# ROMANIAN PINBALL OPEN 2016

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2016-12-22  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2016/12/22/romanian-pinball-open-2016

---

## Analysis

The Romanian Pinball Open 2016 was held December 2-4 in Bucharest at Beraria H, a large entertainment complex. The event featured three tournaments: the main RPO (won by Martin Ayub), an '80s machines tournament (won by Rich Mallett), and a Pingolf competition (won by Roberto Pedroni). Despite venue challenges including live music interference and some machine maintenance issues, the event attracted international players and was well-received as a notable competitive gathering in Eastern Europe.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Martin Ayub won the main RPO tournament, defeating Roberto Pedroni in the final on Scared Stiff with a 2-0 best-of-three victory — _Tournament results and match descriptions provided with details of final game scores and multiball sequences_
- [HIGH] Rich Mallett won the '80s Tournament on Tiger Rag with a score of 344K, defeating Roberto Pedroni (274K) and Devis Pierantozzi (227K) — _Detailed play-by-play account of final ball sequence and final scores recorded_
- [HIGH] Roberto Pedroni won the Pingolf by the Lake tournament, defeating David Mainwaring in the final played on Star Wars and Shrek — _Final match description showing Roberto winning on Star Wars with superior ramp-looping strategy on original ROMs_
- [HIGH] The tournament attracted 45 players for the main RPO competition and additional entries for the '80s and Pingolf tournaments — _Complete results tables showing 45 finishers in main RPO, 37 in '80s Tournament, and 27 in Pingolf_
- [MEDIUM] Beraria H is marketed as the biggest beer hall in Eastern Europe and can accommodate upwards of 2,000 patrons in evening hours — _Venue description noting self-promotion and capacity claims; venue serves as concert venue with live music performances_

### Notable Quotes

> "The volume of the live music both during warm-up and the actual performances took some getting used to at times, but having decent food and drink so readily available was much appreciated."
> — **Article author (Pinball News)**, Post-tournament reflection
> _Captures the trade-offs of the venue choice—entertainment value and amenities versus acoustic challenges for competition_

> "There was even an unsubstantiated suggestion that reverberations from the bass caused a game to tilt, but the players just continued anyway."
> — **Article author (Pinball News)**, Saturday evening during finals
> _Humorous note about venue challenges during peak music performance conflicting with tournament execution_

> "The condition of the machines used was less attractive. Some had obvious faults which either took them out of the tournament or needed player cooperation to work around, and there were few opportunities to fix them once the tournaments began."
> — **Article author (Pinball News)**, Post-tournament assessment
> _Critical observation about machine maintenance standards; contextualizes community acceptance of 'street pinball' conditions_

