The Kozoom crowd was spoiled rotten this January, with quality tournaments one after the other. It started in Blankenberge, Belgium, with the traditional multi-discipline event, was followed by the Dutch Masters in Kaatsheuvel (which is 3-cushion only), and topped off by the Asian championships in Seoul.
Caudron, Forthomme and Merckx did not win the Belgian title. Leppens did.
Jaspers, de Bruijn and Burgman did not win the Dutch title. Van Erp did.
Jae Ho Cho, Jung Han Heo, Sung Won Choi and 317 others did not win the Asian Confederational event. Haeng Jik Kim did. Continue reading Three weeks, three titles, three surprises→
Can’t tell you anything about the meaning or origin of the name, I have no clue. Cheqio is a new product on the market, it’s a food supplement aimed at players of all concentration and precision sports. Dutchmen Rudy Loontjens (Loontjens Biljarts, known for Gabriels tables and Molinari cues) and his friend Nico Smeets came up with it, and it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. They invested for a few years, sank a hefty sum of money into research and product development, and are now convinced they have a winning formula. Continue reading Cheqio. Is it EPO for billiard players?→
The small town of Zundert is on the Dutch side of the border with Belgium, and Vincent van Gogh’s birthplace is a remarkable little hamlet. Just 20.000 people, but nowhere will you find more expertise about dahlias, strawberries or garden shrubbery. The annual flower corso is to Zundert what the Palio is to Siena, Italy. They love sports, but soccer is not a big deal here. Cycling is nr. 2, and billiards is nr. 3, dodging taxes of course being the nr. 1 most popular sport. Continue reading These Verhoevens have seen it all→
Meet Philip: he’s a fun guy, but he does his thinking and talking in reverse order regularly. That can be annoying in some, charming in others. He gets away with it, thanks to a streetwise sense of humor. And he’s a strong player. I never get tired of telling that story of him, “explaining” his average. “I did just under 0.900 last season, which is poor for me. But I won 17 of my 22 matches. I say, if you are a team player, you should not care about innings. I play defensive when I have to, because the game is all about winning. I can average 1.100 for a season, easily. But in the league, It’s not about your vanity, it’s about the team result. I don’t play for average, I play to win.” Continue reading 3-cushion should have an ELO-rating. Oh wait… it has.→
The first day of play has been completed, Marco Zanetti has just beaten Rene Hendriksen from Switzerland 40 – 33 in 44 (!) innings, and I hear one of those cynical know-it-all 3-cushion journalists say: “We may not know who will win this tournament, but at least we know who will NOT win it.”
Let me help you answer that question. It’s not the tip, even though they are outrageously overpriced these days. It’s not the shaft, even though Molinari, to name just one of several fine brands that will hate me tomorrow, charge more for a 314-2 than I paid for my first car. And surprise surprise, it’s not the butt either. Continue reading What is the most expensive part of your cue?→
No, I’m not talking about Karma, the cue manufacturer. I am sure they are decent people who make fine sticks. This is about things from your past, that jump up and bite you in the neck. It may be something you do, it may be something you say. It could take twenty years, it could take ten minutes. Continue reading Karma is a bitch→
How do you get a group of Europeans to jump off a bridge? It sounds difficult, but it isn’t. You tell the British it’s a tradition. To the French, you say it’s fashionable. The Dutch will jump when you tell them it’s free. The Germans? Just show them the paperwork and give the order. And you tell the Italians that it is forbidden. Continue reading A good German. And an even better one.→
We are quite used to having a Korean World Cup tournament on the calendar now. But that tradition started just a few years ago, in 2007. The country of Hyundai and Samsung has really taken the 3-cushion world by storm. Here’s a short recap of the events where Korea was our host: Continue reading They speak Korean. That’s my only point of criticism→
The World Cup in Porto did not have a dull moment. It was top entertainment all week, and both finalists deserve a lot of credit. Forthomme had been away from the podium since 2006 (!), but he proved he’s still a major player. He won from (far) behind twice, eliminated Caudron and was just a kiss away from his third World Cup victory. Jaspers had not won since 2011 (Lima), and he must have been so relieved. Two miraculous wins, the first a shootout against Vietnamese revelation Tran (40-40, then 9-3), the second against Roland the lion, 40-39 the final score. Yes, he was saved by an unlucky kiss at match point for Forthomme. But what a superb run of four did he come up with, to win the title! Second and third point, both extremely demanding positions, played with exemplary technique and great courage. Continue reading As so often, the scoreboard was lying→
The game is bigger than everyone else! "Torbjorn Blomdahl"
The Kozoom crowd was spoiled rotten this January, with quality tournaments one after the other. It started in Blankenberge, Belgium, with the traditional multi-discipline event, was followed by the Dutch Masters in Kaatsheuvel (which is 3-cushion only), and topped off by the Asian championships in Seoul.