The Road to Tetris Grand Master

This page serves as a log of my progress towards the Gm rank in Tetris: The Grand Master. My hope is that this will be useful to others looking to do the same.

I was looking for a similar log not long ago. Not for specific advice on improving my game, but to get a sense of how long it takes to progress, what things I should be working on as I move forward, or just the ups and downs of the experience. You won't find much specific advice about improving your game here. That's not what this is about.

I used to play a lot of Tetris. The DOS version on my Tandy 1000 was probably the first one I played. That was followed by the GameBoy and a host of LCD Tetris games from the Nelsonic Tetris Game Watch to the odd-ball Brick Game (which is inexplicably still available almost [more than?] 30 years later.)

From November 28th, 2017, I've tried to play at least 3 rounds of TGM each day. I sometimes try to play more if I have some spare time between other tasks.

Where I started

Tetris versions can vary so much that they might as well be different games. This may or may not be helpful, but this is the only way I can think of to describe my skill level before I started playing TGM. On GameBoy, I could clear mode B on level 9 height 5 about once every eight tries. On NES, I could get the UFO/launch of St. Basil's Cathedral most of the time. I considered a score over 130k on NES to be a pretty good round. I thought of myself as a good, but probably average, player.

November 28th, 2017

I played TGM for the first time, scoring a grade 3. After several games, I managed a grade 1.

December 2nd, 2017

I scored my first S1. I was a single-direction rotator before I started TGM. I was learning to rotate in both directions around this time.

December 4th, 2017

I decided to start taking screenshots of my S grades as I progressed so that I'd have a better record of my progress. This is the only S1 I saved.

December 5th, 2017

I scored my first S2. I was feeling optimistic. So far, progress was steady.

December 7th, 2017

I scored my second S2, and then topped my time twice.

December 9th, 2017

I finally topped my S2 time. My score was close, but S3 still seemed impossible. My goal at this point was just to fill every spot in the "Grandmaster Ranking".

It seemed like I was actually playing worse over the next few days.

December 14th, 2017

I scored my first S3.

Then it seemed like I'd never score another.

December 18th, 2017

I finally managed another S3. Then my third, crushing my previous time.

December 19th, 2017

Scoring another S3, though not as fast as my previous time, was a good sign. I felt like S3 was going to become more consistent.

December 30th, 2017

I finally topped my S3 time from nearly two-weeks ago. I felt like I was stuck for a while. I couldn't tell if I was actually improving or if I just had a little good luck.

December 31st, 2017

I scored an S3, topping-out on level 703. I didn't take a screen shot, but made a note of it as it was the highest level I'd managed to reach, but it still wasn't good enough to get an S4. I realized that just being able to get through all the levels wasn't enough to reach the higher grades. I needed to play for score, not just survival, past 500. I decided to play on 20G mode more often.

January 2nd, 2018

I scored my first and second S4. This was good day.

January 5th, 2018

I beat my previous best S4 time.

January 6th, 2018

I managed grade 3 on 20G mode. Score: 7302, Level: 334, Time: 5:18:50 When I first started playing 20G mode, clearing a line was a major accomplishment. This, to me, meant that I had made real progress.

January 8th, 2018

I managed another grade 3 on 20G mode. Score: 7712, Level: 341, Time: 5:21:38 I was in a slump, and wondered if playing on 20G mode was hurting my normal game more than it was helping. I decided to play on 20G mode less often.

January 11th, 2018

After another low period, where it seemed like I was getting worse, I managed an S4. I got another that same day. I was starting to recognize that improvement really was happening, even when it's not reflected immediately in times and grades. It was still frustrating.

January 12th, 2018

I beat my previous best S4. I thought that I should only take screenshots on milestones as I had gathered so many S4 screenshots.

January 13th, 2018

I beat my previous best S4. So I took a screenshot.

January 20th, 2018

The longest low period yet. I just couldn't seem to get past S3. I took a screenshot as I was just happy to see an S4 again.

January 23rd, 2018

I beat my previous S4 after a terrifying short slump, twice in the same day

January 24th, 2018

I beat my previous best S4 with a big time improvement. For some reason, I still didn't feel like I was making any progress.

January 29th, 2018

After another long slump, where it seemed impossible to reach S4, I managed my first S5. I felt like I had run a gauntlet. January was brutal, but I got through it with the next grade.

January 31st, 2018

I managed a grade 3 in 20G mode, but it wasn't that great. 5623 4:20:71 level 283.

After my previous S5, it seemed like I couldn't crack S2. I even had a few games lower than grade 1. I didn't know what to think. I didn't work slowly back up to S5, I just jumped back to it.

February 2nd, 2018

I started watching Gm games more carefully. I decided to work on piece movement at 20G. I need to learn how to crawl along the top of the stack. At the same time, I recognized that I also needed to improve my stacking and burning, so also decided to include NES Tetris games in my study.

February 4th, 2018

I suffered another very-low-scoring slump just like after my first S5. I recovered a few days ago, and was scoring S3 and S4 without too much difficulty yesterday. I managed an S5 today with a time of 9:59:30. As this was a few seconds slower than my previous best S5 time, so I didn't take a screenshot.

It seems like slumps are going to be a regular part of the long journey to Gm.

Today is also the day I decided to keep a log of my progress. I had screenshots and a few notes, which I used to write the log to this point, but I wanted something better that I could share with others who are working towards the same goal.

February 5th, 2018

The beginning of an ugly slump. The best I could manage was an S3, the worst an inexplicable 5 -- the lowest I've ever scored. I'm trying to remember that slumps have been normal and that I'm not actually getting worse.

February 6th: The slump continues. It's very frustrating.

February 7th: Still no change.

February 8th: This is demoralizing.

February 9th: A hard won S4. I don't like that I feel good about getting this.

February 10th: I've accepted that this is how things will be for a while.

February 11th: The slump persists, mostly S2, a few S3.

February 12th: I feel like I've started over.

February 13th: I decided to focus on fundamentals. I worked specifically on flat stacking. It seemed to help. I had fewer terrible games, and even knocked out a few S4. I'll keep at it for a while.

February 14th: Not a bad day. The focus on flat stacking seems to be helping.

February 15th, 2018

After a 10-day slump, I scored my fourth S5. My score was just over the line and the time was awful, but I took a screenshot anyway. I'm still focusing on flat stacking.

February 16th, 2018

I beat my previous best S5 by a very small amount 9:55:28 vs 9:55:60 I'm still working on flat stacking. There's a lot of room for improvement there.

February 17th, 2018: Not a bad day, though no higher than S4

February 18th, 2018: Again, not a bad day, though no higher than S4

February 19th, 2018: Still suck at S4...

February 20th, 2018: A good day. Scored a weak S5 at 10:17:10

February 21th, 2018: Not bad, an S4 on an otherwise bad run.

February 22nd, 2018: Mixed feelings. I managed some fancy placements on an otherwise terrible run.

February 23th, 2018: I may be in a slump.

February 24th, 2018: It's a slump.

February 25th, 2018: Not a bad one, but a slump all the same...

February 26th, 2018: A middle-of-the-road S4.

February 27th, 2018

A nice recovery. Beat my previous best S5 by almost a half-minute. 9:27:05 vs 9:55:28

February 28th, 2018: Not a good day. A bunch of S2, a couple S3 and a single S4. This ends the first month without a new grade. I suspect that each new grade will take longer to reach than the previous grade...

March 1st, 2018: Not great.

March 2nd, 2018: After a few awful rounds, I managed an S5 (9:32:08).

March 3rd, 2018: A mix of 'okay' and 'terrible'. Not the best day.

March 4th, 2018: Not a good day, so I decided to play at 20G for a bit.

March 5th, 2018: Scored a grade 2 on 20G mode. Mixed results otherwise.

March 6th, 2018

Scored a grade 1 on 20G mode, I was pretty happy about that. Then I inexplicably scored an S3 on 20G. I took a screenshot as it was so unexpected.

March 7th, 2018: Scored an S4 on an otherwise terrible run. Nothing special on 20G

March 8th, 2018: Not a great day, but not disheartening.

March 9th, 2018: I'm in a slump, but not a bad slump. I just can't seem to hit S5.

March 10th, 2018: March is proving to be a difficult month.

March 11th, 2018: One game on the high-side of a grade 1 on 20G mode. Nothing good otherwise.

March 12th, 2018: Two S1 games on 20G mode. I feel pretty good about that. After some terrible regular play, I managed a rather sad S5 at 11:08:11, but hit level 775.

March 13th, 2018: Absolutely awful.

March 14th, 2018: Pi Day. Managed an S1 on 20G mode, terrible play otherwise.

March 15th, 2018: Nothing remarkable

March 16th, 2018: It's a slump

March 17th, 2018: Still a slump.

March 18th, 2018: S2 on 20G mode, sadly, interrupted by a phone call. Not good play otherwise. I'm going to stop playing on 20G mode for a while.

March 19th, 2018

After some really terrible play, I managed to beat my previous best S5 by nearly a minute. While my 20G/500+ play has improved, I seem to have trouble between levels 350 and 500. I need to start hitting 500 with a cleaner stack.

March 20th, 2018: Managed an S5 at a slow 9:59:35.

