Twists, called "spin moves" in The New Tetris's manual, let a player fix some otherwise difficult situations. These examples cover recent games, but some of them may not work for earlier Tetris games that use little or no wall kick.
For a tutorial video of SRS twists, see:
Most of these spins can be done in Tetris Best and Tetris Perfect. For these that don't, entering with a different orientation and/or using 180° rotation and/or sliding the piece diagonally (for Tetris Perfect, also forcing left/right kick first or force-rotating) usually works.
Tetris Perfect rotation system is SRS-compatible. It can do all SRS twists (including "SRS-only" ones), because whether left/right kick should be tested first is same as SRS.
Rewards for twists
Some games give scoring rewards for twisting a tetromino into a tight space. Two basic algorithms, with slight variations, have been used in newer games to detect and reward in-place spins:
- Immobile, used in The New Tetris, Tetris Best, Tetris Best 2 and Tetris Perfect: A twist is recognised if a tetromino locks in a position where it cannot move left, right, or up. It doesn't have to be T. In The New Tetris, there is only a reward if rows are completed in this way. In Tetris Best, any twist will give you 100+ points (increases over time, like all award points). In Tetris Best 2, you gain a grade! In Tetris Perfect, +400 points.
- 3-corner T, used in Tetris DS and other SRS based games: A T-spin bonus is awarded if all of the following are true:[1]
- Tetromino being locked is T.
- Last successful movement of the tetromino was a rotate, as opposed to sideways movement, downward movement, or falling due to gravity. (Canceling lock delay in games that allow it, such as Tetris DS, does not count as a movement.) The tetromino doesn't even have to end up in a different orientation than it was dropped in; setting up the WKT below in Tetris Worlds or Tetris DS and pressing both rotate buttons (B–A or A–B) will trigger the T-spin bonus even without any net rotation.
- Three of the 4 squares diagonally adjacent to the T's center are occupied. (In Tetris DS, the walls and floor surrounding the playfield are considered "occupied", while in Tetris Worlds for GBA, they aren't.
Different games add further restrictions:
- 3-corner T no wall, used in Tetris Worlds: The walls and floor surrounding the playfield are not considered "occupied". This means that if a wall kick places the T tetromino with its flat side against the wall or floor, the T-spin will not be recognized. (Kicks that place the flat side against blocks in the playfield still work.)
- 3-corner T no kick, used in Tetris: New Century, iPod Tetris, and Tetris Evolution: The final rotation must not involve a wall kick, that is, it recognizes only the WKT.
(The names for the algorithms are unofficial, taken from the fan game Lockjaw.)
In some of these diagrams, especially those involving I, S and Z tetrominoes, the "center" corresponding to the center of rotation is marked with a circle (
).
Twists with T (or T-Spin)
This is the WKT; it's the only one recognized as of 2006.
Template:WKT
In SRS games that reward kick T-Spins like Tetris DS and Tetris Zone, these count towards the score. This will not count in newer games like Tetris Evolution or Tetris Splash.
This works in Atari rotation and SRS (a WKT):
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Drop and slide
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Rotate left
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Or kick can be used in Atari rotation.
The following works in Tetris DX, TGM rotation, and SRS, but it is not scored as a T-spin in Tetris Worlds if performed on the floor of the playfield.
Note: For TBII, the above move must be done from the other side.
The above move must be done differently in The New Tetris, but also works and in games using TGM rotation. It doesn't work in SRS. As this does not involve a wallkick in TGM, it also works in Sega rotation:
This example from SRS is not a T-spin under the old rule, as the tetromino could have been rotated before being dropped, but SRS games from Tetris Worlds through Tetris Online (Japan) count it anyway:
This one is a T-spin in Tetris DS but not Tetris Worlds due to the difference in how the playfield walls are handled:
Triples may not seem possible, but especially games using SRS will allow them regardless. Notice that the ending position of the T tetromino does not overlap the starting position. Later guideline games don't recognise this, either by not counting triples made with this twist as a T-spin (Tetris Zone), or by not recognising kicked T-spins as a T-spin at all (Tetris Evolution). The block in red is needed, except for using force-rotation in Tetris Perfect.
