Pinball’s Open IFPA World Championship has been decided, with Escher Lefkoff winning on the last ball of the last round after his ball had already drained. To say that the World Pinball Championship was decided in dramatic fashion would be an incredible understatement. It’s hard to imagine a closer finish. While pinball may not have the audience that it used to, this is a great example of why pinball can be just as exciting as other competitive video gameesports.
Like all esports,pinball has an incredible history of competition. Within the IFPA, there are none as well-recognized as Keith Elwin. Elwin has reached the top four in pinball Major Championships 18 times, with the recent 4-way Open IFPA World Champion being his 19th. Elwin is facing increasingly talented competition, however. What would be considered the current #1-ranked pinball player Escher Lefkoff had also reached the Open IPFA World Championship final four, looking to become world champion for a second time.
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The state of the game going into Lefkoff’s final play was dire. Lefkoff was at a 1,000,000-point deficit to Elwin, who seemed to be all but guaranteed to take the tournament. But Lefkoff rose to the occasion. Lefkoff was nearing Elwin’s score when the worst happened, his ball drained without any opportunity to stop it. Yet despite the ball no longer being in play, Lefkoff’s game wasn’t ended. The pinball game they were playing,Flash Gordon, granted a post-round bonus. The audience watched as the bonus just barely put Lefkoff’s score over Elwin’s, granting him a 5.4k point victory.
The scores for the final round of the Open IFPA World Championship were 1,498,590 for Elwin and 1,504,050 for Lefkoff. Lefkoff had won by just .3% of the overall score. Virtually any other single action during his round would have put Elwin on top. It was a flash finish, the thinnest of margins, and what could be seen as one of the best pinball championship games ever.
It’s unclear exactly what the prize pool for The Open IFPA World Championship is. There could be aNIB Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Premium cabinetinvolved, on top of a trophy and the title of world championship. It’s unlikely anyone’s getting rich off pinball, even winning major tournaments, but hopefully Lefkoff is well-rewarded.
Those wanting to watch some high-level pinball competition won’t have to wait long for the IFPA’s next major tournament. The D82 Winter 3X Certified Main Event is scheduled for February 17 through February 19. A live stream of the event will be broadcast on the Fox Cities Pinball channel onTwitch. Expect more information closer to the event. Hopefully, Lefkoff’s victory will help bring a new audience to these incredible pinball tournaments.
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