Yang Triumphs over Chao in Battle of Hometown favourites

Kaohsiung, TAIWAN :  In a mighty clash between two of Taiwan's favourite pool players, the protégé Yang Ching-Shun prevailed over his long-time mentor Chao Fong-Pang 11-6 at the final of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour Kaohsiung tournament at the jam-packed Kaohsiung Business Exhibition Center.

Of the six players Taiwan fielded for this leg, only Yang and Chao are native to Kaohsiung, and it was appropriate that the two should fight out for the US$15,000 winner's purse, after recording semi-final wins over Wu Yu-Lun (TWN) and Ronnie Alcano (PHI) respectively.

Earlier, Yang had given three-time World Junior Champion Wu a lesson in composure, with Wu thrice scratching off his power break. From 2-7 behind, Wu managed to close the gap to 5-7 before Yang took another rack. Wu then won two more racks and had a golden chance to level the scores in Rack 16. Breaking first, Wu committed a mistake on the 1-ball, allowing Yang to clean up. Yang went on to take two of the next three racks to complete the win.

"Speaking after the semi-final win, Yang said: "I'm feeling good and I'm able to read the table well. Wu's power break was spectacular but he often found himself out of position, or scratching, which handed me the initiative. I'd prefer to meet Chao in the final as there won't be much pressure to win – between us, winning and losing is an everyday thing."

And Chao duly delivered after defeating Alcano 11-6 in the battle of two World Champions.

It was Alcano who started the hotter, opening up with a solid 3-1 lead, highlighted by a magnificent 3-ball corner pocket off a two rail kick in Rack 3. But spurred on by his hometown fans, Chao turned the tide to win six straight racks, including capitalising on Alcano's mental lapses in Racks 6 and 8.

Alcano then shifted to a soft-break, taking three of the next four racks before Chao surged again. From 8-6, Chao took the next two racks to break Alcano's spirit. Needing to win Rack 17 to stay in the match, Alcano was presented with a golden opportunity with an easy 3-9 combo. Alcano proceeded to fluff the shot, allowing Chao to complete a popular win.

Commented Alcano: "It's ok. Chao really was the better man today. His break was going for him all through out the match. Plus he ate up the difficult positional plays I gave him. Even after using my soft-break I knew it was going to be very hard to come away with the win so I guess it's alright. I'm still proud of myself."

Having been knocked out by Alcano in the Group Stage in Jakarta, Yang was out for redemption in Kaohsiung. A three-time winner on the Asian 9-Ball Tour, including the very first tournament in Singapore back in 2003, Yang was a mirror of calmness as he jumped to a 2-0 lead. Opening the match up with a runout, he cleaned up Rack 2 after Chao came up dry in the second rack. Chao levelled at 2-2 and then 3-3 before Yang went on a four-rack run to lead 7-3.

Chao then won Rack 11 on the three-consecutive-foul rule, a rare occurrence in the game of pool. Off the break, Yang messed up an easy pot on the 3-Ball to snooker himself. Unable to get a shot on the 4-Ball, Yang committed a deliberate foul by hitting the 6-Ball close to the 4-Ball to prevent Chao from getting a shot with ball in hand. The ploy backfired as Chao was able to set of a safety that Yang was unable to get out of. Chao then repeated the dose to force the third foul from Yang that cost him an automatic rack forfeit.

Despite taking three of the next four racks to close to 6-8, Chao was helpless as Yang surged again, taking the next three racks to complete a deserved victory.

Said Yang after the victory: "I feel great. I knew my form had not been good lately, so I made sure I prepared well in the two weeks leading up to this event. I have made sacrifices and this is the fruit of my labour. It's not always that you get rewarded for what you put in, so I am delighted."

The Guinness 9-Ball Tour moves next to Malaysia with the tournament to be held from June 15-17 at Genting Highlands. In July, the Tour goes to Singapore before going to Shanghai in August. The Guinness 9-Ball Tour Grand Finals will be held in Bali from August 31 to September 2, offering a winner's purse of US$36,000, one of the biggest in world pool competitions.