March 21st, 2018: Disappointing play

March 22nd, 2018: I must have forgotten how to play Tetris. Despite some impressively bad play most of the day, I got an S5 at 9:03:41 on the high-end at 61692. Afterward, I couldn't score over S2. I don't understand it.

March 23rd, 2018: Neither good nor terrible play. Lots of S3 and S4 grades.

March 24th, 2018: An S4 at 6:07:30 seemed pretty good for me, as far as time goes.

March 25th, 2018: Slipped from consistent S4 grades and got stuck down at S2.

March 26th, 2018: Average, unremarkable play. I managed a 217101 on NES Tetris.

March 27th, 2018: Managed 220676 on NES. Uninteresting play on TGM.

March 28th, 2018: Finally scored another S5 (very slow, 10:31:65) though on the high-side with 61234 and hit level 780. I got another S5 at a faster, but still slow, 9:45:75 on the low end at 54166. This is the first time I've managed two S5 games in the same day. I somehow managed a third S5 at a very slow 10:42:71 at a low 56293.

March 29th, 2018: Another S5 at 9:42:60 on the low-end at 56015. I snagged yet another S5 later and hit level 785. My highest level seems to be going up by fives.

March 30th, 2018

After nearly two months, I finally managed the next grade. An S6 was unexpected, as it seemed like a fairly average round. I didn't feel like I was playing particularly well. The grade comes with a new level record at 797. I'll credit the recent improvements I've been seeing to some light NES Tetris rounds. It seems to have helped both my stacking and my precision.

March 31st, 2018: As expected, I'm suddenly playing really poorly.

April 1st, 2018: Getting better, I managed a poor S5. Things got much worse after that.

April 2st, 2018: It's really bad.

April 3rd, 2018

The really terrible play continued, then I scored an S6 on a poor game played mostly in the upper half. I moved my level record to 823. I simply don't understand it.

April 4th, 2018: Terrible play. I couldn't get past S4.

April 5th, 2018: Still terrible play. I did manage a high S4 and a very low S5.

April 6th, 2018: Again, absolutely terrible play. Yet, I managed a high S5.

April 7th, 2018

I beat my best S6 time by a little over a minute on the first game I played today. I felt like I played okay.

April 8th, 2018: Neither good nor bad play. Still hit S5.

April 9th, 2018

I didn't expect to hit S7 for a couple of months. It wasn't a particularly good game, being played mostly in the upper-half. I spent the entire time surviving. This also pushes my level record all the way up to 927. I hope that I'll be able to best this score in short order. I'd hate for this to just be a fluke. :: I scored another S7 this evening. I'm rather happy about it. It feels like I've broken through a barrier. :: I got a few S6 grades today as well. I played pretty well overall.

April 10th, 2018: Not the best play overall. Though I did manage a low S6.

April 11th, 2018: Terrible play all day.

April 12th, 2018: I managed one S5 and one S6. Awful play otherwise.

April 13th, 2018: Just terrible.

April 14th, 2018: The slump continues.

April 15th, 2018: There's no end in sight.

April 16th, 2018: I managed an S6. Terrible play otherwise.

April 17th, 2018: I'm stuck at S4. Endless S4 grades. I don't like playing the game right now.

April 18th, 2018: Slumps like this are demoralizing.

April 19th, 2018: An S6, but not by much.

April 20th, 2018: The slump can't last forever.

April 21st, 2018: A weak S5.

April 22nd, 2018: A reasonably high, if slow, S6. Otherwise, the terrible play continues.

April 23rd, 2018: Absolutely awful play. I'm sick of it. I managed a very poor S5.

April 24th, 2018: Quite a few S5 games today. I still don't feel like I'm playing well.

April 25th, 2018: Started off with some terrible play, managed a weak S5. After more awful play, I managed an okay S5.

April 26th, 2018: This is a very long slump...

April 27th, 2018: A very weak S5.

April 28th, 2018: A bad S5 that still had the potential to be an S6, but screwed it up badly with an indecisive placement. After nothing but terrible play, I managed a good S5, just a few points from a weak S6, but couldn't manage it.

April 29th, 2018: The terrible play persists. It's awful. It makes me feel bad.

April 30th, 2018: Garbage. April started off great, but was a terrible month overall.

May 1st, 2018: Nothing. A slow S5 that was almost an S6 as the highlight. Awful.

May 2nd, 2018: Worse

May 3rd, 2018: ...

May 4th, 2018: A fast S5 shouldn't feel like a victory. Still not out of this slump...

May 5th, 2018: Nothing.

May 6th, 2018: Same.

May 7th, 2018: An S6 and 9:37:38, ending on level 737, replacing the #3 slot on my Grandmaster Ranking. I'll call that good, but I'm over two-weeks from my previous S6 and may still not be out of a nearly month-long slump. I was playing a little better than usual today, but still not terribly well. Still, I'm glad to see an S6 again.

May 8th, 2018: Garbage

May 9th, 2018: I did not play well at all today. Managed a very slow S6 though.

May 10th, 2018: The slump is now a month long. Worse than normal play all day as well. It's absurd.

May 11th, 2018: Worse than Garbage

May 12th, 2018: A high, if slow, S6. A slower, lower, S6.

May 13th, 2018: My third S7 at 13:45:78, ending on level 936 with a score of 86210. That's a new level record for me and the second time seeing the 'star child' background. With weak play most of the day, this is a welcome surprise.

May 14th, 2018: Pretty bad play. A weak S5 is all I could manage.

May 15th, 2018: It's back to incredibly poor play. I managed an okay S5.

May 16th, 2018: Awful.

May 17th, 2018: Not any better.

May 18th, 2018: Started off with two S5's in a row. That was the highlight.

May 19th, 2018: Uninspired

May 20th, 2018: Same

May 21st, 2018: Garbage

May 22nd, 2018: My fourth S7 at 13:40:23 -- very low at 82506, level 886. Play felt 'steady' up through S5, then I was stuck playing in the upper half until I topped out.

May 23rd, 2018: It was bad

May 24th, 2018: Really bad

May 25th, 2018: S5 a couple times

May 26th, 2018: Meh

May 27th, 2018: Not well

May 28th, 2018: Terrible -- I'm losing interest. The endless poor play makes it difficult to keep trying. I'm doing worse than normal, I think, as I'm not paying much attention to the game or to my play.

May 29th, 2018: An S6. It's very welcome.

May 30th, 2018: An S5, some average play.

May 31st, 2018: An S5 and an S6 Not a bad day otherwise.

June 1st, 2018: Nothing special

June 2nd, 2018: A little weak

June 3rd, 2018

An unexpected S8. That comes with a new level record at 969 and the third time I've managed the 'star child' background. I played pretty low in the later part of the round and slowly climbed through S6 and S7 with mostly singles and doubles.

June 4th, 2018: An S6 in 9:12:78, not too bad. A much slower S6 a bit later.

June 5th, 2018: Not very good

June 6th, 2018: Started with an S5. Managed an S7 in 12:00:10 topping out on level 775.

June 7th, 2018: Worthless

June 8th, 2018: Started with an S6. That was the highlight.

June 9th, 2018: Not very good

June 10th, 2018: Started with an S6. That's where it ended.

June 11th, 2018: Nothing

June 12th, 2018: Nothing

June 13th, 2018: An S7 in 11:36:61 Nice

June 14th, 2018: No better than an S5

June 15th, 2018: A bad day all around

June 16th, 2018: No better than an S5

June 17th, 2018: Not very good at all

June 18th, 2018: I don't have high expectations for this week

June 19th, 2018: No good

June 20th, 2018: An S7. Nice.

June 21st, 2018: Not good at all

June 22nd, 2018: Some poor play, an S6, then more bad play

June 23rd, 2018: Started with an S6, that was as good as it got

June 24th, 2018: No better than an S5

June 25th, 2018: A few S5 rounds. Just scratched out an S6 by clearing a line and topping out on the very next block.

June 26th, 2018: Terrible play. A single S5

June 27th, 2018: An S6 after some awful play then another S6.

June 28th, 2018: Worst play imaginable. An S5 after much effort.

June 29th, 2018: A couple S5 rounds, a weak S6, a high S6, a weak S5, then a lot of really bad play. An S5 scratched out at the end of a terrible game.

June 30th, 2018: Poor play, then an S5. More bad play, then another S5. Ended with a high S5.

July 1st, 2018

An incredible start. My second S8 and the first time I've cleared level 999. Clearing 999 adds a green highlight to the ranking, which is also new. A few games later, I managed my third S8. Play was predictably, but unfortunately, poor for the rest of the day.

July 2nd, 2018: Terrible play. Scratched out an S6 at the end.

July 3rd, 2018: Again, horrible play. A few S5 games and an S6.

July 4th, 2018: Poor play. A couple S6 games. I managed my fourth S8, ending on level 965. Then a lot of very poor play.

July 5th, 2018: Terrible play. An S6. More awful play.

July 6th, 2018: Awful play, then an S6. Got a Bravo.

July 7th, 2018: Yet again, awful play then an S6. A frustrating theme.

July 8th, 2018: Frustrating play, no better than S5.

July 9th, 2018: Even worse. A very hard-fought S5 at the end.

