Pinches won two matches but then lost in the final round in qualifying for the first three ranking events of the season.&lt;ref name="2012/13"&gt;&lt;/ref&gt; He made it to the main draw at the next event, the 2012 International Championship, thanks to wins over Daniel Wells, Xiao Guodong and Joe Perry. He had to play in a wildcard round once at the venue in Chengdu, China, and lost 5–6 to Lu Ning. This was the furthest Pinches got in a ranking event this season, with it coming to an end when he was defeated 9–10 by Liam Highfield in the second round of World Championship Qualifying. He finished the year ranked world number 62.