Billiards

HÀ NỘI — Cueist Trần Quyết Chiến is widely expected to shine at the 2025 World Games in China this August.

This year marks the third consecutive time Chiến has participated in the prestigious World Games, following tournaments in Poland in 2017 and the US in 2022. In the previous two editions, Việt Nam's best billiards player reached the quarter-finals.

Đoàn Tuấn Anh, Head of the Billiards & Snooker Department of the Sports Authority of Việt Nam and General Secretary of the Việt Nam Billiards & Snooker Federation (VBSF), said that Chiến is one of two Vietnamese billiards players with a direct ticket to the 2025 World Games, along with Phùng Kiện Tường.

The fact that the World Carom Billiards Federation chose Chiến to compete is a testament to his high level of skill and consistency on the international stage. He is the most successful player in the history of Vietnamese three-cushion carom billiards, having won four World Cup championships and achieving the No. 1 world ranking in 2024. Currently, at 41 years old, he is also the highest-ranked Vietnamese player in the world billiards rankings, placing in the top three.

"Vietnamese billiards aims to win a medal at the 2025 World Games, and Chiến is expected to perform well in this tournament," Tuấn Anh said.

Challenge

The three-cushion carom event at the 2025 World Games will feature the world's best players, including Dick Jaspers, Eddy Merckx, Marco Zanetti and Cho Myung-woo. The challenge for Chiến is significant, as his opponents are all formidable. However, these names are familiar to Vietnamese players who have competed against them in World Cup events over the years. If Chiến can showcase his skills and determination, achieving a top position among the medallists is within reach. A strong performance at the World Games could provide a major mental boost as Chiến pursues titles in the remaining tournaments of the year.

In 2024, Chiến demonstrated an explosive performance, winning two World Cup championships: one in Bogotá, Colombia, in March and in Veghel, the Netherlands, in October. However, after four stages of the 2025 World Cup, he has yet to reach the top podium.

At the Ankara World Cup held in Turkey in June, Chiến came close to securing his fifth championship, but lost in the final to veteran Belgian player Eddy Merckx. At the HCM City World Cup in May, he reached the semi-finals, but was defeated by current world No. 1 Dick Jaspers from the Netherlands. In other events, he was eliminated in the main rounds.

Opportunities still lie ahead for Chiến. Following the 2025 World Games, he will compete in four major tournaments within the World Carom Billiards Federation system, including World Cup events in Belgium, South Korea and Egypt.

Chiến will also participate in the World Championship, the most prestigious event organised by the World Carom Billiards Federation, in Belgium in October. In 2023, Chiến reached the final of the World Championship but finished as the runner-up after losing to his teammate, Bao Phương Vinh. VNS