July 10th, 2018: Started with an S7. It was down from there, barely scratching out an S5. Up a bit to just manage an S6. Terrible play from there after.

July 11th, 2018: An S6. Then nothing.

July 12th, 2018: More nothing, then a rough S6 just over level 800.

July 13th, 2018: A couple S5 games early on. That was it.

July 14th, 2018: Terrible, frustrating, play, then a high S6.

July 15th, 2018: Terrible, frustrating, play, with no redeeming round.

July 16th, 2018: Still terrible play, barely scratched out an S6.

July 17th, 2018: Not great, still managed a couple S6 rounds.

July 18th, 2018: Nothing

July 19th, 2018: An S6, nothing else.

July 20th, 2018: An S6, a high S6, that's all.

July 21st, 2018: Nothing

July 22nd, 2018: Nothing again

July 23rd, 2018: An S6

July 24th, 2018: Started with an S7. That was nice, but the best today.

July 25th, 2018: Weak, just a few S5 games.

July 26th, 2018: disgusting

July 27th, 2018: A very long and slow S6

July 28th, 2018: An S6

July 29th, 2018: awful

July 30th, 2018: worse

July 31st, 2018: Nothing

August 1st, 2018: Still Nothing

August 2nd, 2018: A couple of S5 rounds

August 3rd, 2018: A few S5, terrible otherwise. This slump needs to end.

August 4th, 2018: This is absurd.

August 5th, 2018: A very rough S6.

August 6th, 2018: After an incredibly long slump, I managed my fifth S8 and the second time I've cleared level 999. I ended at 15:27:55 with a score of 114968 (S8 time a slow 14:34:28).

August 7th, 2018: Started with an S7, hitting level 954, and a Bravo. The Bravo icon and count for that game appear on the Ranking screen, which I hadn't noticed before. Another S7 shortly after.

August 8th, 2018: A weak S6.

August 9th, 2018: A weak S6, again. Another couple S6 rounds later.

August 10th, 2018: A few S6 rounds.

August 11th, 2018: Started with an S6, followed by another.

August 12th, 2018: Again, started with an S6. That was all.

August 13th, 2018: A really ugly S7.

August 14th, 2018: yuck

August 15th, 2018: nothing

August 16th, 2018: A messy S6.

August 17th, 2018: No better than S5

August 18th, 2018: Started with an S5

August 19th, 2018: Still suck on S5

August 20th, 2018: Awful.

August 21st, 2018: A weak S6

August 22nd, 2018: An S7, topping out on level 966. Still, I felt like I was playing very poorly through the whole run. The next run was better, my sixth S8, topping out on level 998, though it still didn't seem like I was playing particularly well.

August 23rd, 2018: A poor S6

August 24th, 2018: A crummy S7, 89157 in 15:26:35, topping out on level 983; it was a terrible game of survival.

August 25th, 2018: Really good play through S5, then it all fell apart. That's it.

August 26th, 2018: A weak couple S7 runs. I cleared level 999 for the third time, just after hitting S8 (score of 104302), ending in 15:09:45.

August 27th, 2018: A couple S6 runs.

August 28th, 2018: An S7.

August 29th, 2018: No better than S5.

August 30th, 2018: just bad

August 31st, 2018: A great start. I cleared 999 for the fourth time, shortly after hitting S8, with a score of 106873, ending in 16:07:20

September 1st, 2018: Nothing

September 2nd, 2018: A weak S7.

September 3rd, 2018: A couple S7 runs.

September 4th, 2018: Nothing

September 5th, 2018: A really bad S6.

September 6th, 2018: An S7 in survival, topping out on level 948.

September 7th, 2018: Nothing

September 8th, 2018: A rough S7

September 9th, 2018: Nothing

September 10th, 2018: A couple S6, terrible

September 11th, 2018: A couple S7 runs.

September 12th, 2018: An S8 (14:12:46), clearing 999 for the fifth time, with a score of 116808, ending in 15:21:90 -- A second S8 (14:48:60), clearing 999 for the sixth time, with a score of 105156, ending in 15:16:33

September 13th, 2018: No better than an S7

September 14th, 2018: really bad

September 15th, 2018: no better

September 16th, 2018: still awful

September 17th, 2018: Turned a terrible start into a good S8.

September 18th, 2018: A few S6 runs, a lot of terrible play.

September 19th, 2018: A hard S7.

September 20th, 2018: An S7. A lot of terrible play. An S8 (14:13:70), clearing 999 for the seventh time, with a score of 113258, ending in 15:25:35

September 21st, 2018: With very poor play, I cleared 999 for the eighth time with an S7. An S8 (13:12:63), clearing 999 for the ninth time, with a score of 118137, ending in 14:55:25

September 22nd, 2018: A lot of really terrible play. A few poor S6 and one weak S7.

September 23rd, 2018: disgusting play. total garbage

September 24th, 2018: trash

September 25th, 2018: A hard-fought, and very low, S8. Not much otherwise.

September 26th, 2018: --- I didn't play today

September 27th, 2018: A couple S7 runs. Not terribly great play.

September 28th, 2018: A high S7, a miss-drop killed the run.

September 29th, 2018: An S8 (14:41:01), clearing 999 for the tenth time, with a score of 109624, ending in 15:11:83

September 30th, 2018: Nothing

October 1st, 2018: Nothing

October 2nd, 2018: Nothing, a couple S6 runs

October 3rd, 2018: A weak S8.

October 4th, 2018: An S8 (14:30:81), clearing 999 for the eleventh time, with a score of 109196, ending in 14:57:06

October 5th, 2018: An S7.

October 6th, 2018: Nothing

October 7th, 2018

My first S9, but not by much. I cleared the grade on the same line that cleared level 999 (for the twelfth time) in 14:50:68 with a score of 120330.

October 8th, 2018: As expected, very poor play.

October 9th, 2018: My second S9 (14:03:21), clearing 999 for the thirteenth time, with a score of 140364, ending in 15:03:30

October 10th, 2018: A weak S8, clearing 999 for the fourteenth time. I didn't record the the time and score, though it was around 15:15 at 103k.

October 11th, 2018: No better than S7.

October 12th, 2018: A lot of ridiculously bad play. I managed an S8 (12:24:33), in theory my best as it displaced my third-place game in the Grandmaster ranking. Still, it was an ugly slog in the upper third of the board from S6 until the end (level 966).

October 13th, 2018: After some of the worst play since January, I managed an high S8 (13:15:28) with a score of 118374, clearing 999 for the fifteenth time in 14:56:86. A weaker S8 (14:16:83), clearing 999 for the sixteenth time, with a fun score of 111234, ending in 15:21:66.

October 14th, 2018: The absurdly bad play continued. I managed my third S9 (14:46:08), clearing 999 for the seventeenth time, with a score of 125917, ending in 14:47:51

October 15th, 2018: A good S8 in 12:17:48; I played really well until the end. Everthing that followed was terrible. I ended with an S8, clearing 999 for the eighteenth time, with a score of 106787, ending in 15:12:28

October 16th, 2018: disgusting play. No redeeming game today.

October 17th, 2018: Again, unimaginably bad play, yet ... I managed my fourth S9 (14:29:70), clearing 999 for the nineteenth time, with a score of 125624, ending in 14:55:10 That was followed by even worse play. It's like I forgot how to play the game. It's very frustrating.

October 18th, 2018: worse play than any other day this year -- I can't even begin to explain that. It's beyond frustrating.

October 19th, 2018: An S8 early today, clearing 999 for the twentieth time, with a score of 109913, ending in 15:45:40. Everything after was terrible.

October 20th, 2018: Nothing

October 21st, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the twenty-first time, with a score of 101133, ending in 14:51:08.

October 22nd, 2018: No better than an S7

October 23rd, 2018: A poor S8.

October 24th, 2018: Poor play, no better than S7

October 25th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the twenty-second time, with a score of 104265, ending in 15:04:30.

October 26th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the twenty-third time, with a score of 112195, ending in 14:47:36.

October 27th, 2018: No better than S7

October 28th, 2018: My fifth S9 (13:32:76), clearing 999 for the twenty-fourth time, with a score of 140483, ending in 15:28:08. I felt like I played really well. I even managed S9 before level 900 for the first time.

October 29th, 2018: Not great

October 30th, 2018: An S8 (13:52:98), clearing 999 for the twenty-fifth time, with a score of 114727, ending in 15:04:28. Another S8 (13:48:51), clearing 999 for the twenty-sixth time, with a score of 118522, ending in 15:13:93. Another S8 (13:46:10), clearing 999 for the twenty-seventh time, with a score of 110224, ending in 15:08:96. Another S8, clearing 999 for the twenty-eighth time, with a score of 105209, ending in 15:21:65.

October 31st, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the twenty-ninth time, with a score of 108576, ending in 15:22:33.

November 1st, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 30th time, with a score of 118466, ending in 15:25:45.

November 2nd, 2018: A poor S8, really bad play otherwise.

November 3rd, 2018: Garbage

November 4th, 2018: My sixth S9 (14:22:38), clearing 999 for the 31st time, with a score of 131508, ending in 15:13:15.

