Tran Quyet Chien has made history as the first Vietnamese billiards player to reach the world No. 1 ranking in carom 3-cushion, according to the latest UMB rankings. His ascent to the top spot was confirmed after Dick Jaspers lost 30-50 to Heo Jung-han in the Round of 16 at the Ankara World Cup on the evening of June 14.
The World Billiards Federation (UMB) uses two ranking systems: the World Players Ranking and the UMB Events Ranking. The World Players Ranking includes results from UMB individual events, continental, and national championships. In contrast, the UMB Events Ranking only considers results from UMB’s individual tournaments.
The World Players Ranking aggregates results from the latest eight World Cups, one World Championship, and the most recent continental and national events. The UMB Events Ranking tallies results from the latest 10 World Cups and one World Championship. The world champion earns 120 points, while World Cup and continental champions receive 80 points, and national champions get 30 points. The World Players Ranking seeds players for continental and national tournaments, while the UMB Events Ranking seeds them for World Cups and World Championships.
In both rankings, Quyet Chien is set to become No. 1 after the Ankara tournament. Before this World Cup, he was ranked second, trailing Kim Jun-tae by one point in the World Players Ranking and Dick Jaspers by 10 points in the UMB Events Ranking. He needed to defend fewer points than Kim and Jaspers to surpass them.
Kim was eliminated in the group stage on June 13, leaving only Jaspers to contend with Quyet Chien for the top spot, as other competitors were too far behind. A player reaching the Round of 16 earns 18 points. On the evening of June 14, Jaspers lost to Heo 50-30, while Quyet Chien defeated compatriot Tran Thanh Luc 50-39. Even if Quyet Chien loses in the quarterfinals, he will still lead Kim by 33 points in the World Players Ranking and Jaspers by 24 points in the UMB Events Ranking.
Born in 1984 in Ha Tinh, Quyet Chien moved to Ca Mau with his family at the age of four. He became the first Vietnamese player to win a World Cup, triumphing in Ho Chi Minh City in 2018, and has since secured three titles. In March 2024, he and Bao Phuong Vinh won the World Team Championship in Germany. His latest achievement makes him one of the few Vietnamese athletes to reach world No. 1 in any sport, following shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh, who topped the men’s 10m air pistol rankings in 2014.
In other Round of 16 matches in Ankara, Vietnam’s No. 2 player, Bao Phuong Vinh, continued his strong form with a 50-29 win over Turkey’s Tolgahan Kiraz in 25 innings. However, Chiêm Hong Thai was defeated by Egypt’s Sameh Sidhom 39-50 in 32 innings.
The quarterfinals will take place tonight. Bao Phuong Vinh will face another Turkish player, Omer Karakurt, at 21:00, while Quyet Chien will compete against Heo at 23:30 for a place in the semifinals.
Billiards, which dates back to the 15th century, involves a cue, balls, and a table. The sport is generally divided into three main categories: carom (played on a table without pockets), pool, and snooker (both played on tables with pockets). In carom 3-cushion, players must strike the cue ball to hit the object ball and then contact three cushions before hitting the target ball to score a point.
Leave a Reply