The illustrious list of winners of the title of 3-cushion billiards world champion has been enriched by a completely new name. Phuong Vinh Bao, until recently a totally unknown billiard player from Vietnam, grabbed the 2023 world three cushion billiard title at the tournament held in Ankara, Turkey.
In a demonstration of skill and class, Tayfun Tasdemir has won the 2022 UMB 3-cushion world title. In Donghae City, South-Korea, he defeated Ruben Legazpi in a one-sided final: 50-14 in 15/14 innings. For Turkiye, it had been a nineteen-year wait since Semih Sayginer was world champion in 2003.
Pedro Piedrabuena defeated long-time rival and former champion Miguel Torres to win his 11th USBA 3-Cushion National Championship title.
His play throughout the event was nearly perfect and included an incredible come-from-behind victory against Kang Lee in the penultimate Semi-final round.
At the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo (the 2021 Olympics, in reality), several new sports were added to the line-up for the Games. It’s always the case with each new Olympic Games that some sports will be removed from the roster, with new additions added to take their place. The process is complicated, involving input from the host city, lobbying from different sports bodies and the whims of the big-wigs on the IOC. Among those to be added to the Tokyo Olympics was skateboarding. And the question begs: if skateboarding can be an Olympic sport, why not 3-cushion billiards?
Vietnamese cueist Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, 35, started participating in professional billiards tournaments when he was close to 30, but despite the late start, he has made his mark internationally. Viet Nam News interviewed Nguyen and delivers a personal perspective on this up-and-coming world class player.
Many of our readers will already know this, but it's important to remember that not all billiard chalk is created equal. Some brands just don't seem to stick, leaving a mess all over your hands, ball, and table. And there are so many different types of chalk for sale at the moment, it can be extremely difficult to know what to get.
Here's how to find the right chalk for three-cushion billiards.