# The Score Card: Major Moves

**Source:** Kineticist  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-03-18  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.kineticist.com/news/major-moves

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## Analysis

Kineticist's 'The Score Card' covers major competitive pinball tournaments in early 2026, including INDISC 2026's 'The OPEN' (won by Daniele Celestino Acciari), the IFPA North American Pinball Championship (won by Jason Zahler), and IFPA Pin-Masters (won by Keith Elwin). The article highlights top players, tournament formats, and upcoming spring competitions.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] INDISC 2026 marked the beginning of the packed Spring schedule in competitive pinball with 'The OPEN' as the first of five Major tournaments annually. — _Kineticist article, editorial framing_
- [HIGH] Over 250 players competed in 'The OPEN' at Murrieta Hot Springs Resort (Feb 26–Mar 1), with top 40 in A Division and next 16 in B Division. — _Article tournament details_
- [HIGH] Daniele Celestino Acciari won 'The OPEN' (his fifth lifetime Major tournament win), defeating Arvid Flygare in the grand finals. — _Tournament results section_
- [HIGH] Jason Zahler is the two-time IFPA World Champion and top-ranked player in the world, and won the 2025-26 IFPA North American Pinball Championship. — _NACS article section_
- [HIGH] Noah Crable was ranked 294th before reaching the IFPA NACS finals, where he faced Jason Zahler in a 4-0 sweep. — _NACS finals description_
- [HIGH] Keith Elwin won the 2026 IFPA Pin-Masters, a pin-golf tournament with 90 players, using a clutch NBA Fastbreak shot in the final match. — _Pin-Masters results section_
- [HIGH] The OPEN qualifying bank included 19 games ranging from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (2019, JJP) to Barb Wire (1996, Gottlieb). — _INDISC tournament details_
- [HIGH] Several upcoming pinball conventions and championships are scheduled, including Texas Pinball Festival, Louisville Arcade Expo, PinBrew 2026, and Pintastic New England. — _Upcoming events section_

### Notable Quotes

> "INDISC 2026 unofficially marked the beginning of the immensely packed Spring schedule in competitive pinball"
> — **Kineticist (editorial)**, article opening
> _Establishes the scale and importance of early 2026 tournament season_

> "The OPEN is the most prestigious competition of the bunch, as it is the first of five 'Major' pinball tournaments of the year"
> — **Kineticist (editorial)**, early section
> _Defines competitive hierarchy and INDISC's role in annual calendar_

> "Daniele achieved his fifth lifetime Major tournament win, while Arvid finished in second place, Zmac in third, and Dante in fourth."
> — **Kineticist (editorial)**, INDISC results
> _Confirms Daniele Celestino Acciari's major tournament dominance_

> "Jason Zahler, the two-time IFPA World Champion and top-ranked player in the world, against Kineticist's own Noah Crable, ranked 294th."
> — **Kineticist (editorial)**, NACS finals setup
> _Highlights the dramatic skill disparity and Noah Crable's unlikely deep run_