> "But bringing together more than two dozen pinballs and holding an international tournament weekend is not a small achievement in Romania, so everyone appreciated Ovi's hard work and seemed happy to play the games as they found them – 'street pinball'."
> — **Article author (Pinball News)**, Closing reflection
> _Provides context for Eastern European tournament infrastructure maturity and community attitudes toward non-professional venue conditions_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Martin Ayub | person | Winner of Romanian Pinball Open 2016 main tournament; competitive player from international circuit |
| Roberto Pedroni | person | Runner-up in main RPO; second place in '80s Tournament; winner of Pingolf by the Lake tournament; high-finishing player across all three events |
| Rich Mallett | person | Winner of '80s Tournament on Tiger Rag; finished 5th in main RPO; 9th in Pingolf |
| Olivier Francq | person | Third place finisher in main RPO tournament; beat Bogdan Ghiga in third-place playoff |
| Bogdan Constantin Ghiga | person | Fourth place in main RPO; finalist in '80s Tournament; competed across multiple events |
| David Mainwaring | person | Runner-up in Pingolf by the Lake tournament; reached pingolf quarter-finals and semi-finals |
| Daniel Nowak | person | Third place finisher in Pingolf by the Lake; reached pingolf semi-finals; competed in main RPO |
| Ovi | person | Co-organizer of Romanian Pinball Open 2016; responsible for tournament coordination and venue management; appeared in photos during finals |
| Gabby | person | Co-organizer of Romanian Pinball Open 2016; mentioned as having invited Pinball News to cover event |
| Beraria H | venue | Primary tournament venue in Bucharest; former exhibition center converted to entertainment complex; houses multiple restaurants, bars, and concert stage; located on edge of reservoir near House of Free Press building |
| Romanian Pinball Open 2016 | event | International pinball tournament held December 2-4, 2016 in Bucharest featuring main RPO, '80s Tournament, and Pingolf events |
| Pingolf by the Lake | event | Target-score format tournament held on Sunday as part of Romanian Pinball Open weekend; won by Roberto Pedroni |
| Scared Stiff | game | Machine used for main RPO final between Martin Ayub and Roberto Pedroni; vampire-themed game featuring coffin multiball mode |
| Tiger Rag | game | Machine used for '80s Tournament final; set to five-ball play; won by Rich Mallett |
| Star Wars (DE) | game | Tournament machine in RPO; used as tiebreaker in Pingolf final between Roberto and David; running original ROMs featuring ramp-looping strategy |
| Shrek | game | Tournament machine in RPO and primary game for Pingolf final; target score-based competition |
| Devis Pierantozzi | person | Third place in '80s Tournament; sixth place Pingolf; stuck ball incident during '80s final required tilting to clear |
| János Sándor | person | Competed in main RPO (reached quarter-finals); competed in Pingolf tournament |
| Tamas Odler | person | Reached Pingolf semi-finals; fourth place in Pingolf; competed in main RPO |
| Daniele Baldan | person | Reached Pingolf quarter-finals; fifth place in Pingolf; competed across multiple tournament formats |
| Gábor Vanderer | person | Reached Pingolf quarter-finals and eighth place in Pingolf; competed in main tournament events |
| Brewdog Sink the Bismarck | product | 41% ABV beer brewed in Scotland; world's strongest beer when launched in 2011; found and consumed at Beer O'clock bar in Bucharest Old Town during tournament weekend |
| House of Free Press | venue | Iconic Bucharest building located near Beraria H tournament venue on edge of Lacul Herăstrău reservoir |
| Hard Rock Cafe | venue | Located in same Beraria H complex; noted as primary alternative dining option near tournament venue |
| Beer O'clock | venue | Bar in Bucharest Old Town where tournament participants consumed Brewdog Sink the Bismarck beer |

### Topics

- **Primary:** International tournament organization and format, Eastern European pinball community development, Pingolf (target-score) tournament format, Vintage/80s machines tournament segment
- **Secondary:** Venue selection and infrastructure for pinball events, Tournament machine condition and maintenance standards, Head-to-head match play formats in pinball, Community sportsmanship and acceptance of 'street pinball' conditions

