Jonas Evan Neubauer (April 19, 1981 – January 5, 2021) was an American Tetris player, Twitch streamer, and taproom manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game, he won seven Classic Tetris World Championships between 2010 and 2019.[1][2]
Early life and background
Childhood in California
Jonas Evan Neubauer was born on April 19, 1981, in Redondo Beach, California.[3][4]He was the son of Sharry Neubauer and Edward Delbert "Ed" Neubauer, along with two brothers, Jason and Justin.[5][6] His father, who passed away in 2010 after a battle with pancreatic cancer,[7][5]Neubauer grew up in Redondo Beach during the 1980s and 1990s, a coastal community in Southern California known for its suburban lifestyle and proximity to beaches and recreational activities.[4] He enjoyed an idyllic childhood that included playing little league baseball and sailing with his father, activities that highlighted the region's emphasis on outdoor and family-oriented pursuits.[5] Neubauer attended Redondo Union High School, from which he graduated in 1999.[4]This upbringing in a vibrant, tech-emerging Southern California environment during the rise of home computing and arcade culture provided early exposure to video games and digital entertainment.[4]
Introduction to Tetris
Neubauer first encountered Tetris around age 6 or 7, playing it on his uncle's Compact Macintosh computer, which he described as "the most awesome thing."[8] At age 9, he purchased the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) version using his allowance money and achieved an initial high score of 176,000 points while competing against his father.[8][9] By his senior year of high school, he could score between 500,000 and 700,000 points, impressing his peers.
Tetris career
Early competitions (1999–2009)
Prior to the establishment of formal competitive events, Neubauer honed his skills in informal settings and achieved recognition on early Tetris fansite scoreboards, where he was listed as a world record holder by the early 2000s. During this period, there were no major organized tournaments for classic NES Tetris, but Neubauer regularly posted high scores, reaching 500,000 to 700,000 points by his high school years.
World championships (2010–2017)
Jonas Neubauer established his dominance in the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) with a victory at the inaugural event in 2010, held in Los Angeles, California. Competing on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) version of Tetris, he advanced through the single-elimination bracket to face Harry Hong in the best-of-three final, defeating him 2-0 to claim the first-ever world title.[10] This win marked the beginning of Neubauer's unparalleled streak in the tournament, solidifying his reputation as a top competitor early in the event's history.Building on his initial success, Neubauer secured consecutive championships in 2011, 2012, and 2013, reaching the finals each year without interruption. In 2011, he overcame Alex Kerr in the final to defend his title, held in Portland, Oregon.[11] The 2012 edition saw him deliver a decisive 3-0 victory over Mike Winzinek in the best-of-five final.[12] By 2013, Neubauer again bested Hong in the championship match, extending his reign to four straight years and demonstrating consistent excellence in high-stakes play. These triumphs highlighted his ability to maintain peak performance across multiple tournaments, advancing reliably to the decisive stages.Neubauer's streak was briefly halted in 2014, where he finished as runner-up after a 3-1 loss to Hong in the final, also in Portland.[13] Despite this setback, he rebounded strongly, reclaiming the title in 2015 by defeating Sean Ritchie in the final.[14] He continued his resurgence with wins in 2016 against Jeff Moore and in 2017 over Kerr, bringing his total to seven CTWC championships.[15][16] These victories underscored a career of sustained excellence, with Neubauer appearing in every final from 2010 to 2017.Central to Neubauer's success during this period were his advanced strategies for handling the game's escalating difficulty, particularly at Level 29 and beyond, where pieces descend at maximum speed, making precise control nearly impossible without specialized techniques. He primarily relied on Delayed Auto Shift (DAS) for efficient piece movement, supplemented by hypertapping—rapidly tapping the D-pad with a finger—for manipulation under extreme time pressure, allowing brief survival past the so-called "kill screen."[17] Additionally, his efficient piece handling emphasized flat stacking to minimize holes and maximize tetrises during high-speed phases, enabling him to outlast opponents in prolonged finals by optimizing board efficiency and line clears.[17] These approaches not only secured his championships but also influenced competitive Tetris play throughout the decade.