November 5th, 2018: My seventh S9 (13:43:73), clearing 999 for the 32nd time, with a score of 139671, ending in 15:20:25. I hit S9 on the same line that I hit level 900.

November 6th, 2018: Nothing

November 7th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 33rd time, with a score of 116743, ending in 15:34:05. Another S8, clearing 999 for the 34th time, with a score of 104471, ending in 14:59:11.

November 8th, 2018: Really bad play

November 9th, 2018: Nothing

November 10th, 2018: Still Nothing

November 11th, 2018: Nothing

November 12th, 2018: My eighth S9 (13:57:36), clearing 999 for the 35th time, with a score of 129393, ending in 15:14:18.

November 13th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 36th time, with a score of 119221, ending in 14:51:95.

November 14th, 2018: An S8 (15:06:96), clearing 999 for the 37th time, with a score of 102222, ending in 15:20:58.

November 15th, 2018: Garbage

November 16th, 2018: An S8 (14:34:76), clearing 999 for the 38th time, with a score of 105953, ending in 14:53:98.

November 17th, 2018: An S8 (13:50:81), clearing 999 for the 39th time, with a score of 114443, ending in 14:59:65.

November 18th, 2018: Terrible

November 19th, 2018: My ninth S9 (13:54:43), clearing 999 for the 40th time, with a score of 133400, ending in 14:50:36.

November 20th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 41st time, with a score of 101610, ending in 15:11:13.

November 21st, 2018: Nothing

November 22nd, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 42nd time, with a score of 109681, ending in 15:22:21.

November 23rd, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 43rd time, with a score of 104722, ending in 15:07:03.

November 24th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 44th time, with a score of 106585, ending in 15:35:71. An S8, clearing 999 for the 45th time, with a score of 115437, ending in 15:12:08.

November 25th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 46th time, with a score of 113174, ending in 15:13:01. An S8, clearing 999 for the 47th time, with a score of 110963, ending in 14:57:75. An S8, clearing 999 for the 48th time, with a score of 110680, ending in 14:44:10.

November 26th, 2018: Not bad, nothing notable

November 27th, 2018: My tenth S9 (13:10:68), clearing 999 for the 49th time, with a score of 139740, ending in 14:52:25. I was my best run so far, even hitting S8 in the 700's and S9 in the 800's.

November 28th, 2018

This ends the first year. An S8, clearing 999 for the 50th time, with a score of 113215, ending in 15:16:45. An S8, clearing 999 for the 51st time, with a score of 112590, ending in 14:51:66.

November 29th, 2018: Nothing

November 30th, 2018: My 11th S9 (on the last line 15:03:86), clearing 999 for the 52nd time, with a score of 120792, ending in 15:03:86.

December 1st, 2018: Nothing

December 2nd, 2018: Terrible

December 3rd, 2018: Okay, not great.

December 4th, 2018: Awful

December 5th, 2018: Even worse.

December 6th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 53rd time, with a score of 106036, ending in 15:03:05.

December 7th, 2018: My 12th S9, 13:26:91, ending in 14:47:46 on level 973 with a score of 128847. Weird.

December 8th, 2018: Awful

December 9th, 2018: Terrible

December 10th, 2018: Ugh

December 11th, 2018: Still very poor

December 12th, 2018: My 13th S9, clearing 999 for the 54th time, with a score of 134144, ending in 15:03:11.

December 13th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 55th time, with a score of 118154, ending in 15:12:60.

December 14th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 56th time, with a score of 118344, ending in 14:49:18.

December 15th, 2018: Nothing

December 16th, 2018: Nothing

December 17th, 2018: Nothing

December 18th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 57th time, with a score of 119045, ending in 15:35:65.

December 19th, 2018: My 14th S9, 13:45:76, ending in 15:03:46 on level 972 with a score of 128992. Still weird.

December 20th, 2018: Nothing

December 21st, 2018: Nothing

December 22nd, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 58th time, with a score of 110923, ending in 14:44:71.

December 23rd, 2018: Nothing

December 24th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 59th time, with a score of 109190, ending in 15:22:16.

December 25th, 2018: An S8, clearing 999 for the 60th time, with a score of 111260, ending in 15:23:05.

December 26th, 2018: Nothing

December 27th, 2018: My 15th S9, 14:31:45, clearing 999 for the 61st time, with a score of 127657, ending in 15:16:35.

December 28th, 2018: Nothing

December 29th, 2018: Nothing

December 30th, 2018: Nothing

December 31st, 2018: My 16th S9, 15:17:36, clearing 999 for the 62nd time, with a score of 122260, ending in 15:32:85.

January 1st, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 63rd time, with a score of 115357, ending in 15:13:48.

January 2nd, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 64th time, with a score of 98101, ending in 15:19:95. My 17th S9, 14:18:45, clearing 999 for the 65th time, with a score of 124640, ending in 14:49:75. An S8, clearing 999 for the 66th time, with a score of 110792, ending in 15:24:85.

January 3rd, 2019: My 18th S9, 13:56:16, clearing 999 for the 67th time, with a score of 130118, ending in 14:44:36. An S8, clearing 999 for the 68th time, with a score of 105583, ending in 15:19:68. My 19th S9, 14:13:46, clearing 999 for the 69th time, with a score of 132814, ending in 15:08:46. My 20th S9, clearing 999 for the 70th time, with a score of 128560, ending in 14:55:75. An S8, clearing 999 for the 71st time, with a score of 115596, ending in 14:46:90.

January 4th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 72nd time, with a score of 107351, ending in 15:05:00.

January 5th, 2019: Nothing

January 6th, 2019: Nothing

January 7th, 2019: Nothing

January 8th, 2019: An S8, 12:54:21, clearing 999 for the 73rd time, with a score of 118370, ending in 15:08:00. An S8, 14:16:00, clearing 999 for the 74th time, with a score of 109446, ending in 15:06:63. An S8, 14:42:65, clearing 999 for the 75th time, with a score of 112008, ending in 15:28:30.

January 9th, 2019: An S8, 14:41:26, clearing 999 for the 76th time, with a score of 111663, ending in 15:41:38.

January 10th, 2019: An S8, 13:30:01, clearing 999 for the 77th time, with a score of 107353, ending in 14:36:68. An S8, 13:22:41, clearing 999 for the 78th time, with a score of 116908, ending in 14:59:50.

January 11th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 79th time, with a score of 101205, ending in 15:09:28. My 21st S9, 15:16:98, clearing 999 for the 80th time, with a score of 127055, ending in 15:45:40. An S7, clearing 999 for the 81st time, with a score of 96523, ending in 14:53:30.

January 12th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 82nd time, with a score of 111650, ending in 15:14:95. An S8, clearing 999 for the 83rd time, with a score of 108378, ending in 14:59:75.

January 13th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 84th time, with a score of 104553, ending in 15:22:80.

January 14th, 2019: Nothing

January 15th, 2019: Nothing

January 16th, 2019: My 22nd S9, 14:04:63, clearing 999 for the 85th time, with a score of 139159, ending in 15:44:18. My 23rd S9, 15:09:45, clearing 999 for the 86th time, with a score of 121342, ending in 15:15:86.

January 17th, 2019: Nothing. A lot of S8 900+ games, I just couldn't manage the last few levels.

January 18th, 2019: Nothing

January 19th, 2019: Nothing

January 20th, 2019: My 24th S9, 14:55:45, clearing 999 for the 87th time, with a score of 120841, ending in 14:59:40.

January 21st, 2019: Nothing

January 22nd, 2019: Nothing

January 23rd, 2019: Nothing

January 24th, 2019: Nothing

January 25th, 2019: Nothing

January 26th, 2019: Nothing

January 27th, 2019: Nothing - a very frustrating slump

January 28th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 88th time, with a score of 113275, ending in 15:12:03.

January 29th, 2019: Nothing

January 30th, 2019: My 25th S9, 13:33:83, clearing 999 for the 89th time, with a score of 139423, ending in 15:07:13.

January 31st, 2019: Nothing

February 1st, 2019: My 26th S9, 13:41:91, ending in 14:46:08 on level 978 with a score of 130437.

February 2nd, 2019: Nothing

February 3rd, 2019: My 27th S9, clearing 999 for the 90th time, with a score of 125831, ending in 14:47:81.

February 4th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 91st time, with a score of 113489, ending in 15:02:91.

February 5th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 92nd time, with a score of 114098, ending in 14:45:10.

February 6th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 93rd time, with a score of 117397, ending in 15:04:38.

February 7th, 2019: Nothing

February 8th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 94th time, with a score of 105375, ending in 15:15:95. An S8, clearing 999 for the 95th time, with a score of 114631, ending in 15:11:65.

February 9th, 2019: My 28th S9, clearing 999 for the 96th time, with a score of 121770, ending in 15:08:33.

February 10th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 97th time, with a score of 106705, ending in 15:05:01. An S8, clearing 999 for the 98th time, with a score of 114760, ending in 15:15:76. An S8, clearing 999 for the 99th time, with a score of 106321, ending in 15:31:20.

February 11th, 2019: My 29th S9, 13:41:08, clearing 999 for the 100th time, with a score of 137590, ending in 15:39:96.

