SZ Cross

SZ Cross, is a T-spin opening designed by player XaeL. This setup is essentially an unintuitive Imperial Cross. A player utilizes the SZ ST stacking setup opening followed by J and L to complete an Imperial Cross.

This opening is effective for the following reasons:

• Especially useful for SZ starts, where no I piece is present for the 3 T-spin Double opening.
• fiddlesworth can require a significant amount of softdropping. This alleviates it, with only T-spins using softdrops.
• In games where T-spin singles and T-spin triples are negated or less potent, this is an effective replacement.

A negative of this opening is a Double which is used to create the Imperial Cross. This could be a problem where there is a very slow line-clear delay.

Notes

Since the SZ cross and SZ Double Triple Attack have similar starts, it is wise to learn both, as they complement each other. Note that the major difference between the two is an extra block marked below. If soft drop is undesirable, SZ Cross is a good alternative to SZ DT.

Additionally, players may opt to further adapt the Imperial Cross into Two T-Spin Doubles:

Alternatives

The following are alternatives when faced with SZ starts

Regular T-Spin Single

T-Spin Single Triple Single

SZ Double Triple Setups