> "On ball 3, Arvid went to war, scoring a blistering 10 million points and rolling the score display, exhibiting a mastery over the game that's rarely seen."
> — **Kineticist (editorial)**, INDISC Comet match
> _Illustrates high-level play on classic machine Comet_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Daniele Celestino Acciari | person | Italian pinball player, won 'The OPEN' at INDISC 2026 with grand finals victories, fifth lifetime Major tournament win, representing Rocca di Pap, Italy |
| Jason Zahler | person | Two-time IFPA World Champion, top-ranked player globally, won 2025-26 IFPA North American Pinball Championship with 4-0 sweep over Noah Crable, from New Jersey |
| Keith Elwin | person | Legendary pinball competitor and designer, won 2026 IFPA Pin-Masters, from Carlsbad, CA |
| Noah Crable | person | Kineticist writer/staff, ranked 294th, reached IFPA NACS finals, finished second to Jason Zahler in 4-0 sweep, from Needham, MA |
| Arvid Flygare | person | Top qualifier at INDISC 2026, reached grand finals, finished second overall, knocked out Escher Lefkoff in semifinal |
| Zach McCarthy | person | Known as 'Zmac', top INDISC 2026 qualifier, finished third at 'The OPEN', second at IFPA Pin-Masters, from Conifer, CO |
| Dante Oliva | person | Top INDISC 2026 qualifier, reached grand finals, finished fourth at 'The OPEN', fourth at IFPA Pin-Masters, from Raleigh, NC |
| Dalton Ely | person | Top player in IFPA NACS and Pin-Masters, reached Pin-Masters finals, finished third at Pin-Masters, from Rockmart, GA |
| Escher Lefkoff | person | Top INDISC 2026 qualifier, knocked out in semifinal round |
| Viggo Löwgren | person | Top INDISC 2026 qualifier, knocked out in semifinal round |
| INDISC 2026 | event | Tournament event held Feb 26–Mar 1 at Murrieta Hot Springs Resort, California, featuring 'The OPEN' competition with 250+ players, first of five Major tournaments in 2026 |
| The OPEN | event | Prestigious INDISC 2026 tournament, first of five Major pinball tournaments annually, 250+ players, streamed by AimlessPinball |
| IFPA North American Pinball Championship | event | Held March 5 at ORD Pinball in West Chicago, Illinois, best-of-seven format, 50+ players, Jason Zahler won, streamed by Fox Cities Pinball |
| IFPA Pin-Masters | event | 2026 Stern Pro Circuit pin-golf tournament held same weekend as NACS at ORD Pinball, 90 players, Keith Elwin won |
| Stern | company | Major pinball manufacturer, games featured include Foo Fighters (2023), The Uncanny X-Men (2024), Black Knight: Sword of Rage (2019) |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer, produced Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (2019) |
| Williams | company | Classic pinball manufacturer, games featured include White Water (1993), Comet (1985), Demolition Man (1994), NBA Fastbreak (1997) |
| Gottlieb | company | Classic pinball manufacturer, games featured include Barb Wire (1996), Bad Girls (1988) |
| Bally | company | Classic pinball manufacturer, games featured include Eight Ball Deluxe (1981), NBA Fastbreak (1997) |
| ORD Pinball | venue | Location in West Chicago, Illinois, hosted IFPA NACS and Pin-Masters tournaments |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Competitive tournament results and rankings, Top player performances and world rankings, Tournament formats (pin-golf, card format, best-of-seven), Spring 2026 pinball tournament calendar and upcoming events
- **Secondary:** IFPA major tournaments (Majors, NACS, Pin-Masters, Worlds, Pinburgh, PAPA), Machine selection and playfield variety in tournaments
- **Mentioned:** Streaming and broadcast of competitive pinball (Twitch)

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0)

### Signals

- **[competitive_signal]** INDISC 2026 'The OPEN' won by Daniele Celestino Acciari (5th Major win), with top international players competing in card format (confidence: high) — Daniele achieved his fifth lifetime Major tournament win with dominance across Foo Fighters, White Water, and Comet final matches
- **[competitive_signal]** Jason Zahler confirmed as two-time IFPA World Champion and top-ranked player globally; Noah Crable ranked 294th (confidence: high) — Article explicitly states Jason Zahler is 'the two-time IFPA World Champion and top-ranked player in the world' and Noah Crable 'ranked 294th'
- **[competitive_signal]** Pin-golf format used for IFPA Pin-Masters with target scoring on 18 machines, emphasis on high scoring with minimal ball usage (confidence: high) — Per the pin-golf format, competitors played 18 different machines, aiming for a particular score with 5 balls to play
- **[event_signal]** Spring 2026 packed with multiple Major tournaments and conventions: INDISC (Feb), NACS/Pin-Masters (Mar), and upcoming Texas Pinball Festival, Louisville Arcade Expo, PinBrew 2026, Pintastic New England (confidence: high) — INDISC 2026 unofficially marked the beginning of the immensely packed Spring schedule; Several championships will be playing out soon including IFPA Women's World and European Pinball Championship
- **[competitive_signal]** Five Major tournaments defined in annual calendar: The OPEN (INDISC), PAPA, Pinburgh, IFPA Worlds, and one other (confidence: high) — The OPEN is the first of five Major pinball tournaments of the year, alongside others like PAPA, Pinburgh, and IFPA Worlds
- **[gameplay_signal]** Tournament selection includes mix of modern (Foo Fighters 2023, X-Men 2024) and classic machines (Comet 1985, Eight Ball Deluxe 1981, Bad Girls 1988) (confidence: high) — Qualifying bank included 19 games; finals featured Foo Fighters, White Water, Comet; Pin-Masters featured Wild Card, Bad Girls, Black Knight: Sword of Rage, NBA Fastbreak
- **[content_signal]** Major tournaments being streamed live on Twitch (AimlessPinball for INDISC, Fox Cities Pinball for NACS) with growing spectator engagement (confidence: high) — Streamed live on Twitch by AimlessPinball; streamed live on Twitch by Fox Cities Pinball
- **[industry_signal]** Spring 2026 shows significant expansion of competitive opportunities with multiple conventions hosting Stern Pro Circuit events (confidence: high) — Texas Pinball Festival and Pintastic will also host upcoming Stern Pro Circuit tournaments, along with Past Times Arcade, though the latter is now sold out