February 12th, 2019: Nothing

February 13th, 2019: Nothing

February 14th, 2019: Nothing

February 15th, 2019: My 30th S9, 13:17:16, ending in 15:03:45 on level 998 with a score of 135031.

February 16th, 2019: My 31st S9, ending in 15:26:40 on level 993 with a score of 121610.

February 17th, 2019: Nothing

February 18th, 2019: Nothing

February 19th, 2019: My 32nd S9, 14:57:78, clearing 999 (on the last line) for the 101st time, with a score of 123135, ending in 14:57:78.

February 20th, 2019: My 33rd S9, 13:29:55, clearing 999 for the 102nd time, with a score of 134241, ending in 15:08:71.

February 21st, 2019: Nothing

February 22nd, 2019: --- I didn't play today

February 23rd, 2019: Awful

February 24th, 2019: Worse

February 25th, 2019: My 34th S9, 13:56:55, clearing 999 for the 103rd time, with a score of 133538, ending in 15:06:68.

February 26th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 104th time, with a score of 109797, ending in 14:58:01.

February 27th, 2019: Nothing

February 28th, 2019: My 35th S9, 14:43:65, clearing 999 for the 105th time, with a score of 126548, ending in 15:10:31. My 36th S9, 14:37:10, clearing 999 for the 106th time, with a score of 125899, ending in 15:36:16.

March 1st, 2019: Nothing

March 2nd, 2019: Nothing

March 3rd, 2019: Nothing

March 4th, 2019: My 37th S9, 12:31:03, ending in 14:38:95 on level 953 with a score of 137476.

March 5th, 2019: garbage

March 6th, 2019: worse

March 7th, 2019: ugh

March 8th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 107th time, with a score of 117075, ending in 14:44:86.

March 9th, 2019: My 38th S9, 14:01:68, clearing 999 for the 108th time, with a score of 140978, ending in 15:12:13.

March 10th, 2019: Nothing

March 11th, 2019: An S8, 13:35:93, clearing 999 for the 109th time, with a score of 116282, ending in 15:13:95.

March 12th, 2019: My 39th S9, 14:30:01, ending in 14:55:30 on level 998 with a score of 123317.

March 13th, 2019: Nothing

March 14th, 2019: My 40th S9, 13:38:70, ending in 15:08:03 on level 983 with a score of 129455. An S7, 12:56:91, clearing 999 for the 110th time, with a score of 97544, ending in 14:58:90.

March 15th, 2019: Nothing

March 16th, 2019: Nothing

March 17th, 2019: An S8, 13:53:03, clearing 999 for the 111th time, with a score of 114772, ending in 15:18:65.

March 18th, 2019: Ugh...

March 19th, 2019: My 41st S9, 13:42:73, clearing 999 for the 112th time, with a score of 150995, ending in 15:27:41.

March 20th, 2019: Nothing

March 21st, 2019: Nothing

March 22nd, 2019: Nothing

March 23rd, 2019: Nothing

March 24th, 2019: My 42nd S9, 12:52:15, clearing 999 for the 113th time, with a score of 143416, ending in 14:55:01.

March 25th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 114th time, with a score of 118972, ending in 15:36:83. My 43rd S9, clearing 999 for the 115th time, with a score of 137871, ending in 15:09:10 My 44th S9, clearing 999 for the 116th time, with a score of 136083, ending in 14:53:03

March 26th, 2019: My 45th S9, clearing 999 for the 117th time, with a score of 154034, ending in 15:09:78

March 27th, 2019: My 46th S9, clearing 999 for the 118th time, with a score of 126694, ending in 15:14:26

March 28th, 2019: Nothing

March 29th, 2019: My 47th S9, 13:36:56, ending in 15:10:50 on level 982 with a score of 131098.

March 30th, 2019: An S8, 14:00:25, clearing 999 for the 119th time, with a score of 109157, ending in 15:03:26. My 48th S9, clearing 999 for the 120th time, with a score of 126236, ending in 15:31:66

March 31st, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 121st time, with a score of 101355, ending in 15:15:28.

April 1st, 2019: My 49th S9, 13:13:18, clearing 999 for the 122nd time, with a score of 145720, ending in 14:56:00. My 50th S9, 14:33:65, clearing 999 for the 123nd time, with a score of 128086, ending in 15:01:00

April 2nd, 2019: My 51st S9, clearing 999 for the 124th time, with a score of 122682, ending in 14:45:81

April 3rd, 2019: My 52nd S9, 15:08:60, clearing 999 for the 125th time, with a score of 120655, ending in 15:12:46. My 53rd S9, 15:06:38, clearing 999 for the 126th time, with a score of 125535, ending in 15:06:38. My 54th S9, 14:18:73, clearing 999 for the 127th time, with a score of 139361, ending in 15:07:61

April 4th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 128th time, with a score of 118172, ending in 14:36:46. My 55th S9, 14:07:63, clearing 999 for the 129th time, with a score of 130929, ending in 15:07:63. My 56th S9, clearing 999 for the 130th time, with a score of 120684, ending in 15:07:51

April 5th, 2019: My 57th S9, 14:06:90, clearing 999 for the 131st time, with a score of 136871, ending in 14:58:45. An S8, clearing 999 for the 132nd time, with a score of 100177, ending in 15:15:48.

April 6th, 2019: Nothing

April 7th, 2019: Nothing

April 8th, 2019: Nothing

April 9th, 2019: Nothing

April 10th, 2019: Nothing

April 11th, 2019: My 58th S9, 13:22:30, clearing 999 for the 133rd time, with a score of 142759, ending in 15:18:21.

April 12th, 2019: An S7, 13:08:80, clearing 999 for the 134th time, with a score of 98542, ending in 15:13:70.

April 13th, 2019: Garbage

April 14th, 2019: An S8, 13:12:05, clearing 999 for the 135th time, with a score of 116197, ending in 14:46:28. An S8, 13:33:30, clearing 999 for the 136th time, with a score of 118619, ending in 14:22:46.

April 15th, 2019: My 59th S9, 13:44:63, ending in 15:22:18 on level 998 with a score of 127009.

April 16th, 2019: Nothing

April 17th, 2019: Garbage

April 18th, 2019: My 60th S9, 14:57:90, clearing 999 for the 137th time, with a score of 121289, ending in 14:57:90.

April 19th, 2019: Nothing

April 20th, 2019: An S8, 14:52:33, clearing 999 for the 138th time, with a score of 105842, ending in 15:33:11.

April 21st, 2019: An S8, 14:14:96, clearing 999 for the 139th time, with a score of 105992, ending in 15:08:78.

April 22nd, 2019: Nothing

April 23rd, 2019: My 61st S9, 15:06:75, clearing 999 for the 140th time, with a score of 123215, ending in 15:13:10.

April 24th, 2019: Nothing

April 25th, 2019: My 62nd S9, 13:03:01, clearing 999 for the 141st time, with a score of 141265, ending in 14:52:58.

April 26th, 2019: Nothing

April 27th, 2019: Nothing

April 28th, 2019: Nothing

April 29th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 142nd time, with a score of 107586, ending in 14:02:43.

April 30th, 2019: An S8, 14:06:06, clearing 999 for the 143rd time, with a score of 116238, ending in 15:15:16. An S7, 14:20:81, clearing 999 for the 144th time, with a score of 85511, ending in 15:00:63.

May 1st, 2019: An S8, 14:24:41, clearing 999 for the 145th time, with a score of 108214, ending in 14:56:58.

May 2nd, 2019: Nothing

May 3rd, 2019: Nothing

May 4th, 2019: Nothing

May 5th, 2019: An S8, 13:57:06, clearing 999 for the 146th time, with a score of 113967, ending in 15:03:58.

May 6th, 2019: Nothing

May 7th, 2019: My 63rd S9, 14:29:16, clearing 999 for the 147th time, with a score of 123469, ending in 14:45:58.

May 8th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 148th time, with a score of 109751, ending in 15:17:81.

May 9th, 2019: Nothing

May 10th, 2019: My 64th S9, 14:53:83, clearing 999 for the 149th time, with a score of 127866, ending in 15:02:81.

May 11th, 2019: Nothing

May 12th, 2019: Nothing

May 13th, 2019: Nothing

May 14th, 2019: Nothing

May 15th, 2019: It's getting really bad.

May 16th, 2019: Nothing

May 17th, 2019: Nothing

May 18th, 2019: Nothing

May 19th, 2019: Not great, but an S8, clearing 999 for the 150th time, with a score of 114904, ending in 15:02:13. I've been playing really poorly for the past three weeks. I don't know why.

May 20th, 2019: It's frustrating. All I could manage was an S7, clearing 999 for the 151st time, with a score of 98984, ending in 14:49:50.

May 21st, 2019: Awful

May 22nd, 2019: Awful

May 23rd, 2019: Unimaginably bad play over the past few days. I'm playing about as well as the slump I was in this same time last year. It's like I've made no progress. It's very frustrating.

May 24th, 2019: A little better, but still not great. An S8, 14:25:38, clearing 999 for the 152nd time, with a score of 102202, ending in 15:11:46.

May 25th, 2019: An S8, 14:03:03, clearing 999 for the 153rd time, with a score of 106690, ending in 14:47:53.