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.78) — Event coverage is enthusiastic and appreciative despite identifying real venue and machine condition challenges. Authors value the achievement of organizing international tournament in Eastern Europe and community's gracious attitude. Enthusiasm for Bucharest cityscape and dining experiences adds positive tone. Machine condition concerns and venue acoustic issues are noted but not dwelt upon, suggesting these were accepted as trade-offs worth making.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Romanian tournament venue demonstrates entertainment complex model for hosting large pinball events (food, beverage, live music, multiple tournament stages) (confidence: medium) — Beraria H described as multi-function entertainment center capable of hosting 2,000+ patrons with integrated restaurant, bar, and concert stage alongside pinball tournament areas
- **[event_signal]** Tournament successfully brought together international competitive pinball community despite geographic distance and regional infrastructure constraints (confidence: high) — Authors traveled internationally from UK to cover event; organizers Ovi and Gabby had previously extended multiple invitations; diverse competitor nationalities documented in results
- **[sentiment_shift]** Pinball community displayed gracious acceptance of 'street pinball' conditions rather than professional standards, valuing the achievement of organizing international event (confidence: high) — Authors observe 'everyone appreciated Ovi's hard work and seemed happy to play the games as they found them'; explicit characterization as 'street pinball'
- **[competitive_signal]** Roberto Pedroni demonstrated strong performance across multiple tournament formats (2nd main RPO, 2nd and 1st '80s, 1st Pingolf), suggesting diverse skill set across modern and vintage machines (confidence: high) — Pedroni's high finishes across all three event types; article specifically notes his ramp-looping strategy on Star Wars original ROMs
- **[design_philosophy]** Pingolf tournament success indicates market viability of target-score format as alternative to traditional match play in competitive settings (confidence: medium) — Pingolf format widely adopted at Romanian event alongside traditional tournaments; described as 'now common' approach, suggesting growing standardization
- **[event_signal]** Romanian Pinball Open 2016 represents established international tournament infrastructure in Eastern Europe with 45+ competitors from multiple countries (confidence: high) — Multi-day event with three concurrent tournament formats (RPO main, '80s Tournament, Pingolf), international player roster including Italian, Polish, Austrian, Hungarian competitors
- **[community_signal]** Rich Mallett won '80s Tournament while finishing 5th in main RPO, suggesting stronger performance in vintage machine play (confidence: medium) — Tournament results show Mallett's '80s Tournament victory contrasts with lower main RPO finish despite qualifying for playoffs
- **[product_concern]** Multiple tournament machines had maintenance issues affecting playability; stuck ball incident in '80s final required emergency tilt procedure (confidence: high) — Devis Pierantozzi had to tilt Tiger Rag to free stuck ball; authors note 'some had obvious faults which either took them out of the tournament or needed player cooperation to work around'
- **[competitive_signal]** Multiple tournament formats successfully executed simultaneously: main bracket (round-robin to elimination), vintage machines tournament (concurrent scoring with expanded playoffs), and pingolf (target-score format) (confidence: high) — Detailed documentation of three parallel tournament structures with different rules, qualification methods, and playoff formats all completed over three-day period
- **[venue_signal]** Live music performance during tournament finals created acoustic interference requiring creative solutions (portable spot lamps, sound amplification) (confidence: high) — Band performance began at 9pm, original schedule planning failed, music continued through final matches, 'unsubstantiated suggestion that reverberations from bass caused a game to tilt'

---

## Transcript

**Date:**
2nd-4th December, 2016

**Location:**
Beraria H, Șoseaua Kiseleff, Bucharest, Romania

We had been invited to attend the Romanian Pinball Open several times by the organisers Ovi and Gabby. Eventually, and despite the dates clashing with another more local tournament, we yielded, booked the flights and accommodation, and packed our bags for Bucharest.

The venue for the tournament was in the north of the capital in a building called Beraria H. It is built on the edge of a reservoir and is close to one of Bucharest’s many iconic buildings – in this case the House of Free Press.

[![The House of Free Press building in Bucharest](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/1.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/1a.jpg)

The House of Free Press building in Bucharest

[![Lacul Herăstrău](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/2.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/2a.jpg)

Lacul Herăstrău

The Beraria H building is one of many from the Ceaușescu era which produced a lot of impressive but not necessarily very attractive structures. Beraria H began as an exhibition centre to promote the best of Romania’s products, then briefly became a shopping centre before folding and being turned into an entertainment centre.

[![Berăria H](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/3.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/3a.jpg)

Berăria H

It promotes itself as the biggest beer hall in Eastern Europe, but it’s far more than just a drinking den.

[![Inside Berăria H](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/4.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/4a.jpg)

Inside Berăria H

Craft and collectable stalls occupy the entrance on the upper level and the far end of the hall on the lower floor. In between are masses of tables arranged around a central stage. Plenty of beers are available as a pretty reasonable menu offers an interesting selection of meaty products at reasonable prices.

Beraria is also a concert venue and live music is performed here throughout the weekends and during the evenings on weekdays. Although it looks empty in these pictures, it becomes absolutely packed with upwards of 2,000 patrons in the evening.

