Dang Thanh Kien clinched the TD Pool Master League 2024 title after defeating Duong Quoc Hoang 11-9 in the final on March 30  in Hanoi.

Pool player Dang Thanh Kien with his trophy after the finals on March 30. Photo: Vietnam Billiards Promotion

Kien "Magic" also secured a record prize of VND250 million (US$10,084) after a final watched by 100,000 online viewers.
The 43-year-old pool player showed resilience, composure, class and a bit of luck to overcome challenges and complete the quest after two days of 14 consecutive matches.

Hoang, known as Hoang "Martian", finished in second place with a prize of VND70 million (US$2,824). The two third-place prizes of VND35 million ($1,412) each went to Do The Kien and Pham Phuong Nam.

The 2024 TD Pool Master League adopts the Swiss Chess competition format (as used in the World Premier League Pool) with a combination of qualifying round-robin (league) and playoffs. In its first edition, the competition brought together the top eight pool players in the country, including Dang Thanh Kien, Duong Quoc Hoang, Pham Phuong Nam and Do Thanh Kien, as well as other well-known and experienced names such as Nguyen Phuc Long and Luong Chi Dung.

According to Duong Manh Tien, head of the tournament organization board,  the competition will provide Vietnamese players with experience, thus boosting their confidence in the international games and promoting Vietnamese billiards to the world.