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Locksport Competitions: Compete in the Olympics of Locks

Matt Burrough

Explores competitive locksport events around the world, detailing tournament formats, preparation strategies, and techniques to win.

Summary

In this comprehensive presentation on the DEF CON 32 Creator Stage, a competitive locksport enthusiast delivers a detailed guide to competitive lockpicking tournaments around the world, dubbed the "Olympics of Locks." At 04:00, the speaker highlights major international gatherings, focusing on the Dutch Open organized by Toool in the Netherlands, where the world's most skilled lockpickers compete in timed head-to-head heats.

The talk outlines standard competition formats at 08:00, detailing how contestants race against the clock to manipulate unknown, high-security mechanical cylinders. At 12:00, the speaker demonstrates safe manipulation techniques, showing how paper gradient stickers attached to safe dials enable lockpickers to detect microscopic contact point variations.

At 16:00, the session covers specialized locksport categories, including lever lock impressioning, wafer picking, and non-destructive automotive entry. The presenter concludes at 20:00 by exploring master keying contests and accessible lockpicking competitions designed for visually impaired participants, welcoming newcomers to join local locksport clubs and develop their mechanical puzzle-solving abilities. (AI summary — Gemini Flash)

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