[![The market inside Berăria H](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/40.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/40a.jpg)

The market inside Berăria H

So competitors in the Romanian Pinball Open (RPO) don’t have to go far for food and drinks, which is just as well as there aren’t many other establishments around. The Hard Rock Cafe is in the same complex, but that’s about it.

The pinball tournaments were held on the upper level at the far end of Beraria H, overlooking the craft stalls. This kept them away from most casual visitors and helped to reduce (slightly) the impact of the noise from bands playing on the stage.

[![The location of the tournament machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/16.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/16.jpg)

The location of the tournament machines

[![The RPO information banner at the entrance to the area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/15.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/15.jpg)

The RPO information banner at the entrance to the area

The machines were arranged either side of a section of a long corridor which ran almost the entire length of the building. Modern machines used for the RPO and Pingolf Tournaments were on one side overlooking the hall, the remaining modern machines were joined on the opposite side by the ’80s Tournament machines.

[![Modern machines on the right, '80s and modern on the left](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/37.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/37.jpg)

Modern machines on the right, ’80s and modern on the left

[![RPO machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/10.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/10.jpg)

RPO machines

[![More RPO machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/12.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/12.jpg)

More RPO machines

[!['80s Tournament machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/11.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/11.jpg)

’80s Tournament machines

|  |
| --- |
| **Romanian Pinball Open 2016 machines** |
| |  |  | | --- | --- | | Indiana Hilton Jones, The Pinball Adventue | Scared Stiff | | Creature from the Black Lagoon | Corvette | | Dracula, Bram Stoker’s\* | Independence Day | | Shrek | Fish Tales | | Creature from the Black Lagoon | Star Trek: The Next Generation | | Star Wars (DE) | Bride of Pinbot, The Machine | | Terminator 2: Judgement Day | Maverick\* | | Demolition Man | Dirty Harry | | Getaway: High Speed 2, The | Lethal Weapon 3 | |

|  |
| --- |
| **’80s Tournament Machines** |
| |  | | --- | | Road Kings | | Dr. Dude | | Tiger Rag | | Clown | | Elvira & the Party Monsters | |

The tournament desk was at the far end, and next to that were a few extra pinball and video games. The pinballs didn’t seem to be fully working and the video games were on pay-to-play, so we didn’t check those out.

[![The tournament desk](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/6.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/6.jpg)

The tournament desk

[![Practice machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/14.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/14.jpg)

Practice machines

Qualifying for the RPO began on Friday evening. Twenty-four players were put into two groups of twelve and set to play one game against each of the other eleven players in their group. The order of competitors and machines played were pre-selected, with play order in each match decided by the toss of a coin.

Winning a game was the important thing, and each win was recorded against the player’s name on the score chart.

[![Friday's qualification rounds](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/55.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/55.jpg)

Friday’s qualification rounds

Once all eleven rounds had been played, the six players with the most wins moved on to the next round which would be played later on Saturday once that day’s qualifying rounds were over.

We opted to save our energy for the following day, and instead headed for Old Town to see what culinary delights the city had to offer. After an enjoyable meal we wound up at a bar called Beer O’clock which presented us with the opportunity to try a true rarity – what was, when it was launched in 2011, the world’s strongest beer.

[![Sink the Bismarck! - a 41% beer](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/54.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/54.jpg)

Sink the Bismarck! – a 41% beer

Brewed in Scotland by Brewdog, it cost £55 ($68/€65) for a 330ml bottle, and was Brewdog’s effort to recapture the title of the world’s strongest beer after a German brewery claimed victory with their 40% beer. It’s almost impossible to find now. Who thought we’d find it here in Bucharest?

Events after that are rather hazy, so let’s move swiftly on…

Saturday’s pinball action began at 10am with another twenty-four players competing just like their Friday night counterparts.

