Ralph Greenleaf, an avid billiards player, started only a few short years ago. He has taken part in at least three tournaments of cushion billiards and was a top-10 player in the Illinois 3-cushion billiards tourney last month. He has been regularly visiting the Twin Cities billiards club each month.
Nguyen Quyet Nguyen and Tran Quyetchien are two of Vietnam's most highly-ranked billiards players. Both of them are ranked among the top 10 in the world. Both players are currently ranked in the top eight, with Tran Quyet Chien ranked number seven. Both players are the tournament's defending champions. Ngo Dinh Nai is ranked no 29. Jeremy Bury from France ranks number 18.
On December 20-22, the 3-Cushion Carom Billiards Continental Cup in Vietnam will take place. The tournament will feature eight top Vietnamese players. The total prize pool will be approximately 160,000 US dollars. A number of events and other events will take place throughout the year in addition to this tournament.
The United States Billiard Association (USBA) is the official governing body for carom billiards in the United States. The National Championship is the culmination of a series of events that are organized by the USBA. The USA will host the Pan-American Championship with the two best players from the National Championship.
The three cushion billiards tournaments held at the Madison 3-Cushion Billiards Club were very competitive and well-contested. The tournament saw two flights with six players each. The tournament was handicapped. Therefore, the semi finals were won by the five best players in each flight. $7,400 will be awarded to the top 12 players. Bruce Venzke (the cue game legend) was the tournament director.
The UMB (Union of Billiards and Carom Billiards) sponsored the tournament. This is the official governing body of 3-cushion billiards around the world. The UMB also organizes a number of recurring tournaments each year. You can find a list of upcoming events on the UMB Turnier Schedule.
The tournament was held in Binh Duong's south province. Eight teams competed over three nights. The top two teams advance to the semi-finals, while the third and fourth teams will advance to the quarterfinals. The final round is single elimination. The cash prize for the Las Vegas World Cup 3-cushion Billiards Tournament is $20,000. This is the very first time that the Vietnamese sent a representative into the semi-finals.
The 3-Cushion Billiards Tournament is a relatively new game, but has already grown in popularity in many parts of the world. It was also featured in the animated Disney short film Donald In Mathmagic Land. In addition, it was featured in the 2007 Goya Award-winning Spanish film Seven Billiard Tables.