December 13th marked a momentous occasion for Tetris, as Fehmi Atalar, hailing from Turkey, claimed victory at the 2025 Red Bull Tetris World Final held in Dubai.
Staged at the iconic Dubai Frame, this esports competition drew more than 60 national champions globally, culminating in a Grand Final showdown between Peru’s Leo Solórzano and Atalar.
The nineteen-year-old Tetris competitor achieved a remarkable score of 168,566, significantly exceeding the benchmark established by Solórzano. Nonetheless, the Turkish participant’s path to the global championship was far from straightforward, involving numerous unexpected challenges.
Atalar’s Unblemished Performance at Red Bull Tetris Dubai
Atalar secured his entry to the Red Bull Tetris Dubai event by triumphing in Turkey’s 16-player National Final.
Consequently, the competitor received an automatic advancement to the Round of 32 in the Semi-finals. Not only did the player emerge victorious in every best-of-three series leading up to the Grand Final, but they also concluded their progression without conceding a single match.
Reflecting on his journey with Esports Insider, Fehmi Atalar remarked: “I simply played [Tetris] for leisure, and upon discovering this chance, I thought, ‘Alright, let’s go for it,’ and proceeded through the Qualifiers, National Finals, and eventually the World Finals.”
“I overwhelmingly won every stage without yielding a single point, which is quite an incredible streak, I have to admit. Ultimately, I’m incredibly pleased with the outcome.”
The decisive match commenced with both contenders participating in a three-minute preliminary contest, where the victor would decide the playing sequence. Having secured the initial win, Atalar opted to play second on the Dubai Frame, which served as the event’s interactive platform.
During the best-of-one Grand Final, each player was allotted five minutes, with the objective being to achieve the highest aggregate score within the designated timeframe.
Heightening the challenge, the final match featured no power-ups or score multipliers, intensifying the competition, particularly since both players were controlling the game via drones for the very first time.
Solórzano initiated his play with a cautious strategy, meticulously positioning blocks while adapting to the colossal 150-meter-high display composed of 1,400 drones for each contestant. Upon concluding his five minutes, he recorded a score of 57,164 through several T-spins, subsequently passing the control to his adversary.
Taking the second turn on the display enabled Atalar to strategize his actions based on the score to beat, and his self-assurance was apparent from the outset. The Turkish participant demonstrated incredible quickness, yet this led to several incorrect block placements before the first minute elapsed, a sequence that nearly led to his defeat.
Just as he neared the top of the playing field, his extraordinary capacity for adjustment propelled him back into a competitive position. Atalar rapidly regrouped, eliminating most of the lines within the subsequent minute. Ultimately, his astute judgments enabled him to exceed Solórzano’s score with over two minutes remaining.
“I honestly didn’t expect to escape that situation,” Atalar confided to Esports Insider following his tournament win, despite numerous errors. “Truthfully, I’d say I was somewhat fortunate due to the game’s mechanics, feeling truly blessed.”
He further elaborated: “Aside from that, I maintained my composure and simply considered the most effective strategy to recover. I mean, even I was taken aback when I made three or four consecutive misdrops, but subsequent to that, I just found my rhythm with the controller and the gameplay, I just went with it, and here we are now.”
After Atalar had virtually guaranteed his win, he accelerated his play to conclude the Grand Final with a final score of 168,566, ultimately hoisting the trophy and earning an additional prize of a three-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Dubai.
Red Bull, a prominent energy drink company known for its distinctive esports competitions, simultaneously achieved a historical milestone by hosting what many consider among the most memorable Tetris tournaments to date.
The energy drink giant, also acting as an esports event organizer, convened elite global players to demonstrate their reaction times in real-time on drones for the inaugural occasion, effectively fabricating a tangible arena for the game’s execution.
Editorial Disclaimer: Esports Insider received an invitation to this event courtesy of Red Bull, which covered travel and lodging. Esports Insider maintains complete editorial independence over its content.
The article titled “I was somewhat fortunate”: Fehmi Atalar’s Path to Victory at the Red Bull Tetris 2025 World Finals” was originally published by Esports Insider.
