The cylinders and padlocks lockpicking competition, open to professionals and lock enthusiasts, will take place on Friday, April 4th at the Savoia Hotel Regency in Bologna. The competition will involve an elimination phase on Friday morning starting from 11:00 AM followed directly by the final. The conclusion is scheduled for 12:30 PM. Each participant can register for the cylinders and padlocks lockpicking competition, subject to availability of slots. Winners will be awarded a lock or cylinder opening tool as a prize. All participants will receive a participation certificate.
20 participants are allowed in the competition, divided into 4 groups of 5 people each. Each competitor will be assigned their place by drawing lots. Participants must use their own tools, and only manual picks are allowed. Each participant will receive a common lock or cylinder used in Italy. All the locks on the various tables will have the same pinning (KA - Keyed Alike). The competition consists of 5 rounds of 5 minutes each. At the end of each round, each participant passes the cylinder or padlock they just manipulated to the competitor on their right. When a participant successfully opens the cylinder or padlock during a round, they must say "open" and raise a hand. A referee will note the time taken to open and ensure that the cylinder or padlock is passed to the next competitor in the closed position. To qualify for the final, the sum of the number of cylinders and padlocks opened and, secondly, the sum of the times taken for the openings will be considered. The finalists will include the top performers from each group and the two best second-place finishers from the four groups. The final consists of six rounds of 4 minutes each, in which each finalist will open all six locks prepared using the same methods as the elimination phase.
Good luck!
Just like the last two years, there will be the "Pentathlon" opening competition, which will test Locksmiths on various disciplines: picking a Europrofile cylinder with a traditional key, picking a Europrofile cylinder with a punched key, impression key of a Europrofile cylinder with a traditional key, picking a double bitted lever lock, picking and decoding a car door lock. The competition will take place on Friday, April 4th at 2:30 PM at the Winter Garden of the Savoia Hotel Regency in Bologna. The conclusion is scheduled no later than 5:00 PM. Winners will be awarded a lock or cylinder opening tool as a prize. All participants will receive a participation certificate.
10 participants are allowed in the competition, who will receive a personal invitation in advance. Each competitor will be assigned a table with 5 stations, one for each specialty, by drawing lots. The locks and cylinders on each table are identical and with the same pinning (ka), to make the competition fair.
Station 1
Opening a padlock with a traditional key, maximum time 5 minutes, 6 points for opening, otherwise 1 minute penalty.
Each competitor uses their own picks. Only manual picks are allowed.
Station 2
Opening a Europrofile cylinder with a dimple key, maximum time 6 minutes, 10 points for opening, otherwise 1 minute penalty.
Each competitor uses their own picks. Only manual picks are allowed.
Station 3
Impression a key of a Europrofile cylinder with a traditional key, maximum time 30 minutes, 15 points for opening, otherwise 4 minutes penalty.
Each competitor uses their own files and magnifiers or visors and lights. Key blanks and a vice will be provided by ERSI.
Station 4
Picking a double bited lever lock with 4 throws, maximum time 15 minutes, 3 points for each turn opened. 4 minutes penalty if all 4 wards are not opened.
A specific 2in1 tool is provided.
Station 5
Picking and decoding a car door lock. Maximum time 15 minutes, 5 points for opening, plus 1 point for each lever correctly decoded.
After opening the lock, the competitor must mark on a card the decoding read and hand it to the attendant who will stop the timer and verify the correctness of the data. If the reading is correct, the corresponding key will be inserted, opening the lock and triggering a buzzer.
A specific LISHI tool is provided.
The competitor will sit on the first chair to the left at the assigned table, in front of the first station, waiting for the start signal. When the competitor successfully opens the lock, they say "OPEN" or "APERTO" leaving the lock or cylinder in the open position. The competitor immediately moves to the next station, moving to the chair to their right, and can start the test immediately. If the competitor does not open the lock within the allotted time for the station, at the "STOP" signal they must wait for the penalty time to pass before moving on to the next station. The penalty serves to give a time advantage as well as a score to those who manage to open, even at the last second, compared to those who have not opened. The end of the penalty time will be indicated by the referee who will say "GO," and even competitors who have not opened the lock can move on to the next station. The competitor can choose to extend the time for opening the test they are performing even after the deadline (to earn the score); however, whether they have opened or not, they must endure the penalty time set for that station. The referee may decide to extend the time allocated to the current station if towards the end of the test few competitors have completed it. He will notify everyone by saying "CONTINUE FOR ANOTHER _ MINUTES" instead of saying "STOP".
The ranking will be based on the points earned, and in case of a tie, based on the time taken.