Final Day Results:

Semi-final 1 Yang Ching-Shun (TWN) vs Wu Yu-Lun (TWN) 11-8
Semi-final 2 Chao Fong-Pang (TWN) vs Ronato Alcano (PHI) 11-6
Final Yang Ching-Shun (TWN) vs Chao Fong-Pang (TWN) 11-6

Players List of Quarter Finals:

Lu Hui-Chan (TPE) vs. Wu Yu-Lun (TPE)
Ronato Alcano (PHI) vs. Chan Keng-Kwan (SIN)
Au Chi Wai (HKG) vs. Yang Ching-Shun (TPE)
Chao Fong-Pang (TPE) vs. Ricky Yang (INA)

Players List of Taiwan Leg :

Hong Kong │ Au Chi Wai
India │ Dharminder Singh Lilly
Indonesia │ Muhammad Zulfikri, Mohammad Bewi Simanjuntak, Ricky Yang
Japan │ Naoyuki Oi, Uchigaki Kenichi
Korea │ Ryu Seung-Woo
Malaysia │ Ibrahim Amir, Patrick Ooi Fook Yuen
Philippines │ Ronato Alcano, Alejandro Pagulayan, Antonio Gabica, Antonio Lining
Singapore │ Chan Keng Kwang, Bernard Tey Choon Kiat
Taiwan│ Chang Jung-Lin, Chao Fong-Pang, Wu Chia-Ching, Yang Ching-Shun, Wu Yu-Lun, LU Hui-Chan
Thailand │ Nitiwat Kanjanasri
Vietnam │ Luong Chi Dung

Kaohsiung World Pool Championships

With total prize money of US$350,000, the 2005 Kaohsiung World Pool Championships caught the attention of pool experts from all over the world. From the 2nd to the 10th of July, 128 pool experts from all over the world contended for the title of World Champion, and after a gruelling competition, the champion rewarded himself with a stay in Taiwan. The champion was a 16 year old boy by the name of Chia- Ching Wu, who has also made history by being the youngest World champion ever.

This is the first time ever that the World Pool Championships has been held in Kaohsiung and was a huge success given the number of high profile players that it attracted. Amongst these pool experts were the 1993 and 2000 World Champions, Fong-Pang Chao and Ching-Shun Yang respectively, as well as the 2004 runner up, Pei-Wei Chang, of which all are local athletes. Besides the local athletes, many other top athletes competed, including last year's World Champion from Canada, Alex Pagulayan, the 2003 World Champion from Germany, Thorsten Hohmann, the current top ranking player, Ralf Souquet, the only player to win the World Championships three times, American Earl Strickland, the champion from 1999, Filipino Efran Reyes, the king of pool, Franciscio Bustamante, and the 2001 World Champion, Mike Immonen from Finland.

In the opening ceremony, the Acting Mayor of Kaohsiung, Chan Chi Mai said that due to the fact that there are many pool experts based in Kaohsiung striving day after day to raise the competitive standard of the game, Taiwan has earned the title of the "Pool Kingdom", which makes the tournament in Kaohsiung all the more meaningful.

The 2005 Kaohsiung World Pool Championships were put together by the collective efforts of the Kaohsiung City Government, ESPN STAR Sports, Matchroom Sports, the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and the Chinese Taipei Billiards Association. Ten of Taiwanese most renowned pool experts including, Po- Cheng Kuo, Fong- Pang Chao, Ying- Chieh Chen, Jung- Ling Chang, Hua- Fong Wang, Chia- Ching Wu, Chun- Chiang Liu, Hui- Kai Hsia, Kun- Chang Huang, and Chien- Che Huang all made it to the final 32. Another player that deserves a mention is Kaohsiung athlete, Ching-Shun Yang, who lost to English athlete, Raj Hundal in the final 64.

On the 10th of July, the final day of competition, Chia- Ching Wu completed the "impossible" by beating another Taiwanese athlete, Po- Cheng Kuo, with a score of 12:6 to 17:16 to be crowned the champion of the 2005 Kaohsiung World Pool Championships. At just 16 years old, Chia- Ching Wu became the youngest World Champion in pool history. After the game, Chia- Ching Wu raised both his arms up into the air with excitement and collected his prize of US$75,000. Finally, the champion hugged his grandmother tightly, and said with tears, "this championship win is dedicated to my grandmother who has always been there to support and encourage me".