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## Transcript

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Short for “It Never Drains in Southern California”, INDISC 2026 unofficially marked the beginning of the immensely packed Spring schedule in competitive pinball, offering multiple massive tournaments that pulled in hundreds of eager players. Of them, “The OPEN” is the most prestigious competition of the bunch, as it is the first of five “Major” pinball tournaments of the year, alongside others like PAPA, Pinburgh, and IFPA Worlds.
Held at Murrieta Hot Springs Resort in Murrieta, California, from February 26 – March 1, over 250 players tested their hand in “The OPEN” competition, with the top 40 qualifiers going to the A Division playoffs and the next top 16 occupying the B Division. Streamed live on Twitch by AimlessPinball, qualifying was card format, tasking players with obtaining high scores on five different machines, chosen from a bank of 19 games ranging from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (Jersey Jack Pinball, 2019) to Barb Wire (Gottlieb, 1996). Based on the top qualifiers alone, the strength of competition at INDISC is clear, with the likes of Escher Lefkoff, Viggo Löwgren, Arvid Flygare, Dante Oliva, and Zach 'Zmac' McCarthy at the peak of the list.
In fact, come time for the grand finals, the majority of these top qualifiers remained in the competition, with the exception of Escher and Viggo, who had both been knocked out in the semifinal round. Instead, Arvid, Dante, and Zmac were joined by Daniele Celestino Acciari in the final four, making for an impressive best-of-three grand finals.
In the first match on Foo Fighters (Stern, 2023), Daniele pulled ahead on ball 2, then widened the gap substantially on ball 3, ending with a total of 800 million points, while Arvid trailed in second with 170 million. A similar situation played out in the second match on White Water (Williams, 1993), as everyone had a sub-par ball 1, only for Daniele to blow it up on ball 2 and ball 3, scoring over 1.8 billion points thanks to 5X playfield and several multiball jackpots. By the third and final match on Comet (Williams, 1985), Daniele had already secured an overall tournament win, but second place was still up for grabs between Arvid and Zmac. On ball 3, Arvid went to war, scoring a blistering 10 million points and rolling the score display, exhibiting a mastery over the game that's rarely seen. In the end, Daniele achieved his fifth lifetime Major tournament win, while Arvid finished in second place, Zmac in third, and Dante in fourth.
A Division – Daniele Celestino Acciari (Rocca di Pap, Italy)
B Division – Mark Maleko Schulz (San Diego, CA)
Classics Champion – Raymond Davidson (Elk Grove Village, IL)
Women's Champion – Cassie Begay (Denver, CO)
In the previous edition of The Score Card, we covered the IFPA North American State/Provincial Championship, where the top players in each state battled for their chance at victory. Those who won their respective states (or the runner-ups in case of absences) got an invitation to the 2025-26 IFPA North American Pinball Championship, where 50+ players once again tested their flipper skills, this time for the title of North American Pinball Champion. Held at ORD Pinball in West Chicago, Illinois, on March 5, matches were one-on-one, best-of-seven affairs, lasting six total rounds until a championship was awarded.
In the early rounds of the championship, which were streamed live on Twitch by Fox Cities Pinball, several players cut through the pack, including Dalton Ely, Noah Crable, Zachary Parks, Matthew Richardson, John Shopple, Tim Hansen, Eric Stone, and Jason Zahler, to name a few. In the quarterfinals, Jason and Dalton continued their dominance with 4-1 finishes, knocking out Tim and Matthew respectively, while Eric and Noah also cleared with 4-2 finishes, defeating Zachary and John. Come semifinals, Jason and Dalton finally faced off, and Jason cleared house with a 4-0 sweep, while Noah and Eric did battle, with Noah coming out on top with a solid 4-1 finish. As Dalton won the bronze match against Eric, Jason and Noah went head-to-head for the title of 2025-26 IFPA NACS Champion, leading to an interesting final set.
The grand finals this year presented an interesting match-up: Jason Zahler, the two-time IFPA World Champion and top-ranked player in the world, against Kineticist's own Noah Crable, ranked 294th. Jason started the set strong on The Uncanny X-Men (Stern, 2024), securing a win with 260 million, before moving on to Eight Ball Deluxe (Bally, 1981). Though both players struggled a bit, Jason pulled off another win, setting the series at 2-0. Both players found their groove in the next match on Bad Girls (Gottlieb, 1988), and while Noah scored a whopping 15 million points, Jason had a massive ball 3 comeback, climbing from 4 million points to 17 million points for another win. With the series at 3-0 and on match point for Jason, Demolition Man (Williams, 1994) presented a do-or-die moment, and ultimately, Jason secured the 4-0 sweep by scoring 550 million to Noah's 76 million, making him the back-to-back IFPA North American Pinball Champion.