[![Saturday's qualifying rounds](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/5.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/5.jpg)

Saturday’s qualifying rounds

[![Play in the Romanian Pinball Open qualifying](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/7.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/7.jpg)

Play in the Romanian Pinball Open qualifying

[![Another win is recorded](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/8.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/8.jpg)

Another win is recorded

[![More qualifying matches](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/9.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/9.jpg)

More qualifying matches

[![The day's youngest player](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/21.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/21.jpg)

The day’s youngest player

When the all the qualifying rounds were over, the twenty four qualifiers were again split into two groups of twelve and played the same format again.

As before, the six players with the most wins moved on to the next round, except this time the top two in each group (circled below) received a bye through to the quarter-finals.

[![A completed group](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/18.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/18.jpg)

A completed group

That left eight players competing in the third round of play-offs. They played the same format as before, only this time in a single group playing seven single-game matches.

[![RPO play-offs](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/13.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/13.jpg)

RPO play-offs

The four with the most wins then continued to meet the four players with byes in the quarter-final round.

[![The third round of play-offs](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/56.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/56.jpg)

The third round of play-offs

The original plan was for all the games to be completed by 9pm, because that was the time the band would start playing on the main stage which would be so loud it would be impossible to concentrate on the games..

However, the matches continued long past that time, with the music blasting away regardless. There was even an unsubstantiated suggestion that reverberations from the bass caused a game to tilt, but the players just continued anyway.

[![The band starts playing in the Berăria H](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/28.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/28a.jpg)

The band starts playing in the Berăria H

The last eight were paired up to play best-of-three head-to-head matches on a single machine, with the winner progressing and the Kevin Loza dropping out. Berndt Ion Teodorescu played Olivier Francq, Rich Mallett played Martin Ayub, Bogdan Constantin Ghiga played Daniel Nowak, and János Sándor played Roberto Pedroni.

[![The RPO quarter-finals](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/19.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/19.jpg)

The RPO quarter-finals

From those matches, Olivier, Martin, Bogdan and Roberto went into the semi-finals which were played in the same way.

Martin and Roberto emerged victorious from those to contest the final which was another best-of-three played on Scared Stiff. Just to add to the interest, the venue decided to switch off the lights, so Ovi found a portable spot lamp which he held to illuminate the game. The sound was also cranked up to try to overcome the band’s performance.

The first game was a very cagey affair with neither player gaining control of the machine. It finished with Martin narrowly ahead with 1.8M to 1.6M.

The second game was a little better with both players starting crate multiball, but Martin also got Coffin multiball going and that proved to be the game and match decider. With a 2-0 score, Martin had won the final. Roberto was second, and in a separate play-off Olivier beat Bogdan to take third.

The presentation of prizes and trophies then took place. Each of the top four won an Android tablet while the top three received a custom coffin-shaped pinball trophy.

[![Fourth place, Bogdan Ghiga](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/23.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/23.jpg)

Fourth place, Bogdan Ghiga

[![Third place, Ollivier Francq](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/24.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/24.jpg)

Third place, Ollivier Francq

[![Second place, Roberto Pedroni](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/25.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/25.jpg)

Second place, Roberto Pedroni

[![Winner of the Romanian Pinball Open 2016, Martin Ayub](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/26.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/26.jpg)

Winner of the Romanian Pinball Open 2016, Martin Ayub

[![The top three in the RPO 2016](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/27.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/27.jpg)

The top three in the RPO 2016

Here are the full results:

|  |
| --- |
| **Romanian Pinball Open Results** |
| |  |  | | --- | --- | | **1** | **Martin Ayub** | | 2 | Roberto Pedroni | | 3 | Ollivier Francq | | 4 | Bogdan Constantin Ghiga | | 5 | Rich Mallett | | 6 | Daniel Nowak | | 7 | János Sándor | | 8 | Berndt Ion Teodorescu | | 9 | Balázs Pálfi | | 10 | Cezary Glowala | | 11 | Greg Mott | | 12 | Wolfgang Haid | | 13 | Matteo Filippin | | 14 | Daniele Baldan | | 15 | Antonella Iannotta | | 16 | Flavio Baddaria | | 17 | Gabi Molotov Gavrilita | | 18 | Tamas Odler | | 19 | Ovidiu Cacina | | 20 | Kyoo Barbaix | | 21 | Florin Tismas | | 22 | Liv Decay | | 23 | Marcin Krysinski | | 24 | Milan Caranovic | | 25 | David Mainwaring | | 26 | Jakub Cieplinski | | 27 | Aleksander Zurkowski | | 28 | Gábor Vanderer | | 29 | Claudio Melone | | 30 | Andra Raicu | | 31 | Gabriella Medgyesi | | 32 | Miron Vasilescu | | 33 | Devis Pierantozzi | | 34 | Pierangelo Villa | | 35 | Péter Szamosi | | 36 | Vlad Terzi | | 37 | Karin Eisenstecken | | 38 | Gabi Claudiu | | 39 | adrian aghenitei | | 40 | Andrew Luke | | 41 | Alex Butnaru | | 42 | ieronim pogorilovschi | | 43 | Vlad Filimon Nastase | | 44 | Rafal Bytomski | | 45 | Zsolt Somogyvari | |

While qualifying for the main RPO tournament was taking place, players could also compete in the ’80s Tournament which was held on five machines at the opposite end to the tournament desk.

Entry to the ’80s Tournament got you two concurrent games on each of Road Kings, Dr. Dude, Tiger Rag, Clown and Elvira & the Party Monsters. The higher of the two scores was recorded and ranked against all the other scores on the machines.

It was originally planned that the top eight players would qualify for the play-offs, but that was expanded to the top sixteen. They were split into four groups of four who played a single game per group, with the top two players continuing to the semi-finals.

[![The play-offs in the '80s Tournament](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/29.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/29.jpg)

The play-offs in the ’80s Tournament

The semi-finals were made up of four head-to-head sudden-death games. The winners went into the finals while the losers were out.

[![The '80s Tournament semi-finals](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/30.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/30.jpg)

The ’80s Tournament semi-finals

The four finalists were Bogdan Constantin Ghiga, Devis Pierantozzi, Rich Mallett and Roberto Pedroni, and the game chosen for the final was Tiger Rag which had been set to five ball play.

After the first two balls, Roberto had a good lead with his 196K more than double the second place 74K from Devis. Rich was close behind on 63K while Bogdan hadn’t had much luck with his 11K.

The third ball didn’t change either the order or the gaps between the scores, but there was a moment of interest when a stuck ball resulted in Devis having to tilt the game to free it, since opening the coin door would have depowered the game.

[![A stuck ball presents a challenge in the final](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/58.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/58.jpg)

A stuck ball presents a challenge in the final

Devis would be allowed to play another ball at the end of the final, with the points earned added to his total from this game.

While ball three didn’t alter much, the fourth ball was game changer, as Rich shot from third with 73K into first place with 286K, ahead of Roberto’s 240K which had seemed pretty safe.

[![Rich in the final of the '89s Tournament](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/31.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/31.jpg)

Rich in the final of the ’89s Tournament

Devis could only manage a fifth ball total of 177K which gave him third place at the moment with his additional ball still to play, while Bogdan’s 63K was a guaranteed fourth. Rich, meanwhile, had another good ball and ended his game with 344K, more than 100K ahead of Roberto. Could Roberto stage a last ball comeback?

[![Roberto plays the last ball of the '80s Tournament final](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/57.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/57.jpg)

Roberto plays the last ball of the ’80s Tournament final

It wasn’t a lucky fifth ball for Roberto, as he ended his final with 274K, some 70K behind Rich. Devis would need to double his score to take the win.

[![Devis plays his additional ball](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/59.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/59.jpg)

Devis plays his additional ball

As it turned out, he managed 50K on his additional ball – not enough to move him up from third place – meaning Rich had won with Roberto in second.

