SEOUL - The trophy from last year's Guri World Cup has a prominent place in his new room in Seoul. Dani Sánchez, in his own words, spends more hours doing business, starting up his new billiard palace DS Billiards, opening his shop on the ground floor of the club, selling tables (the SAM brand, with Sanchez and Sayginer models), cues and other material, than practicing. ,,It's a miracle that I can sometimes play so well.''
The 42-year old Spaniard, three time world champion in three cushion (1998, 2005, 2010), opened his billiard school a month ago. His partners are Koreans Kyung Hee Oh and Young Chull Kim, who has amongst other things taken care of the club's decor. Kyung Hee Oh is very proud: ,,People who come here say we have the most beautiful club in Seoul.'' Dani Sánchez adds: ,,We did not want to open just another club, it had to be something special. And everything in DS Billiards has style, from the tables to the cues, from the chalk to the rubbers. It's a unique club, with attention for design. The people who come to play should feel at home, in a room that exudes class and ambiance.''
The Musashi ceu (made in Japan) is one of the pearls in the DS crown. Dani Sánchez, who will soon have a new, personal model, is extremely enthusiastic about the brand, which represents the highest Adam quality. Filipos Kasidokostas, Choong Bok Lee and Quoc Nguyen Nguyen promote the DS Adam brand for DS Billiards.
,,The Musashi is made of a special wood with an equally special design, and it costs anywhere from 2000 to 4000 euro. The second brand, Mugen, costs 2000 euro's at maximum. It is a well considered choice for players who want superior quality. I do not want to sell a cue that was made in China for 100 euro, and sell it for 1000 euro. That is a way of cheating people.''
Those who order the Musashi ceu must wait six months to a year for it to be made. Dani Sánchez is well on his way to conquer a part of the world market. He used to only have a small shop in Spain, which he ran with his friend and business partner Juan Buterin Bote. His Japanese contacts and the profitable dealings in South Korea gave him the idea to open a club and a shop in this country, where 3-cushion's popularity is so booming. The DS brand has made a name for itself worldwide in just a few year's time.
Dani: ,,We now sell around hundred DS tables every year, and we sell cues at the speed that Adam can produce them. We pass on the order, and wait for delivery. We work from Korea with Kyung Hee Oh and Young Chull Kim, but I also have business partners in Japan (Ryuuji Umeda), Turkey (Mehmet Goren), Colombia (Robinson Morales) and soon Ton Smilde will represent DS in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.''
We were invited for a short tour of the club and the shop.
The upper complex, in a brand new building, is open from ten in the morning until six at night, and it has three rooms: a central one with six tables, and two half-separate rooms with two tables each. On one of these tables, a typical Korean money game is in progress: five or six players competing for poker chips. The player who scores, gets paid a chip by all the others. On the side, there is a bar that serves coffee, water and soda's. There is a smoke room, a comfortable lounge area and there are private lockers to store cue cases.
The billiard shop with two offices is on the ground floor, and it also has the club's wonderful design. The billiard products and materials (DS Adam, DS Musashi, Theory, Sasaki) are on display, as well as the stylish cases, DS chalk and rubbers. It's hard to walk around and not feel like a kid in a candy store.
Dani (right) with his partners Young Chull Kim, Juan Buterin Bote and Kyung Hee Oh
Dani Sánchez: ,,We have now begun to support and sponsor players. Quoc Nguyen Nguyen, the perfect window dressing, is one of the better known names. Semih Sayginer is under contract because we work together in the table models. We have signed up with Filipos Kasidokostas and Choong Bok Lee because of the cue they play with. I am trying to help as many Spanish players as I can, to get them into World Cups, such as Ruben Legazpi, Carlos Crespo, David Martinez, Juan David Zapata, Andres Carrion, Adrian Legazpi and Ricardo Garcia. Also, a few Turkish players such as Tolgahan Kiraz, Can Capak and Murat Tüzül, the Japanese Ryuuji Umeda and Namiko Hayashi and some fourty Korean players.''
It is increasingly difficult for the Spaniard to combine his business and his play. ,,There are days when I need to focus on the company, for 100 %. We have meetings about players, about tables. At one point I had to play a World Cup match thirty minutes after I came out of a business meeting. I no longer have any time for practice. I get some hours in when I am in Korea, and sometimes I spend a few months here to play a tournament, play exhibitions and meet with business partners.''
,,This time, I travelled to Japan on 3 August for the Yamani Cup, from there I went to Korea on 15 August. On 16 September I will go back to Japan and on 19 September again to Korea for my flight home to Spain on 20 September. It is a busy life, I realize that, but I don't want it any different. I don't want my life to be about nothing else than playing billiards. I love to dedicate myself to the fullest, and make my impression on this market.''
David Martinez, one of the Spanish players sponsored by DS Billiards
The young Korean Myung Woo Cho, supporterted by DS Billiards
Dani Sánchez and Semih Sayginer in the billiard room in Seoul