| Fractal161 | |
|---|---|
 Yu after winning the 2023 Classic Tetris World Championship | |
| Personal information | |
| Name | Justin Yu |
| Born | 2000 or 2001 (age 22–23)[a] |
| Career information | |
| Games | Classic Tetris |
| Playing career | c. 2016–present |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Justin Yu, known online as Fractal161, is an American classic Tetris player from Dallas, Texas. He is best known for his victory in the 2023 Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC), for becoming the second person to "beat" the game, and first to achieve its earliest possible game crash on January 3, 2024.
Beginning to play Tetris around 2016, Yu entered the competitive scene around 2019, and was one of the first players to fully adopt a new and faster playing style called "rolling". Through repeated practice and by studying the game's programming assembly, Yu finished as the runner-up in the 2022 CTWC and won the 2023 CTWC while also a Junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After winning the CTWC, Yu focused on becoming the first person to "beat" Tetris, successfully becoming the first to reach the late-game glitched color levels before a game crash. Yu was beat to his goal by fellow competitive Tetris player Willis Gibson ("Blue Scuti") on December 21, 2023, but became the first player achieve the earliest possible game crash a few weeks later. Yu has stated he wants to one day run Tetris websites and tournaments when he leaves the competitive scene.
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