May 26th, 2019: An S8, 14:31:33, clearing 999 for the 154th time, with a score of 105138, ending in 15:13:06.

May 27th, 2019: Nothing

May 28th, 2019: My 65th S9, 13:52:50, clearing 999 for the 155th time, with a score of 135000, ending in 15:02:58. My 66th S9, 12:51:40, clearing 999 for the 156th time, with a score of 141579, ending in 14:40:30.

May 29th, 2019: Nothing

May 30th, 2019: Nothing

May 31st, 2019: Nothing

June 1st, 2019: My 67th S9, 13:18:25, clearing 999 for the 157th time, with a score of 131671, ending in 14:08:28.

June 2nd, 2019: Nothing

June 3rd, 2019: My 68th S9, 13:34:21, clearing 999 for the 158th time, with a score of 127268, ending in 14:19:78.

June 4rd, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 159th time, with a score of 101672, ending in 14:46:90. My 69th S9, clearing 999 for the 160th time, with a score of 124177, ending in 14:12:60.

June 5nd, 2019: Nothing

June 6th, 2019: Nothing

June 7th, 2019: ---

June 8th, 2019: An S8, 13:25:93, clearing 999 for the 161st time, with a score of 113714, ending in 14:42:88.

June 9th, 2019: Nothing

June 10th, 2019: Nothing

June 11th, 2019: Nothing

June 12th, 2019: Nothing

June 13th, 2019: Nothing

June 14th, 2019: Nothing

June 15th, 2019: Nothing

June 16th, 2019: Nothing

June 17th, 2019: What is going on?

June 18th, 2019: Nothing

June 19th, 2019: An S8, 14:19:28, clearing 999 for the 162nd time, with a score of 104949, ending in 14:31:21.

June 20th, 2019: My 69th S9, 13:50:93, clearing 999 for the 163rd time, with a score of 136030, ending in 14:43:58.

June 21st, 2019: Nothing

June 22nd, 2019: An S8, 13:22:96, clearing 999 for the 164th time, with a score of 107161, ending in 14:12:55.

June 23rd, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 165th time, with a score of 113322, ending in 14:00:06.

June 24th, 2019: Nothing

June 25th, 2019: Nothing

June 26th, 2019: Nothing

June 27th, 2019: Nothing

June 28th, 2019: ---

June 29th, 2019: An S8, 12:50:36, clearing 999 for the 166th time, with a score of 116032, ending in 13:57:01.

June 30th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 167th time, with a score of 103726, ending in 14:01:90.

July 1st, 2019: Nothing

July 2nd, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 168th time, with a score of 108753, ending in 14:09:00. An S7, clearing 999 for the 169th time, with a score of 98038, ending in 14:23:08.

July 3rd, 2019: ---

July 4th, 2019: Nothing

July 5th, 2019: Nothing

July 6th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 170th time, with a score of 110387, ending in 14:24:43.

July 7th, 2019: Nothing

July 8th, 2019: Nothing

July 9th, 2019: Nothing

July 10th, 2019: Nothing

July 11th, 2019: Nothing

July 12th, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 171st time, with a score of 98075, ending in 14:19:10.

July 13th, 2019: My 70th S9, 14:20:23, clearing 999 for the 172nd time, with a score of 121059, ending in 14:40:25.

July 14th, 2019: My 71st S9, 13:38:21, clearing 999 for the 173rd time, with a score of 124863, ending in 13:46:00.

July 15th, 2019: My 72nd S9, 13:54:75, clearing 999 for the 174th time, with a score of 124118, ending in 14:04:13.

July 16th, 2019: Nothing

July 17th, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 175th time, with a score of 97809, ending in 15:00:65.

July 18th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 176th time, with a score of 116540, ending in 14:31:03.

July 19th, 2019: Nothing

July 20th, 2019: Nothing

July 21st, 2019: Nothing

July 22nd, 2019: Nothing

July 23rd, 2019: My 73rd S9, 14:19:88, clearing 999 for the 177th time, with a score of 121591, ending in 14:25:86. An S8, clearing 999 for the 178th time, with a score of 117154, ending in 14:15:03.

July 24th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 179th time, with a score of 109798, ending in 15:03:71.

July 25th, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 180th time, with a score of 97506, ending in 13:47:66.

July 26th, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 181st time, with a score of 93995, ending in 14:47:93.

July 27th, 2019: Nothing

July 28th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 182nd time, with a score of 116317, ending in 14:11:08.

July 29th, 2019: An S8, 12:11:76, clearing 999 for the 183rd time, with a score of 113690, ending in 13:50:41. An S8, 13:19:68, clearing 999 for the 184th time, with a score of 106741, ending in 14:05:71. An S8, 13:52:00, clearing 999 for the 185th time, with a score of 104791, ending in 14:00:65.

July 30th, 2019: Nothing

July 31st, 2019: Nothing

August 1st, 2019: An S8, 13:07:26, clearing 999 for the 186th time, with a score of 119920, ending in 14:18:71.

August 2nd, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 187th time, with a score of 92423, ending in 14:01:25.

August 3rd, 2019: An S8, 12:37:15, clearing 999 for the 188th time, with a score of 114464, ending in 14:17:05.

August 4th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 188th time, with a score of 118630, ending in 14:07:06.

August 5th, 2019: Nothing

August 6th, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 189th time, with a score of 95243, ending in 14:15:50. My 74th S9, 14:25:03, clearing 999 for the 190th time, with a score of 124204, ending in 14:32:15.

August 7th, 2019: An S8, 13:18:50p, clearing 999 for the 191st time, with a score of 106518, ending in 14:05:11.

August 8th, 2019: My 75th S9, 13:59:83, clearing 999 for the 192nd time, with a score of 125668, ending in 14:09:85.

August 9th, 2019: Nothing

August 10th, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 193rd time, with a score of 97648, ending in 14:44:18. Terrible.

August 11th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 194th time, with a score of 118685, ending in 14:41:15.

August 12th, 2019: Nothing

August 13th, 2019: Nothing

August 14th, 2019: My 76th S9, 13:34:13, clearing 999 for the 195th time, with a score of 123368, ending in 13:51:18.

August 15th, 2019: Nothing

August 16th, 2019: Nothing

August 17th, 2019: Nothing

August 18th, 2019: My 77th S9, 13:36:53, clearing 999 for the 196th time, with a score of 131850, ending in 14:41:03.

August 19th, 2019: My 78th S9, 12:47:00, clearing 999 for the 197th time, with a score of 138164, ending in 13:55:05.

August 20th, 2019: Nothing

August 21st, 2019: An S8, 12:21:85, clearing 999 for the 198th time, with a score of 111987, ending in 14:05:91.

August 22nd, 2019: Nothing

August 23rd, 2019: Nothing

August 24th, 2019: Nothing

August 25th, 2019: An S7, 13:33:65, clearing 999 for the 199th time, with a score of 97547, ending in 14:50:01.

August 26th, 2019: Nothing

August 27th, 2019: Nothing

August 28th, 2019: Nothing

August 29th, 2019: My 79th S9, 12:42:06, clearing 999 for the 200th time, with a score of 138086, ending in 14:04:36.

August 30th, 2019: Nothing

August 31st, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 201st time, with a score of 92846, ending in 14:38:73.

September 1st, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 202nd time, with a score of 102353, ending in 14:45:45. My 80th S9, 12:30:08, clearing 999 for the 203rd time, with a score of 136263, ending in 14:24:33. This finally beats my top time, from March 4th.

September 2nd, 2019: Nothing

September 3rd, 2019: An S8, 13:07:93, clearing 999 for the 204th time, with a score of 111093, ending in 13:47:83.

September 4th, 2019: An S8, 12:57:81, clearing 999 for the 205th time, with a score of 113803, ending in 14:01:18.

September 5th, 2019: Nothing

September 6th, 2019: Nothing

September 7th, 2019: An S8, 13:15:13, clearing 999 for the 206th time, with a score of 116683, ending in 14:19:41.

September 8th, 2019: Nothing

September 9th, 2019: Nothing

September 10th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 207th time, with a score of 104487, ending in 14:49:26.

September 11th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 208th time, with a score of 113898, ending in 14:27:46.

September 12th, 2019: Nothing

September 13th, 2019: Nothing

September 14th, 2019: Nothing

September 15th, 2019: Nothing

September 16th, 2019: An S8, 13:47:41, clearing 999 for the 209th time, with a score of 109938, ending in 14:17:13.

September 17th, 2019: Nothing

September 18th, 2019: Nothing

September 19th, 2019: An S8, 14:03:08, clearing 999 for the 210th time, with a score of 106040, ending in 14:28:68.

September 20th, 2019: My 81st S9, 14:12:10, clearing 999 for the 211th time, with a score of 128175, ending in 14:32:05.

September 21st, 2019: An S8, 14:11:13, clearing 999 for the 212th time, with a score of 108310, ending in 15:19:96. An S8, 14:10:06, clearing 999 for the 213th time, with a score of 104427, ending in 14:45:30.

September 22nd, 2019: Nothing

September 23rd, 2019: My 82nd S9, 14:15:91, clearing 999 for the 214th time, with a score of 133388, ending in 14:44:05.