Later competitions and records (2018–2020)
In 2018, Neubauer reached the final of the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) for the ninth consecutive year but finished as runner-up to 16-year-old newcomer Joseph Saelee, who defeated him 3–0 in a best-of-five series.[18] This loss marked the end of Neubauer's streak of finals appearances and highlighted the emergence of younger competitors in the field.[19]Later in June 2018, Neubauer set his second world record for high score in NES Tetris, achieving 1,245,200 points while starting at Level 29—the game's maximum starting speed—through precise use of advanced hypertapping techniques for rapid piece manipulation.[20]Neubauer continued competing in the 2019 CTWC, where he advanced to the round of 32 before losing 1–2 to MegaRetroMan.[21] Saelee defended his title that year, defeating Japan's Koryan in the final to secure back-to-back victories.[22]His participation diminished further in the 2020 CTWC, held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where Neubauer qualified as the 31st seed and placed 11th overall; after a first-round loss, he won four straight matches in the Group E loser's bracket before elimination by Michael de Guzman.[23] The tournament was won by 13-year-old Michael Artiaga (known as dogplayingtetris), underscoring the rising dominance of adolescent players with fresh approaches to high-level play.[23]
Overall achievements
Jonas Neubauer holds the record for the most Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) titles, with seven victories across nine consecutive finals appearances from 2010 to 2018.[2] His runner-up finishes came in 2014 and 2018, marking the only interruptions to his dominance in the event's early years.[2]Throughout his career, Neubauer amassed approximately $9,250 in tournament earnings, primarily from CTWC prize pools.[2] He was the last player using the Delayed Auto Shift (DAS) technique to win a world championship and reach a CTWC final, establishing him as the most dominant competitor in the pre-rolling era of classic Tetris.[2]Neubauer ranks among the all-time greats in classic Tetris history, particularly for his influence on scoring metrics such as lines cleared and survival time at maximum levels (29+), where his consistent high-level play set benchmarks for efficiency and endurance before the advent of rolling techniques.[2]
Life outside Tetris
Professional employment
Neubauer worked as a taproom manager at Strand Brewing Company in Torrance, California, for over seven years until May 2019, when he left to pursue full-time streaming and professional gaming.[24]
Streaming and media appearances
Neubauer launched his Twitch streaming career in 2017 under the username NubbinsGoody, focusing on live broadcasts of his Classic Tetris practice sessions and interactive tutorials that explained his strategies and thought processes to viewers.[25] His streams quickly gained traction, drawing tens of thousands of viewers and fostering a dedicated online community around the game.[25] Through these broadcasts, Neubauer played a key role in popularizing classic NES Tetris during its 2010s revival, serving as a prominent ambassador who attracted new enthusiasts to the competitive scene.[26][9]Beyond streaming, Neubauer made notable media appearances that highlighted his expertise. On June 9, 2019, he appeared on ABC's To Tell the Truth as an impostor claiming to be the Lego World Champion, where he demonstrated his Tetris prowess to celebrity panelists including Snoop Dogg, successfully fooling some of them.[9] He also contributed to Tetris-focused media through interviews, such as a 2019 discussion with Shacknews on the game's esports growth, and cameos in documentaries.[9]One early contribution was his featured appearance in the 2011 documentary Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters, which followed top players preparing for the inaugural Classic Tetris World Championship and showcased Neubauer's emerging talent alongside rivals like Harry Hong.[27] These engagements helped expand his online following and solidified his influence in bridging competitive Tetris with broader pop culture audiences during the decade.[28]
Death
Final years and circumstances
In early January 2021, shortly after relocating from Los Angeles to Kaʻaʻawa, Hawaii, with his wife Heather Fujiko Ito, Jonas Neubauer settled into his new home.[26][29]Neubauer's final competitive activities occurred in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Classic Tetris World Championship to shift to an online format; he advanced through several matches in the loser's bracket but did not reach the finals.[23]On January 5, 2021, Neubauer suffered a sudden collapse at his home in Kaʻaʻawa and died at the age of 39 from sudden cardiac death due to cardiac arrhythmia of undetermined etiology.[26][30] His wife immediately notified family members, who requested privacy in the aftermath to grieve.[5]
Legacy
Memorial honors
Following Jonas Neubauer's death in January 2021, the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) organizers renamed their championship trophy the Jonas Neubauer Memorial Trophy, which was first awarded in October 2021 to honor his legacy as a seven-time world champion.[31][32] The redesigned trophy features a golden J-tetromino for the winner and a silver version for the runner-up, with an inscription of Neubauer's quote: "If you're a high visibility player, it's on you to move the community in a positive direction," reflecting his commitment to fostering growth in competitive Tetris.[32]In 2024, the CTWC introduced the Jonas Neubauer Cup as an annual tournament in his memory, held as a DAS-style event at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo in Portland, Oregon, from September 28 to 29, marking the inaugural edition with qualifying rounds and a 32-player bracket.[33][34] The event continued the tradition in 2025, taking place from October 17 to 19 at the same venue, organized by the CTWC to celebrate Neubauer's influence on classic Tetris competition; PixelAndy won the 2025 edition.[35]
Influence on the Tetris community
Jonas Neubauer played a pivotal role as an ambassador for classic NES Tetris, helping revive interest in the game amid the 2010sesports boom. As a seven-time Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) winner from 2010 to 2017, he brought visibility to the niche competitive scene through his consistent participation and dominance, which coincided with broader retro gaming resurgence and improved production quality like enhanced audio-visual setups that made matches more accessible to casual viewers.[9] His involvement from the tournament's inception in 2010 helped transform Tetris from a forgotten arcade title into a legitimate esports staple, drawing in new competitors and audiences during a period when modern esports exploded in popularity.[26]Neubauer mentored younger players by openly sharing techniques through his Twitch streams under the handle NubbinsGoody, where he commentated his practice sessions and explained strategies in real-time, amassing over 25,000 followers by 2021.[26] This approach influenced post-2021 competitors, such as 16-year-old Joseph Saelee, who credited Neubauer's streams for shaping his gameplay before defeating him in the 2018 CTWC finals.[25] By emphasizing community growth over personal secrecy, Neubauer stated that sharing knowledge was essential to evolving the sport, preventing stagnation and encouraging diverse winners to elevate its global legitimacy.[25]His records and DAS (delayed auto-shift) style inspired the community's technical evolution, particularly the shift to advanced input methods like rolling, which emerged in late 2020 and shattered previous benchmarks.[30] As the preeminent DAS player until his 2018 loss, Neubauer's high scores and maxout-focused play set enduring standards that rolling techniques—doubling inputs per motion—surpassed only in 2023–2025, enabling plays beyond level 95 and scores exceeding 3 million points.[30][36]Neubauer's broader cultural legacy amplified after his 2021 death, sparking widespread media coverage and an outpouring of support that raised nearly $70,000 for his memorial fund from over 1,200 donors worldwide.[26] This surge propelled CTWC growth, with online viewership reaching 185,000 live views for the 2024 event and continuing to expand in 2025 amid heightened interest in retro esports, including Alex T's successful title defense at the 2025 CTWC.[37][38] His instructional videos and approachable persona fostered a collaborative community, leading to rapid player increases—such as 131 maxouts in 2020 alone—and sustained innovation that kept classic Tetris relevant.[39][36]