Field for The Kong Off 3 is Set
World Championship Event Kicks Off in Denver November 15

With the preliminary qualifications complete, the field for The Kong Off 3 Donkey Kong world championship has been set. Taking place November 15-17 at The 1up – LoDo in Denver, the event brings together the world’s best players of the arcade classic Donkey Kong to compete for the title and $4,500 purse provided by Coors Light and Red Bull.

There were two ways for competitors to qualify for The Kong Off 3. The first was to be among the world’s top 12 Donkey Kong scorers as certified by Twin Galaxies as of October 25, 2013. The other was to enter through one of three Wild Card Division Online Qualifier tournaments.

The battle to be among the top 12 scorers was intense. In the final four weeks of qualifications, three players, Ross Benzinger, Jeff Wolfe and Robbie Lakeman scored their way in. Lakeman scored his way in just two days before the cutoff date.

World record holder and winner of The Kong Off 1, Dr. Hank Chien is the first qualifier. A plastic surgeon from New York, New York, Chien has held the world record since 2012 and will be competing in his third Kong Off.

Benziger, an environmental engineer from Portland, Oregon claimed the second spot and will be competing in this third Kong Off. He qualified for the event on September 27.

Sainte-Croix, Quebec’s Vincent Lemay holds down the third spot. The 22-year-old is a perennial fan favorite and always a contender. His best finish of fifth came in the inaugural Kong Off.

Defending Kong Off champion Jeff Willms is in the fourth position. The Waterloo, Ontario native shocked the Donkey Kong community when he, as a relative unknown, captured the title in the Kong Off 2.

Dean Saglio, who was runner up in The Kong Off 2, is the fifth qualifier. A realtor from Kingston, Rhode Island, Saglio traditionally plays Donkey Kong via a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) but has shown that his play on the classic arcade version is equally as strong.

Steve Wiebe of Redmond, WA has the sixth spot. The high school math teacher was the first player to score more than 1,000,000 points in a public game and one of the primary subjects in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

In the seventh position is restauranteur Billy Mitchell. The Hollywood, Florida resident has held the Donkey World Record multiple times since 1982 but has not yet been able to turn that into a Kong Off title. His best finish of seventh came in The Kong Off 1. Mitchell was also one of the primary subjects in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

Making his second Kong Off appearance is Steve Wiltshire. The insurance agent from Lincoln, Nebraska, who finished 14th in The Kong Off 2, is the eighth qualifier.

Colorado resident Jeff Wolfe grabbed the ninth spot and will be competing in his second Kong Off. The rural mail carrier from Calhan finished 10th in The Kong Off 2.

Shaun Boyd, who made one previous Kong Off appearance, is in the 10th spot. The quality assurance tester from Madison Heights, Michigan finished 19th in last year’s event.

Robbie Lakeman, a golf professional from Concord, New Hampshire holds down the 11th spot while Mike Groesbeck, an algorithm calibration engineer from Shelby Township, Michigan rounds out the top 12.

The Kong Off 3 field will also be made up of 20 wildcard competitors – 10 high scorers from the three Wild Card Division Online Qualifier tournaments and 10 high scorers of the Wild Card Division Live Qualifier, which is held on November 15 during the Kong Off 3 weekend at The 1up – LoDo.

The championship is sanctioned by Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard, the foremost adjudicating authority on International Video Game World Record Scores. Walter Day, the company’s founder, will serve as the head official. Twin Galaxies is also responsible for verifying the world’s top 12 Donkey Kong scorers. Those players and their scores can be found at TwinGalaxies.com.

The highlight of the Kong Off 3 is the Donkey Kong world championship but it’s not the only happening. The largest number of arcade game world record attempts, a 24-hour marathon game of Tron by a single player as well as multiple attempts at completing perfect games on Pac-Man will take place during the three-day event. For every world record set, Jim Beam will provide a $250 prize.

The Kong Off 3 is free for spectators on a first come, first serve basis. Space is limited. When capacity has been reached, especially in the evening hours, a ‘1-in, 1-out’ policy will be in effect. All ages are welcome until 7:00 p.m. After 7:00 p.m. the event is open to those 21 and over.

The 1up – LoDo, located at 1925 Blake St. is open 360 days a year and features more than 45 classic arcade games, 16 Pinball Machines, three lanes of classic Skee-Ball and multiple sets of giant Jenga. With 14 beers on tap, a Hall-of-Fame of vintage cans, a solid selection of 40 oz. bottles of malt liquor, full bar and a delicious menu, The 1up – LoDo has something for everyone.

The 1up – LoDo is easily accessed by public transportation (light rail or bus). Parking is available in the numerous public parking lots nearby.

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