Vietnamese cueists among biggest moneymakers in billiards

By Nguyen Quy October 10, 2018 | 06:40 am PT

Nguyen Quoc Nguyen (L) and Tran Quyet Chien are listed among world’s 15 biggest money makers in billiard industry. Photo acquired by VnExpress

Two Vietnamese cueists who scripted a new chapter in Vietnam’s billiard history have cashed in on three-cushion billiards tournaments.

Tran Quyet Chien and Nguyen Quoc Nguyen have been named among the 15 highest-earning cueists in the global billiard industry in 2018 by Kozoom News, one of the leading magazines for carom billiard fans worldwide.

Chien, who claimed his maiden championship with the first-ever gold medal in Vietnam’s billiard history at the 2018 Three-Cushion Carom Billiards World Cup held in Ho Chi Minh City last May, has raked in $118,000 in prize money in major three-cushion billiard tournaments, putting him in sixth position on this list.

Nguyen, 36, made billiard history in Vietnam with a bronze medal at the World Three-Cushions Billiards Championship in Egypt earlier this month.

He has earned $43,000 to stand14th on the list of top earners.

Chien and Nguyen have also made the top 10 list of world’s best billiard players, according to a ranking by Union Mondiale de Billard.

Belgian professional three-cushion billiards player Frederic Caudron has become the highest-money maker this year with earnings of around $254,000, followed by Belgian Eddy Merckx ($179,000) and Dick Jaspers of the Netherlands ($132,000).