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Drop and slide
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Rotate left
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This triple will work in Tetris Best and Tetris Perfect only. (This was actually featured on a T-shirt!)
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Drop and slide
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Rotate left
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These triples will work in Tetris Perfect only. The last two need force-rotation.
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Drop and slide
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Rotate left
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Drop and slide
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Rotate left
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Drop and slide
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Rotate left
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This T-spin works in Atari rotation (and Tetris Perfect with force-rotation):
In Tetris Perfect, force-rotation/diagonal slide needed. In Tetris Best, diagonal slide needed (there is no force-rotation).
And this works in both SRS and Atari rotation (assuming there is a rotate right button for Atari):
A complicated SRS example:
But not scored as a twist in Tetris Best and Tetris Perfect, due to immobile being used instead of 3 corner.
Twists with I
Works in TGM and SRS:
If changing position to the second row, rotate three times so to twist on lower-middle square.
If changing positions to the right columns, turn right. If left, turn left.
In SRS, I tetrominoes can be rotated on their end blocks.
(For this one, the block highlighted in red is needed in TGM3, but optional in Tetris DS. The edge of the playfield may also be used in place of that block. If a mirror image is used, the block highlighted in red is needed in both TGM3 and Tetris DS.)
This triple works in SRS and Atari rotation (but not TGM3/TP/TR's SRS unless there is another block to force a kick down):
SRS has a slight asymmetry with how end-block rotation is handled. See I-spins in SRS.
This one is silly but should work (with minor variations) in most systems, even if it is not rewarded:
The minor variation required for TGM and Sega rotation systems is to do a mirror-image version (though not in OST due to different I rotation). This also works in SRS, as well as other systems where I rounds to the right and has no wallkick:
This one is required for the Nintendo right-handed rotation system and Official Scratch Tetris. It is also in SRS.
Works in Official Scratch Tetris, Tetris and Tetris Best family with a floorkick (exact rotation centers are needed for Tetris):
In games that use Atari rotation, a similar maneuver can produce a triple:
Finally, in Tetris Best/Perfect/Return, this is the I-spin Tetris.
Higher position is Tetris Perfect/Return only (circled blocks are optional):
Force-rotation:
Twists with S and Z
SRS and DTET:
SRS only:
In this case, if using S, turn left both times and if using Z, turn right both times.
No overhang method
Notes:
= Clockwise
= Counter-clockwise
= Drop or firm drop
= Mirror diagram and directions for Z tetromino
General
Exists in Game Boy, Sega, TDX, TGM, and SRS
Exists in NES, Sega, TDX, TGM, and SRS
SRS Only
ARS Only
Twists with J and L
Works in virtually all versions¹, including Tetris (Game Boy):
¹The L-Spin shown below does not work in Atari Rotation.
Works with TGM and SRS:
Note: If there is only one row in an ARS twist, like this:
then the block highlighted in red is needed in TPRS (both L and J) and TGM (for J), because right kick is tested first. Works in TBRS though, and force left/right kick first can be used in TPRS instead of this block.
Works with SRS only:
Minor variation for Tetris Best:
Works with SRS only:
Minor variation for Tetris Best:
SRS and DTET:
Minor variation for Tetris Best:
Works with SRS and DTET:
The L-spin triple also works with higher overhang:
In The New Tetris overhang is not required:
Note: Both overhang and non-overhang methods work in Tetris Best and Tetris Perfect. Also non-overhang is possible pointing up.
And in Tetris-ex...
...because holding right is needed, so is this block.
Atari rotation is a special case (also found at the end of section). It does this: (video):
SRS only (this floorkick also works in Tetris Best):
This twist will work in TBII, as it does not need a constant floorkick. A kick up is tested first, so it succeeds, and it is floorkicked to this position.
