World Championship]] (CTWC), marking the beginning of a new generation of ''Tetris'' players to the competitive scene.{{cite magazine |last1=Sweet |first1=Jacob |title=The Revolution In Classic Tetris |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-revolution-in-classic-tetris |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=March 26, 2021 |access-date=January 19, 2024 |url-access=limited}}{{cite web |last1=Karnadi |first1=Chris |title=Teens are rewriting what is possible in the world of competitive Tetris |url=https://www.polygon.com/23269073/competitive-classic-tetris-ctwc-jonas-neubauer-andy-michael-artiaga |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=July 21, 2022 |access-date=January 20, 2024}} Both brothers practiced more on separate Nintendo consoles at their home, and they collaborated on their shortcomings to better their playing. After purchasing twin [[famiclone]]s, Andrew began to compete in tournaments under the name "P1xelAndy", while his brother Michael adopted the name "dogplayingtetris" or simply "Dog".

Artiaga was introduced to ''[[Tetris (Game Boy video game)|Tetris]]''' alongside his brother in elementary school, after playing it on their dad's original [[Game Boy]] at home. Both him and his brother at 13 and 10 years old, respectively, began to play the game more intently after watching 16-year-old [[Joseph Saelee]]'s victory against the 37-year-old and previous champion [[Jonas Neubauer]] on [[YouTube]] in the 2018 [[Classic Tetris World Championship]] (CTWC), marking the beginning of a new generation of ''Tetris'' players to the competitive scene.{{cite magazine |last1=Sweet |first1=Jacob |title=The Revolution In Classic Tetris |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-revolution-in-classic-tetris |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=March 26, 2021 |access-date=January 19, 2024 |url-access=limited}}{{cite web |last1=Karnadi |first1=Chris |title=Teens are rewriting what is possible in the world of competitive Tetris |url=https://www.polygon.com/23269073/competitive-classic-tetris-ctwc-jonas-neubauer-andy-michael-artiaga |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=July 21, 2022 |access-date=January 20, 2024}} Both brothers practiced more on separate Nintendo consoles at their home, and they collaborated on their shortcomings to better their playing. After purchasing twin [[famiclone]]s, Andrew began to compete in tournaments under the name "P1xelAndy", while his brother Michael adopted the name "dogplayingtetris" or simply "Dog".

During the [[COVID-19 lockdowns]] [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|in the United States]], both brothers began to practice more often while also learning from their competitors on [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]]. At 15 and 13 years old, respectively, both Andrew and his brother qualified for the 2020 CTWC, with Andrew obtaining the top [[Seed (sports)|seed]] in his double-elimination playoffs group after scoring one million points in six games.{{cite web |last1=Tate |first1=Dylan |title=13-year-old defeats brother to win Classic Tetris World Championship |url=https://upcomer.com/13-year-old-defeats-brother-to-win-classic-tetris-world-championship |work=[[Enthusiast Gaming|Upcomer]] |date=December 8, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2024}} Andrew made it to the semi-finals, where he won against fellow competitor Nenu Kariko to make it to the finals.{{cite web |last1=Shaver |first1=Morgan |title=Classic Tetris World Championship Ends In Brother Versus Brother Showdown |url=https://primagames.com/news/classic-tetris-world-championship-ends-brother-versus-brother-showdown |work=[[Prima Games]] |date=December 7, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2024}} In the finals, Andrew was placed against his brother Michael, where they competed against each other in the same house due to COVID-19 restrictions preventing them from playing at a large venue. He placed second to his brother shortly after reaching level 29, but he celebrated the achievement with him by giving him a [[high five]] immediately after the match's conclusion.

During the [[COVID-19 lockdowns]] [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|in the United States]], both brothers began to practice more often while also learning from their competitors on [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]]. At 15 and 13 years old, respectively, both Andrew and his brother qualified for the 2020 CTWC, with Andrew obtaining the top [[Seed (sports)|seed]] in his double-elimination playoffs group after scoring one million points in six games.{{cite web |last1=Tate |first1=Dylan |title=13-year-old defeats brother to win Classic Tetris World Championship |url=https://upcomer.com/13-year-old-defeats-brother-to-win-classic-tetris-world-championship |work=[[Enthusiast Gaming|Upcomer]] |date=December 8, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2024}} Andrew made it to the semi-finals, where he won against fellow competitor Nenu Kariko to make it to the finals.{{cite web |last1=Shaver |first1=Morgan |title=Classic Tetris World Championship Ends In Brother Versus Brother Showdown |url=https://primagames.com/news/classic-tetris-world-championship-ends-brother-versus-brother-showdown |work=[[Prima Games]] |date=December 7, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2024}} In the finals, Andrew was placed against his brother Michael, where they competed against each other in the same house due to COVID-19 restrictions preventing them from playing at a large venue. He placed second to his brother shortly after reaching level 29, but he celebrated the achievement with him by giving him a [[high five]] immediately after the match's conclusion.