MELROSE PARK, IL – June 18, 2012 –  64 of the top ranked pinball players from 12 countries came to Bainbridge Island just outside Seattle to compete for the chance to become the new IFPA World Pinball Champion.

The Battle in Seattle was truly a battle of champions, as 3 of the top 4 finishers were the 3 previous IFPA World Pinball Champions. IFPA5 and IFPA6 World Pinball Champion Bowen Kerins survived a 3-0 deficit to Steve Zahler in his first round of the playoffs to come back and take the match 5 games to 3, and then knocked off 3-time PAPA World Pinball Champion Lyman Sheats 4-1 to advance to the Final 4. Andy Rosa, who was the runner up at IFPA7 took out current world ranked #1 Keith Elwin 5-4 in a match that went the distance on his way to the finals. Defending champion Cayle George had the toughest road in the playoffs, surviving matches against Josh Sharpe, Donavan Stepp, Jim Belsito and Bowen Kerins that all went into sudden death.

In the end, it was IFPA7 champion from Italy, who after defeating Frank Romero (4-2), Jason Werdrick (4-2) and Jorgen Holm (4-0), was faced with a rematch of his World Championship match at IFPA7 against Andy Rosa. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead, Acciari eventually defeated Rosa 4 games to 2. His reward was a matchup with the IFPA8 World Pinball Champion Cayle George. After splitting the first two games on The Shadow and Grand Prix, Acciari took control of the match by  holding serve on Medusa followed by a victory on George’s pick Attack From Mars. The players then headed to Bally’s Old Chicago, where just a round earlier, Acciari put up an incredible 245,240 points rolling the game twice against Andy Rosa. Unfortunately following a tough ball 1, Cayle George tilted not only his ball, but also ended up tilting Acciari's ball 2. This interference, albeit unintentional, resulted in George's disqualification from the game, and ultimately the match.

                         Photo: Gary Stern with Winner Daniele Celestino Acciari

With that, Daniele Celestino Acciari became this year's IFPA World Pinball Champion, bringing the title back to Italy where it will be for the rest of 2012, along with $1350 cash and a brand new pinball machine from Stern Pinball. Acciari's World Championship victory capped off an incredible week of tournament performance in Seattle. Starting with a victory at the NW Pinball Championships, along with a 4th place finish in the Classics Division, Acciari then took a 2nd place finish at the Full Tilt Pre-IFPA Tournament. In total Acciari racked up over 250 WPPR points for the week, which will likely propel him to becoming the #1 ranked player in the world depending on how the rest of 2012 plays out.

About Stern Pinball

Stern Pinball, Inc., located just outside Chicago, Illinois, designs and manufactures arcade-quality pinball games. Stern is the only maker of full-sized, arcade quality pinball games on the planet and has released many popular games, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Shrek, Batman, Spiderman, the Simpsons Pinball Party and many more. Stern’s games continue to be enjoyed by both pinball enthusiasts and casual players around the globe. For more information visit www.sternpinball.com.