You have to consider what problem they are solving. With 1 on the spot and a template rack, you have a recipe where players can make the wing ball AND control the exact position of the cueball and 1-ball creating a 100% controlled and repeatable break. The 3-point rule helped this for a short amount of time but was ultimately exploited. A break box helped for a short amount of time but was ultimately exploited. You can have a break scenario where a predictable ball goes down, the lowest ball is controlled, and the cueball is controlled. If you have all three then you have a major problem and we’ve seen events like this, e.g. the 2022 APF Asian Open and the 2023 China Open. Unwatchable.
So now consider the current rules with the 9 on the spot and small break box. The only predictable ball that can be made IS the lowest ball. And the only way to do that is with a cut break that sends the cueball wild. You can control it to have a good chance it stays within a zone of the table but you’re not fully controlling its exact position. And the lowest ball now is the 2-ball which will be racked in different places. There is some predictability to what zone it will rest in depending on its rack position. So there are some things the player can do to influence a good outcome but they can’t control it entirely. You have random collisions. This leads to more games that start with a push out or safety.
Even when Ko Ping Chung skunked Yapp, you can analyze the 2-balls rack position, the cueball resting position, 2-ball resting position, whether the first shot was pocketing the 2, safe or push. I did exactly that. He did make the 1 each time (you’re supposed to!) but he didn’t have a table run each time. He pocketed the 2 after the break about half the time (which is very strong) and the other half he outplayed his opponents by winning pushouts, winning safety battles, executing masterclass jumping skills, and not making routine mistakes.
His performance wasn’t something to look at and say “how do we prevent this?” It’s something to say “how can we celebrate this?” He rose to the occasion to a level that even if he can duplicate it, it means he just raised the bar for all of pool like Efren, like SVB, like Filler, etc. But odds are that god mode is probably more of a fluke at the perfect storybook moment. And that’s what Matchroom, their format and the US Open tradition produced: glory.
. Should be 8 ball.