September 24th, 2019: Nothing

September 25th, 2019: Nothing

September 26th, 2019: An S8, 14:26:00, clearing 999 for the 215th time, with a score of 113857, ending in 15:06:46. An S8, 13:52:05, clearing 999 for the 216th time, with a score of 112997, ending in 14:58:61.

September 27th, 2019: Nothing

September 28th, 2019: Nothing

September 29th, 2019: Nothing

September 30th, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 217th time, with a score of 98246, ending in 15:14:28. An S8, clearing 999 for the 218th time, with a score of 112570, ending in 14:41:33. An S8, clearing 999 for the 219th time, with a score of 105291, ending in 13:44:15.

October 1st, 2019: An S8, 12:34:85, clearing 999 for the 220th time, with a score of 116912, ending in 14:07:70. My 82nd S9, 12:29:36, ending on line 986 in 13:32:88 with a score of 133575.

October 2nd, 2019: My 83rd S9, 13:31:06, clearing 999 for the 221st time with a score of 124144 ending in 13:57:36.

October 3rd, 2019: An S8, 14:03:81, clearing 999 for the 222nd time, with a score of 103860, ending in 14:31:08.

October 4th, 2019: An S8, 13:45:23, clearing 999 for the 223rd time, with a score of 115596, ending in 15:05:93. An S8, 13:16:96, clearing 999 for the 224th time, with a score of 112099, ending in 14:37:60. An S8, 13:42:08, clearing 999 for the 225th time, with a score of 108095, ending in 14:21:86.

October 5th, 2018

My 84th S9, 12:04:40, clearing 999 for the 226th time with a score of 145837 ending in 13:24:73. This is the first time I've cleared 999 in under 13:30. I must have missed one of the other requirements.

October 6th, 2019: An S8, 12:46:88, clearing 999 for the 227th time, with a score of 110436, ending in 13:32:68.

October 7th, 2019

One year since my first S9. It really looks like a year without any progress.

October 8th, 2019: An S8, 13:15:03, clearing 999 for the 228th time, with a score of 111371, ending in 14:41:10.

October 9th, 2019: My 85th S9, 13:34:88, clearing 999 for the 229th time with a score of 125513 ending in 14:02:61.

October 10th, 2019

My 86th S9, 11:51:30, clearing 999 for the 230th time with a score of 143013 ending in 13:30:76. So close...

October 11th, 2019: An S8, 13:24:48, clearing 999 for the 231st time, with a score of 105290, ending in 14:04:31.

October 12th, 2019: My 87th S9, 12:03:48, though I failed to clear 999 the time was fast enough to replace my 2nd place grandmaster ranking.

October 13th, 2019: An S8, 13:39:33, clearing 999 for the 232nd time, with a score of 112248, ending in 14:29:00. My 88th S9, 13:16:98, clearing 999 for the 233rd time with a score of 138695 ending in 14:24:25.

October 14th, 2019: An S7, clearing 999 for the 234th time, with a score of 87095, ending in 13:45:56. An S8, clearing 999 for the 235th time, with a score of 111375, ending in 13:30:01. An S8, 12:21:21, clearing 999 for the 236th time, with a score of 119982, ending in 13:45:41.

October 15th, 2019: Nothing

October 16th, 2019: Nothing

October 17th, 2019: Nothing

October 18th, 2019: Nothing

October 19th, 2019: ---

October 20th, 2019: Nothing

October 21st, 2019: Nothing

October 22nd, 2019: Nothing

October 23rd, 2019: Nothing

October 24th, 2019: An S8, 12:28:36, clearing 999 for the 236th time, with a score of 113613, ending in 14:06:35. My 89th S9, 13:13:08, clearing 999 for the 237th time with a score of 128805 ending in 13:50:30.

October 25th, 2019: I scored an S9 and realized that I haven't tracked every S9 when I fail to clear 999. I'm going to stop counting them as the number is essentially meaningless now.

October 26th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 238th time, with a score of 108865, ending in 14:13:65. An S8, clearing 999 for the 239th time, with a score of 106735, ending in 14:47:18.

October 27th, 2019: An S8, clearing 999 for the 240th time, with a score of 111405, ending in 14:11:65. An S9, 13:19:78, clearing 999 for the 241st time, with a score of 124238, ending in 13:55:75. An S9, clearing 999 for the 242nd time, with a score of 124084, ending in 13:41:50.

October 28th, 2019: Grand Master!

It took almost two years, but I've finally achieved the Grand Master rank. My score was 134634, clearing 999 for the 243rd time, ending in 13:14:01. The game started off really well, but started to fall apart after I hit S9 sometime in the 800's. I played all of the 900's near the top. I was able to play through the credits, but topped out a few seconds after the flashing logo reached the middle of the playfield.

November 22nd, 2019: Grand Master

After almost a month, I've managed my second GM. My score was 130297, ending in 13:29:01. I had some trouble near the beginning and most of the last third, but ended very clean. I was able to play through the credits, staying very low, all the way until the game stopped. The game ended while a line was still clearing, so part of my stack was hovering on the summary screen where you enter your initials.

February 2nd, 2020: Grand Master

It took a while, but I've finally managed my third GM. My score was 140893, ending in 13:14:28. The game was sloppy from start to finish. I was able to play completely through the credits. I've been working on playing faster, and I've been better able to regularly complete 999 in under 13:30. However, I still seem to have some difficulty hitting level 300 under 4:15.

February 5th, 2020: Grand Master

My fourth GM. My score was 131681, ending in 13:25:31. The game was okay. I kept the stack low for the last half of the game, scoring mostly singles and doubles. I was able to play completely through the credits.

February 18th, 2020: Grand Master

My fifth GM. My score was 135953, ending in 13:24:70. I played okay. Towards the end of the game, I seemed to make one mistake after another, while managing to clean up each completely in between. That kept me in the bottom half of the playfield for most of 800-999. I was able to play completely through the credits.

February 19th, 2020: Grand Master

My sixth GM and a new personal best. My score was 139480, ending in 12:55:15. I played fast, but not terribly well. I was able to play completely through the credits.

February 25th, 2020: Grand Master

My seventh GM. My score was 134291, ending in 13:15:81. There didn't seem to be anything special about this particular round. I was able to play completely through the credits, but it was close.

Just for fun, this is the first time I've had GMs across the entire scoreboard:

March 16th, 2020: Grand Master

My eighth GM. My score was 126735, ending in 13:21:56. The game seemed ordinary. I was able to play completely through the credits.

My ninth GM. My score was 131935, ending in 13:12:53. This replaces my previous #2 game. I felt as though I played particularly well for most of the game. I was able to play completely through the credits.

March 26th, 2020: Grand Master

My tenth GM and a new personal best. My score was 132723, ending in 12:48:90. The game seemed sloppy. I was able to play completely through the credits.

April 9th, 2020: Grand Master

My 11th GM. My score was 128534, ending in 13:14:96. The game was messy. I was able to play completely through the credits.

May 15th, 2020: Grand Master

My 12th GM. My score was 146330, ending in 13:20:38. The game was just about perfect until around level 900, then everything fell apart. I was not able to play through the credits. I topped out just a few drops after GM.

May 20th, 2020: Grand Master

My 13th GM and a new personal best. My score was 146330, ending in 12:50:08. The game was reasonably clean from start to finish, if a bit rough at the very end. I was able to play completely through the credits.

June 5th, 2020: Grand Master

My 14th GM. My score was 132724, ending in 13:16:21. The game was reasonably clean from start to finish, a little high near the very end. I was able to play completely through the credits.

June 6th, 2020: Grand Master

My 15th GM. My score was 129811, ending in 13:13:80. The game was messy and a little high most of the time. I was able to play completely through the credits.

June 24th, 2020: Grand Master

My 16th GM, my third best overall. My score was 136202, ending in 12:55:66. The game was pretty poor, so I didn't expect to get a GM. I could have ended the game earlier had I realized how close I was. I was able to play completely through the credits.

September 24th, 2020: Grand Master

My 17th GM after a long break. It took a month or so to get back in shape. My score was lost. I somehow missed my opportunity to put in my initials. I also failed to capture a screenshot. It's frustrating, a lot like this year has been. We're living in hell. The game ended in 13:16:11. I was not able to play completely through the credits.

October 18th, 2020: Grand Master

My 18th GM, my second best overall. My score was 148518, ending in 12:51:38. I felt like I played well from start to finish. I was able to play completely through the credits.

October 21st, 2020: Grand Master

My 19th GM. My score was 152591, ending in 12:57:33. I played well for the most of the game, though things started to fall apart a bit towards the very end. I was able to get back on track and play completely through the credits.

October 26th, 2020: Grand Master

My 20th GM. My score was 133822, ending in 12:57:18. I played okay, but not terribly well for the most of the game. Things went off the rails just before level 900. I was somehow able to play completely through the credits.

October 27th, 2020: Grand Master

My 21st GM, my second best overall. My score was 135013, ending in 12:51:15. I did not play well, spending a lot of the game cleaning up. I was able to play completely through the credits, but it was close.

October 28th, 2020:

It's been a full year since my first GM. It seems like a lifetime ago.