Chao wins Brunei Invitational

Fong-Pang Chao captured his second major invitational event in the last 30 days by defeating reigning World Champion Chia-Ching Wu 13-8 in the finals of the 2nd Annual Brunei Invitational Cup.

Chao, who lost in the finals to Muhamad Junarto last year, started the day with an 11-6 win over the lone non-Taiwanese player left in the event, Gandy Valle.

Meanwhile, Chia-Ching Wu was facing off against his World Championship final opponent Po Cheng Kuo. Just as he did in the finals of the World Championship, Kuo took an early lead. Kuo was up 7-4, but was kept in his seat as Wu won seven of the next nine games for the 11-9 win.

The finals between Chao and Wu started close with the players tied at 4-4. Chao then took control and won five straight games for a 9-4 lead. Chao got to the hill at 12-8 and then made the 9-ball on the break in the 21st rack for the win.

Combined with Chao's win at the International Challenge of Champions last month, he was won $60,000 in the last 30 days.

Final Four Payouts:
1st Fong Pang Chao $10,000
2nd Chia Ching Wu $5,000
3rd Po-Cheng Kuo $2,500
4th Gandy Valle $1,500

Chao is Champion of Champions

Taiwanese Superstar Fong-Pang Chao earned his 3rd career Challenge of Champions win on Thursday at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.

The final match came down to Chao against defending champion Thomas Engert from Germany. Chao came into the final match with wins over Corey Deuel and Niels Feijen, while Engert had wins over Efren Reyes and Gabe Owen on his way to the finals.

The first set of the finals was close with Chao pulling out a hill-hill win, but the second set highlighted a more dominating Chao as he cruised to a 5-1 win and the first place prize of $50,000.

Most of the players that competed in the event were on their way to New York for the Big Apple 9-Ball Classic that kicked off today.

Engert vs Chao for $50,000

Thomas Engert moved one stop closer to defending his International Challenge of Champions title this afternoon when he eliminated Gabe Owen 5-4 and 5-3. The only player left standing between Engert and another $50,000 check is Fong-Pang Chao from Taiwan.

Engert eliminated Efren Reyes on Wednesday with a thrilling table run in sudden death and then moved on to his match with Owen today. Owen eliminated Japanese star Yoshihiro Kitatani on Wednesday.

Chao looked like he would be watching the finals from the bleachers today, but a miss on the 6-ball in the sudden death game by Niels Feijen allowed Chao back to the table and he took full advantage.

If Engert wins, it will be his second straight Challenge of Champions win. Chao is looking for his third win.

The Challenge of Champions is sponsored by Olhausen Billiards and Viking Cues.

Chao defeats Deuel at Challenge of Champions

The US contingent at the 2005 International Challenge of Champions was cut in half this evening as Corey Deuel lost 5-2 and 5-3 to two time Challenge of Champions winner Fong-Pang Chao.

Chao will face Niels Feijen in the second round on Thursday, while defending US Open Champion Gabe Owen will wait on the final match today to learn his opponent for tomorrow. The final match today will see defending champion Thomas Engert facing 'The Magician' Efren Reyes.

The Challenge of Champions is sponsored by Olhausen Billiards and Viking Cues. For the duration of the Challenge of Champions, get 25% off all Viking cues in our online marketplace.

Chao qualifies for Challenge final

Taiwanese sensation Fong-Pang Chao became the first player to earn a spot in today's Challenge of Champions final match, but he got some help from Niels Feijen to do it.

Feijen came out strong early and won the first set 5-1, but Chao then took control and won the second set 5-0 to force a sudden death single game tiebreaker.

It appeared to be smooth sailing for Feijen in the tie-breaker when a miss on a routine 6-ball gave Chao all the opportunity he needed to close out the set.

Chao will now wait for his opponent, the winner between defending champion Thomas Engert and US Open champion Gabe Owen.