The Seattle Snooker Open 2022 (SSO) took place at OX Billiards on March 19-20th. The tournament was the capstone to the first season of The Washington State Snooker League  (WSL). The field for the SSO was capped at 24 players and was filled one month before the tournament.  A waiting list of players was 8 deep and could have been more, but several latecomers felt being on the list was not worth it since it was already so long. With the success of the WSL and the SSO, it shows that there is demand for quality snooker leagues and tournaments in Seattle and the US.

The Seattle Snooker Open attracted players from the local area as well as a wider reach. Seattle players signed up, of course, but there were also players from other parts of WA State. Players from Portland, OR, Canada, Maryland, and even the UK played in the competition. Having players from all over gave the tournament a true “Open” feeling and prepared the stage for everyone to make new snooker friends and connections.  O-MAKI and Malay Satay Hut provided food for the players and that allowed them to chill and hang out together. Throughout the weekend, there were plenty of players chatting with each other, laughing and having a good time. But while on the baize, they were focused and determined to win.

The skill level with amateur tournaments has a wide range and yet the equalizer can be the pressure of the tournament, a new environment, an audience watching, and the random forces of the snooker gods. Anything can happen. There were a couple of dark horses in the field that performed very well.

Round Robin - two frames each

The tournament began with a round-robin format that had four groups of six players. The top two from each group advanced to the knockout rounds. 

Group A

Angus Lieu, the winner of Season of The WSL, earned the top seed, and Jie Ma won the second seed. Jie is a well-known and talented Seattle pool player who dabbles in snooker but has not been a part of a league or any previous tournament at OX.  He has great technique and played very well during the weekend. 

Group B

Cheang Ciing, owner of Empire Billiards, won the top seed in Group B without dropping a frame. Another sleeper, Larry Leach, took the second seed. Larry is also a talented pool player in the Seattle area who recently converted to snooker. He was hooked on the game after a few frames and bought a snooker cue and joined Season 1 of The WSL. Taking the second seed while learning the game indicates a bright future for Larry.

Group C

Varun Juneja won the top seed of Group C. Varun is a prolific Seattle pool and snooker player who loves competition play. The second seed was taken by Prathamesh Sawant who is also a player who loves to compete in pool and snooker. These two strong players are tournament ready and escaped their group unscathed, as expected.

Group D

David Brock from the UK won the top seed of Group D. David came into the tournament with a lot of experience and skill and was expected to do well. He did not disappoint. The second seed was won by Daniel Sardoncillo, a very well known Seattle Area semi-pro pool player. Daniel has only been playing snooker for a little while, but has immense natural potting ability. He is a quick learner and determined to master the sport. There is a bright snooker future for Daniel.

A couple of players of note who did not make the top seeds of the round-robin are: Kaarin Lysen started playing snooker not too long ago and has a great eye for the game. Lysen is determined to improve and with their practice routine, it will happen soon. Marissa Du started playing pool as a young kid and has recently tried snooker. Du watches a lot of snooker and has absorbed certain strategies that she implements on the baize. Yi, her dad, is a big supporter of Marissa’s pool and snooker play. 

The Quarter Finals - best of 5

Angus outlasted Daniel to a 3-2 win. Daniel found himself down 2-0 by Angus’ strong offensive play. He fought back to level the match with Angus, and then Angus pulled away in the decider. 

Larry took the first frame from Varun. It was only the second frame Varun had lost so far. In a race to three, Varun kicked it into gear and won out the match 3-1 taking no chances against the dark horse, Larry.

Prathamesh and Cheang played three hard fought frames that came down to the last few color balls. Cheang fought off Prathamesh and won all three frames sending a message to the remaining players that he was focused and ready to take the trophy.

Another match that came down to a decider was Jie vs David Brock. It was a battle of contrasts. David is experienced in snooker and Jie relatively new to the game, David flying in from the UK and Jie a well-known Seattle player. Despite the differences, they were fairly level on the baize. In a marathon match, David narrowed out Jie in a decider 3-2. 

The Semifinals - best of 5

Varun beat Angus 3-0. Angus did not have the potting power he displayed against Daniel and also got unlucky with a few in-offs. Varun took full advantage of Angus’ lull and misfortune with a whitewash.

David Brock made the semifinals without losing a match in any previous rounds. CC got there without losing a frame. A highly competitive match was to be expected, possibly a decider? No. Cheang took control of the match and won 3-0 against a talented and experienced Brock. 

The Finals - best of 7

Some people had predicted that the finals would be Varun vs CC, so this was not a surprise to a lot of people. Both players are talented, but have very different styles. Cheang is methodical and in control of his mind and body, knows the situation and conceals his own emotions with a poker face. Varun, in contrast, likes to take calculated chances, plays aggressively, and wears his heart on his sleeve. The two are examples of how different styles can still produce winners. It’s a lesson in being yourself and playing your game.

Up to this point Varun had only lost two frames and Cheang had lost none. In a best of seven match, predictions were that it would go deep.  But it didn’t. CC took the first frame easily and rattled off good shots and strong safeties to take the second. Varun was trying to stop the bleeding after the second frame and tried to get back in the match. The third frame was closer, but ended with the same result, another Cheang win. In frame four, the feeling in the air was that Cheang would not lose a frame in the first ever Seattle Snooker Open. That feeling was confirmed when Cheang took an insurmountable lead and Varun conceded the match and tournament. 

A Special Thanks To:

Christian Youngers for helping in the commentary booth and for being the producer for the streams. Dave Burney came down from Canada to be the man behind the mic the whole weekend. Thanks to Jaime Miller, Dave Daly and Adam Horacek for helping out on the floor with running scores, cleaning tables, setting up matches, and delivering food for players and staff. Thank you to everyone who helped out and supported our effort to grow this amazing sport of snooker in the US.  See you in Season 2 of The WSL.