Carom billiards, also called French billiards and sometimes carambole billiards, is the overarching title of a family of cue sports generally played on cloth-covered, pocketless billiard tables. In its simplest form, the object of the game is to score points or "counts" by caroming one's own cue ball off both the opponent's cue ball and the object ball on a single shot. The invention as well as the exact date of origin of carom billiards is somewhat obscure but is thought to be traceable to 18th-century France.
Raymond Ceulemans is a Belgian billiards player who won 21 UMB three-cushion World Championship titles, more than any other player. Along with 48 European titles and 61 national titles. His nickname is "Mr 100". He was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame in 2001, one of the first non-Americans to receive the honour.
Semih Saygıner, nicknamed Mr. Magic or The Turkish Prince, is a Turkish world champion professional carom billiards player specialized in three-cushion event.
Dingeman Jacobus Johannes "Dick" Jaspers is a Dutch professional carom billiards player who specializes in the three-cushion event.
Three-cushion billiards, also called three-cushion carom, is a form of carom billiards. The object of the game is to carom the cue ball off both object balls while contacting the railcushions at least three times before contacting the second object ball. A point is scored for each successful carom. In most shots the cue ball hits the object balls one time each, although hitting them any number of times is allowed as long as both are hit. The cue ball may contact the cushions before or after hitting the first object ball. It does not have to contact three different cushions as long as it has been in contact with any cushion at least three times in total.
Five-pin billiards or simply five-pins or 5-pins, is today usually a carom billiards form of cue sport, though sometimes still played on a pocket table. In addition to the customary three balls of most carom games, it makes use of a set of five upright pins (skittles) arranged in a "+" pattern at the center of the table. The game is popular especially in Italy and Argentina, but also in some other parts of Latin America and Europe, with international, televised professional tournaments. It is sometimes referred to as Italian five-pins or Italian billiards, or as simply italiana. A variant of the game, goriziana or nine-pins, adds additional skittles to the formation. A related pocket game, with larger pins, is played in Scandinavia and is referred to in English as Danish pin billiards, with a Swedish variant that has some rules more similar to the Italian game.
The World Union of Billards is the world governing body for carom (carambole) billiard games.
The Billiards World Cup Association (BWA) was a governing body for three-cushion carom billiards which organized and marketed the Three-Cushion World Cup from 1985 to 1999. It was subordinate to the Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB).
Marco Zanetti is an Italian professional three-cushion billiards player and a two-time world champion from Bolzano, Italy.
Edward Lancaster Lee was an American professional carom billiards player from New York City.
Alfred Lagache was a French professional three-cushion billiards player.
The CEB European Three-cushion Championship is three-cushion billiards tournament organized by the Confédération Européenne de Billard. Held since 1932, it is one of longest-running tournaments in the sport. The 2007 event offered a total purse of €18,500 (US$26,134) with €4,000 ($5,651) for the winner.
Eddy Merckx is a Belgian professional three-cushion billiards player.
The UMB World Three-cushion Championship for National Teams is a professional carom billiards tournament in the discipline of three-cushion billiards where nations are represented by a team of two players. After the first three editions, which took place in various nations and were not scheduled regularly, the Union Mondiale de Billard decided to keep the championships situated in Viersen, Germany and to organize these championships annually.
The Three-Cushion World Cup is an international tournament series in three-cushion billiards, which is held every year since 1986 between three and ten times a year.
Edmond Soussa was an Egyptian carom billiards player in various disciplines and 11-time world champion. To date, Soussa was the only African to win world titles in the sport.
In 2018, championships were held across three continents to determine the best players in major cue sports, including snooker, pool, and English billiards. While these are mostly single player sports, some matches and tournaments are held as either doubles or as team events. The snooker season runs between May and April; the pool and billiards seasons run through the calendar year.
Nikos Polychronopoulos is a Greek professional Carom billiards player from Athens. In 1999, he won Junior UMB World Three-cushion Championship.
Joaquín Domingo Sánchez was a Spanish artistic and carom billiards player, who won multiple world and European championships. He won the Artistic Billiards World Championship on three occasions and the European Billiards Artistic Championship on a further three occasions. He won the European Balkline 71/2 Championship in 1949, the CEB European Three-cushion Championship in 1948 and the 1954 European Billiard Pentathlon Championship. He ended his career at the age of 58 with a bronze medal at the 1975 World Cup in Belgium. In total, Domingo was able to win 32 medals at world and European championships, plus 67 Spanish titles.
The UMB World Three-cushion Championship is a professional Three-cushion billiards championship first held in 1999 for female players, with the men's event being contested since 1928.
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