November 1st, 2020: Grand Master

My 22nd GM, my second best overall. My score was 137700, ending in 12:50:75. The first half of the game was fine, the rest was a mess. I was not able to play completely through the credits.

November 10th, 2020: Grand Master

My 23rd GM. My score was 135191, ending in 13:00:18. I didn't play particularly well early on, barely making the first requirement. The middle game was okay, but fell appart towards the end. I was able to play completely through the credits.

November 12th, 2020: Grand Master

My 24th GM and a new personal best. My score was 140489, ending in 12:42:75. I didn't play particularly well, the latter half of the game being particularly messy. I was almost, but not quite, able to play completely through the credits.

November 16th, 2020: Grand Master

My 25th GM. My score was 132293, ending in 13:03:73. Play was pretty sloppy from start to finish. I was able to play completely through the credits.

My 26th GM. My score was 137610, ending in 13:03:05. I didn't play very well, spending nearly half of the game in the upper half of the board. I'm not sure if I was able to play completely through the credits. If I managed it, it was close. I would have topped out on the next drop and I'm not sure if that happened or not.

November 23th, 2020: Grand Master

My 27th GM and my second best overall. My score was 148861, ending in 12:46:11. Play was sloppy for most of the game, but came together really well towards the end. I was able to play well completely through the credits.

November 25th, 2020: Grand Master

My 28th GM and a new personal best. My score was 142392, ending in 12:36:68. Play was okay for most of the game, things started to fall apart toward the end. I was able to play very well completely through the credits, almost completely cleaning up the stack from a near top-out.

As I've got quite a few GM games now, I'm planning to only screenshot new personal best GM games from this point forward.

November 28th, 2020

Three years after I started playing. I've come a long way. Last November, it took all month get my second GM. It took two more months more to get my third. Now, I've managed 7 just this month so far. I still have a long way to go, but there has been progress.

November 30th, 2020: Grand Master

My 29th GM and my third best overall. My score was 146866, ending in 12:45:36. Play was okay for most of the game, things fell apart after I hit S9 early in the 800's. I was able to play completely through the credits.

December 3rd, 2020: Grand Master

My 30th GM. My score was 126422, ending in 13:02:68. Play wasn't very good; it was a mess from start to finish. I was somehow able to play completely through the credits.

December 8th, 2020: Got a Bravo! They're pretty rare.

December 31st, 2020: My 31st GM. My score was 131743, ending in 12:48:21. Play wasn't great. I was not able to play completely through the credits.

January 5th, 2021: Grand Master

My 32nd GM and a new personal best. My score was 126308, ending in 12:28:11. Play wasn't great and I spent quite a bit of time cleaning up. I was able to play completely through the credits.

January 17th, 2021: My 33rd GM. My score was 130388, ending in 12:54:93. Play wasn't great, as you can tell form the time. I was able to play completely through the credits.

January 24th, 2021: My 34th GM. My score was 130819, ending in 12:52:13. I did't play very well. I was not able to play completely through the credits.

February 15th, 2021: My 35th GM. My score was 138517, ending in 12:25:45. I played okay, but not remarkably well. I was interrupted by a phone call (very frustrating) and not able to play completely through the credits.

March 2nd, 2021: My 36th GM. My score was 130516, ending in 12:47:65. I played okay, but not terribly well towards the end. I was able to play completely through the credits.

March 8th, 2021: My 37th GM and my third-best game overall. My score was 132329, ending in 12:36:45. I didn't play particularly well, but I had some great placements toward the end. I was able to play completely through the credits.

March 9th, 2021: My 38th GM. My score was 137672, ending in 13:03:88. I played okay, but things feel apart in the 800s. I was able to play completely through the credits.

April 24th, 2021: My 39th GM. My score was 126307, ending in 13:14:88. I played poorly, with a terrible stack that was way too high most of the time. I was able to play completely through the credits.

April 29th, 2021: My 40th GM. My score was 132051, ending in 12:50:60. I didn't play very well. The beginning was fine, but I spent most of the game downstacking. I was able to play completely through the credits.

May 5th, 2021: My 41st GM. My score was 126117, ending in 12:57:18. I didn't play very well, but somehow kept the stack low. I was able to play completely through the credits.

May 9th, 2021: My 41st GM and my third-best game overall. My score was 143732, ending in 12:34:16. I played okay, beating my 3rd place score. I spent a lot of time downstacking towards the end. I was able to play completely through the credits.

May 19th, 2021: My 42nd GM. My score was 141490, ending in 12:36:70. I didn't play particularly well. I was surprised when I achieved a GM. I was able to play completely through the credits.

May 27th, 2021: My 43rd GM. My score was 143159, ending in 13:19:21. I played okay, if a bit slow. Low and steady. I was able to play completely through the credits.

June 21st, 2021: My 44th GM and a new personal best. My score was 130851, ending in 12:07:00. I was surprised I managed a GM, I felt like I was playing casually. I wasn't paying much attention, but the game must have been very smooth until the very end. I was playing near the top and hit GM after taking an awkward burn with a horizontal 'I' piece. I was down below the middle very shortly afterward. I was able to play completely through the credits.

July 6th, 2021: My 45th GM. My score was 142976, ending in 12:49:56. Terrible play with an unimaginably bad stack, particularly after level 700. I was almost, but ultimately not, able to play completely through the credits.

August 4th, 2021: My 46th GM. My score was 138300, ending in 13:07:55. It wasn't great. I spent the latter half of the game surviving. I hit GM near the top, but was somehow still able to play completely through the credits.

August 18th, 2021: My 47th GM, and my second best overall. My score was 142140, ending in 12:19:95. I was surprised by my time, as I spent most of the game downstacking. My downstacking felt particulary good, but my play, in general, felt really sloppy. I was able to play completely through the credits.

September 7th, 2021: My 48th GM. My score was 128158, ending in 12:30:80. Play was pretty sloppy overall, though I was able to play completely through the credits.

September 29th, 2021: My 49th GM, and my third best overall. My score was 142852, ending in 12:21:88. I felt like I played well overall. While I made a lot of obvious mistakes, I was able to clean up reasonably quickly each time. I was able to play completely through the credits.

October 8th, 2021: My 50th GM. My score was 152176, ending in 12:52:05. Play was terrible. I was not able to play completely through the credits> I cleared 999 at the top of the board and topped out a few blocks later.

October 11th, 2021: My 51st GM. My score was 145255, ending in 12:56:95. Play seemed average, not particularly good or bad. I was able to play completely through the credits.

October 26th, 2021: My 52nd GM. My score was 143473, ending in 12:46:36. Play was okay, not great. I was able to play completely through the credits.

November 10th, 2021: My 53rd GM. My score was 146354, ending in 13:15:15. Play was terrible. I was not able to play completely through the credits.

November 11th, 2021: My 54th GM. My score was 131721, ending in 12:53:70. Play was sloppy. I was not able to play completely through the credits.

November 12th, 2021: My 55th GM. My score was 131795, ending in 12:48:85. Play was still sloppy, though I was able to play completely through the credits.

November 28th, 2021:

Four years since I started playing. My first child, a boy, was born 8 days ago. I had thought I would be able to earn the GM rank more consistently by now.

December 28th, 2021: My 56th GM. My score was 140557, ending in 12:27:95. Play was messy, spending a lot of time clearing singles near the top at the end. I was surprised by the time. I was able to play completely through the credits.

January 3rd, 2022: My 57th GM. My score was 138929, ending in 13:05:88. Play was okay, if a bit slow. Things got a bit dicy in the 800's, but I got back on track by the 900's. It was the first time in a while that I knew I was going to make GM by the time I hit 900. I was able to play completely through the credits.

January 10th, 2022: My 58th GM. My score was 159825, ending in 12:59:70. Play very was sloppy over all, but felt fast. I was able to play completely through the credits.

January 14th, 2022: My 59th GM. My score was 131185, ending in 12:54:03. Play very was terrible. I was almost able to play completely through the credits, but not quite.

January 17th, 2022: My 60th GM. My score was 138380, ending in 12:37:33. Play was okay, with nothing particularly notable. I was able to play completely through the credits.

February 6th, 2022: My 61st GM. My score was 142663, ending in 12:39:91. Play wasn't great. I was able to play completely through the credits.

My 62nd GM and my second best overall. My score was 127245, ending in 12:13:61. Play seemed awful. I was surprised when I ranked GM. I was somehow able to play completely through the credits.

February 16th, 2022: My 63rd GM. My score was 130544, ending in 12:36:73. It was a very sloppy game. I was able to play completely through the credits.

February 21th, 2022: My 64th GM. My score was 134380, ending in 12:39:93. An odd game. This game was mostly awkward down stacking with way too many left wells. Not that great. I was able to play completely through the credits.

May 11th, 2022: My 65th GM. My score was 130826, ending in 12:59:55. This one took a while. An sloppy game overall, playing in the upper half for most of the time. I was able to play completely through the credits.

May 20th, 2022: My 66th GM. My score was 131842, ending in 12:55:58. This one took a while. Play wasn't great, very sloppy. I was able to play completely through the credits.

May 21st, 2022: My 67th GM. My score was 140966, ending in 12:39:68. I was lost in thought and play was sloppy. I was surprised when I ranked GM. I was able to play completely through the credits.




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