When it comes to a game like Tetris, there does not seem to be any way to beat it – regardless of how fast your reflexes are coupled with impeccable hand-eye co-ordination for human standards, or so we think. Master Tetris player Kevin Birrell was the one who managed to achieve the seemingly impossible “MasterM” ranking in Tetris the Grand Master 3: Terror Instinct, where he even had to contend with Tetris pieces that turned invisible when the game’s credits started to roll. Birrell did not stop there, however, as he unlocked the “GM,” or Grand Master, ranking. This would make him the 6th person in the world, and first outside of Japan to do so.
Achieving Grand Master status is no joke – one would need to obtain a MasterM ranking at least four times in their most recent seven games, and out of that, you might just be able to take a stab at a Grand Master promotional exam, where you would need to call upon a near flawless performance.
After two hours of play, Birrell saw that window of opportunity opened up, and he managed to seized it with a triumphant performance. Of course, this is after 8 years of gameplay, and Birrell did say, “That’s it. Yo, I just beat Tetris.” Makes me wonder what the reaction from the other five Japanese gamers were like.