This one works for Atari, TDX, The New Tetris, MTC, and TETRIS MAX:
This one works for TDX, The New Tetris, MTC, and TETRIS MAX:
Notes:
- CW - Clockwise
- CCW - Counter-clockwise
- † - Prior to soft dropping or firm dropping
- †† - Mirror diagram and directions for L tetromino
General
You need a kick here:
Works in virtually all versions, including Tetris (Game Boy):
This on Atari:
Works with TGM and SRS:
This also in TETRIS MAX:
(For this one, the block highlighted in red is needed in TGM, but is optional in SRS and TETRIS MAX. The edge of the field may also be used in place of that block.)
SRS Only
ARS Only
This one is Atari only:
However, force-down 180° rotation can be used instead in TPRS/TRRS:
Twists with O (Tetris Best and Tetris Perfect)
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In Tetris Best and Tetris Perfect O-spins are possible:
O-spin Double:
O-spin Teleportation:
(This one is actually a user's signature on the forum!)
These spins are also possible with 180° rotation.
In Tetris Best 2, only the first one can be done, as O doesn't rotate, and there is diagonal slide.
Note that the last one is only possible in Tetris Perfect.
180° Twists (NullpoMino and Tetris Perfect, any tetrimino)
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For games with 180° rotation buttons other twists are possible. These are most commonly used in Nullpomino because it has an option to reward all-spins. Other games besides NullpoMino may or may not have rotation systems that support (some of) the types of 180° twists listed here, but Tetris Perfect also supports all of them (only in its own rotation system, not SRS). Tetris Return supports most of these, but not all of them.
Note that the asterisks represent it can be done with a diagonal slide in Tetris Best (or 2). A dagger means that it doesn't work in Tetris Best due to 3-kicks. The double-dagger means that it does not work in TRRS.
All of these twists are for NullpoMino's (SRS only) and Tetris Perfect's (TPRS only, not SRS) implementation of 180° rotation. Some don't work in Tetris Best because they need 3 kick.
T-spin Single
Another T-spin Single (will floorkick instead on Tetris Best)
Or, you can shift T to the right. The twist will look like the one above.
(For this one, the block highlighted in red is needed in Tetris Return, but optional in NullpoMino.)
T-Spin Double
T-Spin Triple
Another one†
I-Spin Single*
I-Spin Double
S-Spin Single*
S-Spin Double*
S-Spin Triple
Tetris Best/Tetris Perfect/Tetris Return only (O-Spin):
180° O-spin Teleportation:
Tetris Perfect/Return only:
Sometimes, two kicks are needed to get the piece into its location for NullpoMino. However, 180° rotation is not needed in TBRS/TPRS/TRRS, so single rotation can be used:
L-Spin Double
T-Spin Double:
Z-spins and J-spins can be done mirrored.
Teleporting
With 180° spins it is possible to pass through solid walls. This is called teleporting.
Tetris Best/Perfect/Return (any tetrimino)
Many crazy twists (described here) are possible in Tetris Best/Perfect/Return. Some of them also work for Tetris Best 2.
A J-Spin triple, for example, works from many positions:
Tetris Best 2 (any tetrimino)
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Glitched Twists
In Tetris Best 2 there is a glitch for any tetrimino except O, on a wall. J-tetrimino, as in this diagram:
For this one, the j-tetrimino sticks out the left side, so that only 2 minoes are in the playfield. The piece goes up, and this is scored as a j-spin!
Note that the black exists only for reference (around the playfield). (It actually shows up that way for TBII!
This only works with left rotation on left wall, or right rotation on right wall.
Constant floorkicks
Constant floorkicks are possible in Tetris Best 2. Some useful twists (described here) are therefore possible with these.
Twist Option (any tetrimino)
Sometimes there is more than one way to twist a piece into a hole. Think about which twist is best for the situation. Which cells should be filled, and which should be left behind?
See also
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