[![Third place, Devis Pierantozzi](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/32.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/32.jpg)

Third place, Devis Pierantozzi

[![Second place, Roberto Pedroni](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/33.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/33.jpg)

Second place, Roberto Pedroni

[![Winner of the '80s Tournament, Rich Mallett](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/34.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/34.jpg)

Winner of the ’80s Tournament, Rich Mallett

[![The top three in the '80s Tournament](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/35.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/35.jpg)

The top three in the ’80s Tournament

The full results of the ’80s Tournament are:

|  |
| --- |
| **’80s Tournament Results** |
| |  |  | | --- | --- | | **1** | **Rich Mallett** | | 2 | Roberto Pedroni | | 3 | Devis Pierantozzi | | 4 | Bogdan Constantin Ghiga | | 5 | Flavio Baddaria | | 6 | Martin Ayub | | 7 | Cezary Glowala | | 8 | David Mainwaring | | 9 | Jakub Cieplinski | | 10 | Ollivier Francq | | 11 | Daniel Nowak | | 12 | Aleksander Zurkowski | | 13 | Wolfgang Haid | | 14 | Berndt Ion Teodorescu | | 15 | Rafal Bytomski | | 16 | Daniele Baldan | | 17 | Pierangelo Villa | | 18 | Florin Tismas | | 19 | Greg Mott | | 20 | Claudio Melone | | 21 | Gábor Vanderer | | 22 | Matteo Filippin | | 23 | Ovidiu Cacina | | 24 | János Sándor | | 25 | Tamas Odler | | 26 | Balázs Pálfi | | 27 | Liv Decay | | 28 | Marcin Krysinski | | 29 | Gabi Claudiu | | 30 | Miron Vasilescu | | 31 | Gabi Molotov Gavrilita | | 32 | Milan Caranovic | | 33 | Zsolt Somogyvari | | 34 | Antonella Iannotta | | 35 | Karin Eisenstecken | | 36 | Kyoo Barbaix | | 37 | Gabriella Medgyesi | |

With the competitive events finished for the day, it was time for a group photograph of everyone still remaining at the RPO before we headed back to bed in preparation for Sunday’s Pingolf Tournament.

[![The Saturday night crowd](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/36.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/36a.jpg)

The Saturday night crowd

After the late finish the previous night, the Pingolf by the Lake tournament understandably got off to a slow start. But by mid-morning the machines were in full swing.

[![Pingolf by the Lake qualifying](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/41.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/41.jpg)

Pingolf by the Lake qualifying

As is now common, each machine (or ‘hole’) had a target score posted which players had to reach in as few balls as possible. If they reached the target then the number of balls used became their score for that hole. If they didn’t reach the target with the three balls allowed, they received a higher score depending on how close they were.

[![Pingolf scoring](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/38.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/38.jpg)

Pingolf scoring

So a three-ball score of 35M would result in a six-stroke score for that hole. Scores were recorded on paper and entered into a spreadsheet later.

[![Score recording in the Pingolf Tournament](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/39.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/39.jpg)

Score recording in the Pingolf Tournament

The eight players with the lowest course totals then moved on to the quarter-finals where they were paired-up for head-to-head pingolf play. The eight were Roberto Pedroni, Gábor Vanderer, János Sándor, Tamas Odler, Devis Pierantozzi, David Mainwaring, Daniel Nowak and Daniele Baldan.

[![Pingolf play-offs](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/42.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/42.jpg)

Pingolf play-offs

[![Pingolf play-offs](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/43.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/43.jpg)

Pingolf play-offs

The winners from the quarter-finals were Roberto, Tamas, David and Daniel. They were serenaded in the semi-finals by a traditional Romanian band who were playing to a small audience enjoying their lunch.

[![Sunday's concert begins in the main auditorium](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/44.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/44.jpg)

Sunday’s concert begins in the main auditorium

Roberto and David made it through the semi-finals to play against each other in the Pingolf by the Lake final which was played on Shrek.

