The year that is rapidly coming to an end, is highlighted in global billiards as the year in which Torbjörn Blomdahl returned with a world title. Dick Jaspers won the 2019 World Cup ranking, the UMB world federation and the newly established Korean organization PBA declared war on each other, making Frédéric Caudron the main victim of the suspensions pronounced against PBA players. The Survival tournaments, with a special game format, were given a definitive place on the UMB calendar as a new phenomenon. Marco Zanetti won the last World Cup along the Red Sea with a rarely high average and Japanese legend and former world champion Nobuaki Kobayashi passed away at the age of 77 in the days before the World championship three cushion in Denmark.
The split within the top bunches of three cushion has already left deep marks. The separation between UMB and PBA players and events, in a grim atmosphere, has divided players from the top rankings into two camps. The sport itself and many friendships were the victims of that terrible situation, because unfortunately, despite threats of lawsuits and fruitless negotiations, no compromise could be found. The outside world, led by billiard fans all over the world, begged for a rapid and so wished collaboration. At the end of 2019, the parties still have digged in their heels. The result is visible and palpable.
As a three cushion World championship without Caudron feels like a football World championship without Messi, the PBA tournaments, with Caudron inside, are no more than a glorified Korean ranking tournament without Blomdahl, Jaspers, Merckx, Sánchez, Sayginer, Zanetti, Tasdemir, Cho, Coklu, Choi and all the other world top players. The future looks vague and unfavorable. The UMB maintains its requirements this year (primarily, protection of the calendar), the Korean stronghold values progression, exposure and professional settings. The negotiations are in a dead end street.
Looking back at the year 2019, Kozoom is kicking off with Therese Klompenhouwer, who was royally honored in the Netherlands for her third world title. The first retrospective to the previous year focuses on 'Jaspers, Caudron, Merckx and Sayginer' as the star players. The World Cup cycle is facing a season with seven tournaments, starting in Antalya and ending in Sharm El Sheikh. It will also turn into the year of Myung-Woo Cho, the super talent's definitive breakthrough, but certainly also the European hegemony in most World Cups. Seven World Cups are won by seven different players, six Europeans and one Asian: Tayfun Tasdemir, Frédéric Caudron, Javier Palazón, Dick Jaspers, HaengJik Kim, Eddy Merckx and Marco Zanetti.
Dick Jaspers is the new European champion, Quyet Chien Tran the Asian champion. The six PBA tournaments show three European winners: Filippos Kasidokostas, Frédéric Caudron and David Martinez. Therese Klompenhouwer becomes the world champion and European champion for ladies, Myung-Woo Cho the junior world champion. Duc Anh Chien Nguyen from Vietnam is a new kid on the blocks with his second place at the World championship behind Torbjörn Blomdahl. Three cushion in general shows a huge and wonderful progression over the full width in high averages, high runs and is ready for an adjustment of the rules. Starting January 1, the World Cups will be played to 50 caroms instead of 40 from the main tournament.
The highlights in short:
January 13: Dick Jaspers in a fabulous rush to the title in the Netherlands, Frédéric Caudron 'brilliant' in Belgium
January 27: Magic day by Peter De Backer with final run of 26 in the Netherlands
February 1: Two major organizations (WCBS and UMB) launch a new event in Paris to promote the Olympic campaign: two teams with carom, pool and snooker players from all over the world will meet each other
10 February: Johan Loncelle makes a new start after drugs suspension, playing billiards with the bible
17 February: World Cup in Antalya, Turks cheer for amazing victory Tasdemir
February 21: The first signals from the PBA camp: "Heavy storm coming up in billiards world from Korea"
24 February: Olympic news: 'Billiards will not participate in the 2024 Games in Paris'
February 27: UMB president Mr. Barki announces: three cushion on Europsport
March 3: Survival in Incheon: "Caudron plays poker and takes the jackpot"
March 12: Teams Europe and Asia rule in World Trophy
March 16: interview Mr. Farouk Barki: no worries about the future of UMB
March 17: Turks Cenet and Coklu in superior final to world title national teams
April 22: European championships marathon opened in Brandenburg
April 28: Quyet Chien Tran enters top three in the world thanks to his Asian title
May 4: Dick Jaspers is the best in the world and now in Europe after victory Brandenburg
May 12: Jaspers also the better of all Koreans in Survival
May 26: Caudron in one-man show to victory in Vietnam
June 10: UMB makes PBA players suspensions official
June 23: World Cup victory completes Palazón's dream year in Belgium
30 June: European Cup for teams go to La Baule
July 7: Dick Jaspers wins his 25th World Cup in Porto
August 12: Eddy Merckx fabulous winner in New York
August 15: Diane Wild launches big news: European championships every year
August 24: also winner in Survival, Merckx has never been better
September 8: Myung-Woo Cho takes first gold in LGU cup
September 22: Semih Sayginer finally rewarded by first main prize in Seoul
October 2: The world colors gold again for Therese Klompenhouwer
Oct. 5: Myung-Woo Cho, farewell with new junior world title
October 26: HaengJik Kim miraculous winner in Veghel
November 4: Colombian federation wants to suspend 100 billiard players
November 10: Eddy Merckx tops his glorious year in Guri
November 17: Jaspers in Lausanne, victory, prize of honor in run-up to Randers
November 25: Nobuaki Kobayashi (77), double world gold winner, passes away in Tokyo
November 30: Miracle of Blomdahl's come-back with world title
December 14: Forza Italia Marco Zanetti on the Red Sea
December 15: Blomdahl undisputed record holder in World Cups.
The Continental Cup in Seoul, with the teams from Europe and Asia, will close the international year this weekend.