TETRIS TERMINOLOGY

Matrix: The rectangular arrangement of cells that create the active game area, usually 10 columns wide by 20 rows high. Tetriminos fall from the top-middle just above the top of the matrix (off-screen) to the bottom.

Hold: “c” or “shift key” This action removes the Tetrimino in play and places it into the Hold Queue. If there was a Tetrimino in the Hold Queue already, it will start to fall from the top of the Matrix, beginning from its originating position and orientation. You must Lock Down the swapped out Tetrimino before you can perform a Hold again.

Hold Queue:  The storage place where players can hold any falling Tetrimino for use later. When called for, the held Tetrimino swaps places with the currently falling Tetrimino, and begins falling from the top of the Matrix.


Next Queue:  The Next Queue shows the player what the next five Tetriminos will be. The top Tetrimino in the Next Queue (inside the circle) will begin to fall once the previous Tetrimino locks down.

Lock Down:  Condition after landing when a Tetrimino can no longer move. (There is a brief period once a Tetrimino lands in the Matrix where it can still be moved.)

Soft Drop: “down arrow key” An action that causes the Tetrimino to drop at an accelerated rate (about 20 times the normal speed) from its current location.

Hard Drop: “space bar”v. An action that causes the Tetrimino in play to drop straight down instantly from its current location and Lock Down on the first surface it lands on. Once performed, the player cannot further manipulate the Tetrimino.

Line Clear: The result of when a horizontal row is completely filled with blocks and removed from the Matrix. All pieces above the Line Clear shift down to fill the space. Most Tetris variations award scoring or other bonuses for the number of lines cleared at one time. These are known as "Line Clear Bonuses."

Tetris: The result of using a vertical I-Tetrimino to clear four lines at the same time—the maximum possible—for a large scoring bonus. The plural form is Tetrises (for example, Back-to-Back Tetrises).

T-Slot: n. Any Block formation such that when a T-Tetrimino is spun into it, any three of the four cells diagonally adjacent to the center of the T-Tetrimino are occupied by existing Blocks.

 T-Spin: An action achieved by first landing a T-Tetrimino, then rotating it in a T-Slot before it Locks Down.

Back-to-Back: A description of two major bonus actions, such as a Tetris and a T-Spin Double, are performed before a Single, Double or Triple Line Clear occurs.

Combo: A chain of one or more Line Clears performed consecutively. If a Tetrimino locks down without clearing a line during a Combo, the Combo chain is broken. Longer Combo chains will yield more points resulting in a higher score.
Block Out: The Game Over condition that occurs when part of a newly generated Tetrimino cannot fall due to an existing block in the Matrix.

Lock Out: The Game Over Condition occurring when a Tetrimino Locks Down completely above the top of the Matrix.