Competition in 3-cushion billiards
Henk Robijns from the Netherlands shows some of his caramboles from the 1933 championship in Cairo , and two trick shots. The UMB World Three-cushion Championship is a professional carom billiards tournament in the discipline of three-cushion billiards , organized mostly annually by the Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB). Until 1953 it was organized by the UIFAB (Union Internationale des Federations d'Amateurs de Billard). During a dispute between the UMB and Billiards World Cup Association (BWA), the UMB decided not to organize the championship between 1988 and 1993. Instead the overall winner of the World Cup was announced as also the world champion.[1] : p785
From 1928 to 1958 and from 1985 to 1987, matches were played as a single frame with a run to 50 points (or 60 points between 1960 and 1984). From 1994 to 2011 the tournament was played in a set-system, the winner achieving the best of five. Since 2012 it has been changed back to a single frame with the run to 40 points.
List of champions
This is the list of UMB three-cushion billiards world champions, from 1928 to present.[1] : pp 799–853 [4] [5]
No.
Year
Venue
Winner
Avg.
2nd
Avg.
3rd
Avg.
0 1
1928
Reims
Edmond Soussa
0,552
Carel Koopman
0,493
Otto Unshelm
0,489
0 2
1929
Brussels
Edmond Soussa
0,604
Emile Zaman
0,720
Arnoud Sengers
0,542
0 3
1930
Amsterdam
Hendrik J. Robijns
0,587
Edmond Soussa
0,541
Arnoud Sengers
0,542
0 4
1931
Barcelona
Enrique Miró
0,551
Edmond Soussa
0,632
Arnoud Sengers
0,571
0 5
1932
Vichy
Hendrik J. Robijns
0,679
Claudio Puigvert
0,698
Franz Aeberhard
0,557
0 6
1933
Cairo
Hendrik J. Robijns
0,628
Edmond Soussa
0,593
Claudio Puigvert
0,547
0 7
1934
Barcelona
Claudio Puigvert
0,695
Jacques Davin
0,590
Jean Albert
0,508
0 8
1935
Algiers
Alfred Lagache
0,656
Claudio Puigvert
0,755
Emile Zaman
0,643
0 9
1936
New York
Edward Lee
0,859
Eugene Deardorff
0,665
Edmond Soussa
0,631
10
1937
Köln
Alfred Lagache
0,696
August Tiedtke
0,680
Arnoud Sengers
0,603
11
1938
Buenos Aires
Augusto Vergez
0,884
Jean Fransisco Vergez
0,677
Alfred Lagache
0,745
1939 to 1947: not held
12
1948
Buenos Aires
Rene Vingerhoedt
0,877
Jose Bonomo
0,922
Augusto Vergez
0,819
1949 to 1951: not held
13
1952
Buenos Aires
Pedro Leopoldo Carrera
1,070
August Tiedtke
0,961
Carlos Friedenthal
0,943
14
1953
Antwerp
Enrique Navarra
0,937
Rene Vingerhoedt
1,001
Pedro Leopoldo Carrera
0,921
1954 to 1957: not held
15
1958
Barcelona
Enrique Navarra
0,913
Rene Vingerhoedt
1,089
August Tiedtke
0,921
1959: not held
16
1960
Buenos Aires
Rene Vingerhoedt
0,961
Carlos Monestier
0,811
José Bonomo
0,887
17
1961
Amsterdam
Adolfo Suarez
0,997
Egidio Vieira
0,801
Bernard Siguret
0,905
1962: not held
18
1963
Neuss
Raymond Ceulemans
1,307
Johann Scherz
1,077
Enrique Navarra
0,817
19
1964
Ostend
Raymond Ceulemans
1,231
Marcelo Lopez
1,040
Roger Hanoun
0,939
20
1965
Hilversum
Raymond Ceulemans
1,290
Johann Scherz
1,152
Koya Ogata
1,127
21
1966
Buenos Aires
Raymond Ceulemans
1,191
Enrique Navarra
1,006
Alfonso González
0,878
22
1967
Lima
Raymond Ceulemans
1,345
Humberto Suguimizu
0,957
Keizo Kubo
1,003
23
1968
Düren
Raymond Ceulemans
1,227
Koya Ogata
0,910
Johann Scherz
1,009
24
1969
Tokyo
Raymond Ceulemans
1,276
Koya Ogata
0,992
Diego Martínez
0,906
25
1970
Las Vegas
Raymond Ceulemans
1,164
Nobuaki Kobayashi
0,998
Johann Scherz
0,876
26
1971
Groningen