North American Pinball Champion – Jason Zahler (New Jersey)
Second Place – Noah Crable (Needham, MA)
Third Place – Dalton Ely (Rockmart, GA)
Fourth Place – Eric Stone (Fort Myers, FL)
Held the same weekend as the North American Pinball Championship and also at ORD Pinball was the 2026 IFPA Pin-Masters, the next stop on the Stern Pro Circuit. A pin-golf focused competition that's open to all, this tournament drew in over 90 players, and given the proximity to nationals, the roster was appropriately stacked. Per the pin-golf format, competitors played 18 different machines (like the holes of a golf course), aiming for a particular score with 5 balls to play. The fewer balls it takes to achieve the target score, the better, with additional “strokes” applied if the player fails to reach it. To do well in pin-golf, you need to score high and on command with few mistakes, a task made harder at IFPA Pin-Masters as the target scores are based on the scores achieved by the world-class players at nationals.
After the qualifying course, the field of 90 players was cut down to the top 24, who moved on to the finals phase. The playoffs retained the pin-golf format, with four-player groups competing on four machines, with the two top players progressing to the next round. After three tough rounds, four pin-golfers trotted their way to the grand final tee-off: Dalton Ely, Dante Oliva, Zach 'Zmac' McCarthy, and legendary competitor and pinball designer, Keith Elwin.
Grand finals kicked off with Game 1 on the EM, Wild Card (Williams 1977), with a target score of 40,000 points. Things started sketchy for all players, as all succumbed to the drain-happy nature of EMs, though Keith fared the best, reaching the target score in 3 balls. Moving to Game 2, Bad Girls (Gottlieb, 1988), Dante and Zmac picked up steam, and both scored a hole-in-one, reaching the target score of 2.5 million in a single ball, while Dalton and Keith trailed with 2 and 3 strokes respectively. Game 3, Black Knight: Sword of Rage (Stern, 2019), proved as challenging as expected, as most players took 3 balls to reach the target score of 30 million, with the exception of Dalton, who hit it in just 2.
Coming into the final match, Dalton and Zmac both had 8 points, while Keith and Dante trailed with 9 (remember, the lower the total, the better). With the point totals so close, NBA Fastbreak (Bally, 1997) would be the machine to decide it all. On ball 1, Dalton suffered an early drain down the right outlane due to some aggressive play, leaving the door open. Capitalizing on the blunder in a big way, Keith, despite taking a double danger in the first few seconds of play, managed to claw his way to 80 points on his first ball, putting huge pressure on Zmac. Ultimately, Zmac was unable to close the gap and force a tiebreaker, making Keith Elwin the 2026 IFPA Pin-Masters champion, all thanks to one super clutch ball of NBA Fastbreak.
Pin-Masters Champion – Keith Elwin (Carlsbad, CA)
Second Place – Zach McCarthy (Conifer, CO)
Third Place – Dalton Ely (Rockmart, GA)
Fourth Place – Dante Oliva (Raleigh, NC)
Now that the competitive pinball season is off and running, there is no shortage of events to check out. A handful of pinball/arcade conventions are just around the corner, including the Texas Pinball Festival, Louisville Arcade Expo, PinBrew 2026 (now near Pittsburgh, PA), and Pintastic New Robert Englunds. Texas Pinball Festival and Pintastic will also host upcoming Stern Pro Circuit tournaments, along with Past Times Arcade, though the latter is now sold out. Several championships will be playing out soon as well, including the IFPA Women's World Pinball Championship in March and the European Pinball Championship in April, leaving a surplus of high-level pinball to watch from home.
If you're eager to get out there and play some competitive pinball yourself, be sure to check the IFPA Leagues page to find local leagues near you, as well as the IFPA Calendar page for sanctioned competitions. For other pinball events and competitions, we also suggest checking out the Pinside Event Calendar. Whether you're a tournament player yourself or just an invested spectator, the world of competitive pinball is back in full gear, so be sure to return next month for another edition of The Score Card.
Matt Owen is a lifelong gamer and overall media fiend. He can often be found playing endless hours of games or watching an absurd amount of movies and television: action, horror, mystery, and sci-fi in particular. When he's not bingeing entertainment media, Matt enjoys reading and writing fiction, playing pinball, broadcasting, and attempting to cook.

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v4)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 57057807-22ff-438e-8514-4d68ae467a17*