Brilliant Bingtao Wins IBSF Title

China’s 14-year-old prodigy Yan Bingtao won the 2014 IBSF World Championship today after he beat Muhammad Sajjad 8-7 in the final in Bangalore, India.

By Mark Rawlinson

Yan won the final two frames of a tight final after trailing 6-7, keeping his nerve in the decider to knock in a break of 60 which sealed the win over his Pakistani opponent.

By winning the tournament, Yan is set to gain a tour card for the World Snooker circuit for both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.

At just 14 years and 9 months, he becomes the second youngest winner of the world amateur title, with Michael White being two months younger when he won the crown back in 2006.

Yan has already shown his talent as a wildcard at certain Chinese ranking events. He has recorded wins over Barry Pinches, Liang Wenbo and most notably Stuart Bingham.

Jason Ferguson, chairman of the WPBSA, said: “We are delighted to hear that Yan has won the World Amateur title today and look forward to welcoming him on to the professional tour from next season.”