[![Roberto and David made it through to the final](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/60.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/60.jpg)

Roberto and David made it through to the final

[![The final of the Pingolf Tournament](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/45.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/45.jpg)

The final of the Pingolf Tournament

If either player could reach the target using fewer balls than the other then they would win. If not, the finalists moved on to a different machine.

[![The final of the Pingolf Tournament](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/46.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/46.jpg)

The final of the Pingolf Tournament

David got tantalisingly close to winning on Shrek, really needing just one shot up the ramp to score 800K and reach the target. As it turned out, that shot rebounded down the right outlane, resulting in a tie.

So the pair moved on to Star Wars.

[![Game two of the final is on Star Wars](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/47.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/47.jpg)

Game two of the final is on Star Wars

Roberto’s strategy of looping the ramp shot – this game was on original ROMs, not the newer code – allowed him to build up a healthy score and quickly reach the target. David tried to follow suit but, although he got close, he couldn’t replicate Roberto’s accuracy on the ramp shot, meaning Roberto won the game and the final.

[![David congratulates Roberto](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/48.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/48.jpg)

David congratulates Roberto

The third place play-off between Daniel and Tamas resulted in Daniel taking third and Tamas fourth.

[![The play-off for third place](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/49.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/49.jpg)

The play-off for third place

Then it was time for the presentation of medals for the top three Pingolfers.

[![Third place, Daniel Nowak](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/50.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/50.jpg)

Third place, Daniel Nowak

[![Second place, David Mainwaring](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/51.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/51.jpg)

Second place, David Mainwaring

[![Winner of the Pingolf by the Lake Tournament, Roberto Pedroni](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/52.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/52.jpg)

Winner of the Pingolf by the Lake Tournament, Roberto Pedroni

[![The top three in the Pingolf by the Lake tournament](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/53.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/53.jpg)

The top three in the Pingolf by the Lake tournament

The full results for the Pingolf tournament are:

|  |
| --- |
| **Pingolf by the Lake Results** |
| |  |  | | --- | --- | | **1** | **Roberto Pedroni** | | 2 | David Mainwaring | | 3 | Daniel Nowak | | 4 | Tamas Odler | | 5 | Daniele Baldan | | 6 | Devis Pierantozzi | | 7 | János Sándor | | 8 | Gábor Vanderer | | 9 | Rich Mallett | | 10 | Martin Ayub | | 11 | Greg Mott | | 12 | Rafal Bytomski | | 13 | Flavio Baddaria | | 14 | Matteo Filippin | | 15 | Jakub Cieplinski | | 16 | Marcin Krysinski | | 17 | Balázs Pálfi | | 18 | Claudio Melone | | 19 | Cezary Glowala | | 20 | Pierangelo Villa | | 21 | Gabi Molotov Gavrilita | | 22 | Wolfgang Haid | | 23 | Péter Szamosi | | 24 | Antonella Iannotta | | 25 | Gabriella Medgyesi | | 26 | Karin Eisenstecken | | 27 | Zsolt Somogyvari | |

With the Pingolf completed, the machines were opened up for free play and the Romanian Pinball Open officially came to an end for 2016.

[![Anyone want to be Dracula? Gabby says he'll bite!](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/22.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/rpo-2016/22.jpg)

Anyone want to be Dracula? Gabby says he’ll bite!

The RPO was a good-natured and enjoyable tournament weekend.

The venue is certainly impressive and unlike any other tournament setting we have experienced. The volume of the live music both during warm-up and the actual performances took some getting used to at times, but having decent food and drink so readily available was much appreciated.

The condition of the machines used was less attractive. Some had obvious faults which either took them out of the tournament or needed player cooperation to work around, and there were few opportunities to fix them once the tournaments began.

But bringing together more than two dozen pinballs and holding an international tournament weekend is not a small achievement in Romania, so everyone appreciated Ovi’s hard work and seemed happy to play the games as they found them – ‘street pinball’.

We thoroughly enjoyed both the pinball and the city of Bucharest, and look forward to returning next year to experience much more of both.

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 7443a18b-904d-4420-bbf1-276efff5996e*