Hawke’s Bay pinball prodigy best placed Kiwi at IFPA world champs

Tyler Dipper is now the most successful Kiwi to have participated in the IFPA Pinball World Championship. Photo / Supplied

To be good at pinball, you need keen concentration, razor-sharp reflexes and exceptional timing.

While many of us enjoy a casual play on machines at the local pub or arcade, 15-year-old Tyler Dipper from Hastings has taken his skills and love of the game to the next level - the world stage.

This month, the pinball prodigy faced a daunting pool that included 79 of the world’s best players, placing 17th equal at the recent IFPA (International Flipper Pinball Association) Pinball World Championships in Germany.

The IFPA tournament is described as “the most prestigious event in competitive pinball”.

Dipper, who according to IFPA’s website is ranked 6th in New Zealand, started playing in 2018, under the guidance of his pinball wizard dad Markus.

Tyler has steadily risen the ranks and now sits just below notable names in Kiwi pinball legends such as Danielle and David Peck of Auckland.

Like a chess grandmaster, the recent IFPA tournament saw Tyler go head-to-head in rounds with some of the biggest names in the pinball world.

After a series of wins and an accumulation of points, Tyler managed to make it to the finals, where he faced the world number 13 at the time.

“Each of them won the games they chose, and it was three-all after six games,” Markus told Hawke’s Bay Today.

“This meant a tie-breaker, best of three. Each won a game and the ninth game had to be the decider. Tyler put up a high enough score to get him to win this first round.”

After this, the current Austrian champion and world number 15 Markus Stix was waiting for Tyler.

He won the first three games, but Tyler then won two games in a row and nearly won a third to force another tiebreaker.

“Unfortunately, Markus Stix played out his routine and managed to catch Tyler’s score by shooting safe shots over and over until he caught him.”

While Tyler was pipped at the post by the agile Austrian, his performance made him most successful Kiwi to participate in the IFPA Pinball World Championship, with none of his fellow New Zealanders coming close to his results.

In the final round of 32 near the end of the competition, he finished 23rd equal, and no Kiwi has ever placed better than 41st.

During his six months in Germany, Tyler played a total of 21 competitions across Germany and Belgium.

“We are now back in Kerpen and school is winding down,” Markus said.

The pair, who have been staying with family, will return to New Zealand on Monday where Tyler’s favourite Pinball machine (themed around the band KISS) is at home waiting for him to play.

“We also received a new machine while he was away, so there’s two machines for him to put his name on the leaderboard. Besides that, we bought spare parts for him to fix up a couple of other machines,” Markus said.

In a video message after the tournament, Tyler thanked his friends (many who stayed up all night until 5.30am during the tournament) for their support and encouragement.

“Thanks everyone and sleep well, you deserve a sleep-in,” he said.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.