Escher Lefkoff, 13, has won the PAPA 20 World Championship
A new pinball world champion has been crowned.
The Professional and Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA) held its world championships on the weekend (April 5-9), where the toughest pinball competitors duked it out for the title.
After four days of competition, Escher Lefkoff, a 13-year-old pinball prodigy hailing from Colorado, won the Division A title (plus $7000 in prize money).
Lefkoff had competed in the junior tournaments in the past. He has now graduated to world champion.
The 13-year-old is currently ranked 76th in the world, according to the International Flipper Pinball Association’s rankings.
Twelve different machines, hailing from different eras and time periods, were played by PAPA competitors.
The ’80s-era Skateball and ’70s setup The Jungle Queen were played alongside more modern pinball machines like World Poker Tour and The Walking Dead.
Players had several attempts to set their highest score.
Scored were then converted into a rating from 0-100, based on how well they played.
Lefkoff wasn’t the only young pinhead that did well at the world championships.
An 8 year old took out Division D.
Jordan Tredaway, 15 year old, won Division B.
The twentieth anniversary tournament ran from April 5-9. It is considered by many as the highest echelon of competitive pinball play.