Raymond Ceulemans
1,266
Rini van Bracht
0,865
Henny de Ruyter
0,814
27
1972
Buenos Aires
Raymond Ceulemans
1,315
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,025
Peter Thøgersen
0,902
28
1973
Cairo
Raymond Ceulemans
1,478
Nobuaki Kobayashi
0,966
Humberto Suguimizu
0,811
29
1974
Antwerp
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,312
Raymond Ceulemans
1,325
Yoshio Yoshihara
1,130
30
1975
La Paz
Raymond Ceulemans
1,308
Rini van Bracht
0,922
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,206
31
1976
Ostend
Raymond Ceulemans
1,500
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,305
Junichi Komori
1,238
32
1977
Tokyo
Raymond Ceulemans
1,372
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,187
Yoshio Yoshihara
1,176
33
1978
Las Vegas
Raymond Ceulemans
1,679
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,205
Junichi Komori
1,067
34
1979
Lima
Raymond Ceulemans
1,384
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,135
Yoshio Yoshihara
1,067
35
1980
Buenos Aires
Raymond Ceulemans
1,460
Yoshio Yoshihara
1,217
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,192
36
1981
Cairo
Ludo Dielis
1,222
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,426
Johann Scherz
1,271
37
1982
Guayaquil
Rini van Bracht
1,043
Yohio Yoshihara
1,146
Carlos Hallon
1,086
38
1983
Aix-les-Bains
Raymond Ceulemans
1,447
Richard Bitalis
1,332
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,258
39
1984
Krefeld
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,388
Ludo Dielis
1,278
Raymond Ceulemans
1,151
40
1985
Heeswijk-Dinther
Raymond Ceulemans
1,541
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,364
Junichi Komori
1,071
41
1986
Las Vegas
Avelino Rico
1,010
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,205
Raymond Ceulemans
1,745
42
1987
Cairo
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,099
Frank Torres
0,933
Arturo Bone
0,778
43
1988
Tokyo
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,594
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,224
Raymond Ceulemans
1,293
44
1989
Yokohama
Ludo Dielis
1,342
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,389
Raymond Ceulemans
1,312
45
1990
Tokyo
Raymond Ceulemans
1,527
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,619
Ludo Dielis
1,300
46
1991
Tokyo
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,504
Raymond Ceulemans
1,518
Dick Jaspers
1,498
(**)
1992
Palma
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,716
Raymond Ceulemans
1,412
Sang Lee
1,511
(**)
1993
Gent
Sang Lee
1,355
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,601
Raymond Ceulemans
1,464
47
1994
Aalborg
Rini van Bracht
1,149
Edgar Bettzieche
1,038
Brian Knudsen
1,194
48
1995
Grubbenvorst
Jozef Philipoom
1,494
John Tijssens
1,210
Nobuaki Kobayashi
1,345
49
1996
Hattingen
Christian Rudolph
1,025
Daniel Sánchez
1,277
Gerhard Kostistansky
0,982
50
1997
Grubbenvorst
Torbjörn Blomdahl
2,015
Raimond Burgman
1,453
Marco Zanetti
1,684
51
1998
Rezé
Daniel Sánchez
1,594
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,797
Christian Rudolph
1,155
52
1999
Bogotá
Frédéric Caudron
1,538
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,769
Dick Jaspers
1,614
53
2000
Saint-Étienne
Dick Jaspers
1,773
Tonny Carlsen
1,502
Marco Zanetti
1,590
54
2001
Luxembourg
Raymond Ceulemans
1,696
Marco Zanetti
1,866
Luis Miguel Ávila
1,260
No.
