CSI Confirms SVB, Souquet, Reyes, and Cheng

CueSports International, Henderson, Nevada (April 8, 2014) – Shane Van Boening (USA), Ralf Souquet (GER), Efren Reyes (PHI) and Cheng, Yu-Hsuan (TPE) have officially confirmed as four (4) of only sixteen (16) players that will compete in the inaugural CSI Invitationals which will take place July 18- 25, 2014 during the BCAPL & USAPL National Championships at the beautiful Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

Since 2011, Van Boening has been the top performing player in the U.S. and arguably the world. Although all of his accomplishments are too abundant to list, some of the most noteworthy include the 2008 World Cup of Pool Champion, 2011 US Open 10-Ball Champion, 2011 & 2012 Derby City Classic Master of the Table, 2012 US Open One Pocket Champion, 2007/2012-2013 US Open 9-Ball Champion, 2013 US Open 8-Ball Champion, and the 2012 & 2014 US Bar Table Championships All-Around Champion.

Souquet, a stellar veteran, also has too many titles to list. Some highlights of his resume include the 2006 & 2011 World Pool Masters Champion, 2008 World 8-Ball Champion, 2009 Turning Stone Classic Champion, 2009 US Open 9-Ball Runner-Up, 2011 World Cup of Pool Champion, 2011 SBE Players’ Champion, and has been a constant top performer on the Eurotour.

Reyes, a multi-generational pool icon, is arguably one of the greatest that has ever played. Although his titles span decades, some of his most recent accomplishments include the 2007 & 2010 Derby City Classic Master of the Table, 2009 World Cup of Pool Champion, 2009 World Classic One Pocket Champion, 2010 Predator Invitational 10-Ball Champion, 2010 Spanish Open Champion, 2011 US Open One Pocket Champion, 2012 World 14.1 Runner-Up and the 2014 Derby City Classic One Pocket Champion.

Cheng, a young up-and-coming Taiwan superstar, is relatively unknown in the U.S. but also possesses impressive skill. A few of his recent wins include the 2011 National Games of the Republic of China 9-Ball Champion, 2013 National Professional Billiards Ranking Tournament No.258 Runner-Up, and on March 30, 2014 he traveled to the US and went undefeated through a strong field of players to win the White Diamond Super 9-Ball.

Each CSI Invitational event (10-Ball & 8-Ball) will be $16,000 added ($32,000 total) and feature 16 of the world’s best players to compete in a round robin format (four groups of four). Each group will consist of a North American, European, Filipino, and Asian player with the top finisher from each group advancing to a single elimination bracket. In each event, every player will receive prize money with first place winning $8,000. Players announced thus far include:

1. Mike Dechaine (USA)

2. Shane Van Boening (USA)

3. Darren Appleton (GBR)

4. Ralf Souquet (GER)

5. Francisco Bustamante (PHI)

6. Efren Reyes (PHI)

7. Ko, Pin-Yi (TPE)

8. Cheng, Yu-Hsuan (TPE)

CSI has sent invitations to players selected not only for their proven skills and accomplishments, but also for the respect and dignity they display as professional pool players. For at least one hour per day during these events, they will provide free lessons, demonstrations, autographs, etc. for the BCAPL & USAPL amateur players. Additional player announcements will be made as they confirm.

CSI is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. In the past 9 years CSI has directly paid out $9,000,000 to players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the US Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial, the US Open One Pocket Championship, the US Open 8-Ball Championship and the US Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com, and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.