Year
Venue
Winner
Avg.
Finalist
Avg.
Semi-finalists
Avg.
55
2002
Randers
Marco Zanetti
1,732
Dion Nelin
1,519
Dick Jaspers
1,687
Ramón Rodríguez
1,453
56
2003
Valladolid
Semih Saygıner
1,868
Filippos Kasidokostas
1,268
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,833
Marco Zanetti
1,211
57
2004
Rotterdam
Dick Jaspers
1,907
Filippos Kasidokostas
1,399
Nikos Polychronopoulos
1,437
Jacob Haack-Sørensen
1,442
58
2005
Lugo
Daniel Sánchez
1,838
Jean Paul de Bruijn
1,566
Eddy Leppens
1,551
Peter de Backer
1,367
59
2006
Sankt Wendel
Eddy Merckx
1,767
Nikos Polychronopoulos
1,456
Peter de Backer
1,577
Dick Jaspers
1,783
60
2007
Cuenca
Ryuuji Umeda
1,426
Daniel Sánchez
1,805
Dick Jaspers
1,484
Ramón Rodríguez
1,091
61
2008
Sankt Wendel
Marco Zanetti
1,871
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,631
Peter de Backer
1,481
Jérémy Bury
1,478
62
2009
Lausanne
Filippos Kasidokostas
1,869
Eddy Merckx
1,703
Eddy Leppens
1,598
Marco Zanetti
1,612
63
2010
Sluiskil
Daniel Sánchez
1,715
Eddy Leppens
1,678
Choi Sung-won
1,718
Javier Palazon
1,375
64
2011
Lima
Dick Jaspers
1,917
Marco Zanetti
1,551
Javier Palazón
1,454
Daniel Sánchez
1,808
65
2012
Porto
Eddy Merckx
1,983
Choi Sung-won
1,365
Frédéric Caudron
1,711
Marco Zanetti
1,515
66
2013
Antwerp
Frédéric Caudron
1,951
Filippos Kasidokostas
1,923
Alexander Salazar
1,433
Dick Jaspers
1,822
67
2014
Seoul
Choi Sung-won
2,000
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,850
Seo Hyun-min
1,350
Jean Paul de Bruijn
1,269
68
2015
Bordeaux
Torbjörn Blomdahl
1,764
Kang Dong-koong
1,621
Eddy Merckx
1,940
Dani Sánchez
1,817
69
2016
Bordeaux
Daniel Sánchez
1,983
Kim Haeng-jik
2,043
Semih Saygıner
1,618
Eddy Leppens
1,792
70
2017
Santa Cruz
Frédéric Caudron
2,089
Eddy Merckx
1,828
Minh Cam Ma
2,123
Marco Zanetti
1,673
71
2018
Cairo
Dick Jaspers
2,352
Jérémy Bury
2,022
Nguyễn Quốc Nguyên
1,629
Semih Saygıner
1,568
72
2019
Randers
Torbjörn Blomdahl
2,121
Nguyễn Đức Anh Chiến
1,606
Sameh Sidhom
1,535
Semih Saygıner
1,934
2020: not held (COVID-19-Pandemic)
73
2021
Sharm el-Sheikh
Dick Jaspers
1,864
Murat Naci Çoklu
1,826
Marco Zanetti
2,051
Martin Horn
1,949
74
2022
Donghae City
Tayfun Taşdemir
2,244
Ruben Legazpi
1,638
Eddy Merckx
1,841
Dick Jaspers
1,859
75
2023
Ankara
Bao Phương Vinh
1,594
Trần Quyết Chiến
1,635
Tayfun Taşdemir
1,556
Cho Myung-Woo
1,561
(**) unofficially