When Mumbai’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha recently won a rare quarterfinals of the pro snooker circuit for an Indian, there was a very illustrious name bobbing around the table, processing this loss. It was 4-time World Snooker champion, Mark Selby.
Ishpreet’s coach, Yasin Merchant, an Indian debonair cueist himself, had specifically trained his 28-year-old ward to ignore name, face, reputations of opponents and only play the balls on the table, if he wanted to make a mark in the high-pressure UK snooker crucibles, where pros eschew conservative styles.
Yasin had marked out Ishpreet, who he’s been coaching for 13 years, as someone who could take the fight to the pros with his aggressive style, making shots that other safe-playing Indians would be reluctant to take.
Ishpreet was 3-0 up in 35 minutes with 3 excellent breaks in a best-of-9. But Selby threatened one of his trademark comebacks by hiking up to 4-4, to try to bury the Indian who’s been plodding in Sheffield for the last one year, hoping to make inroads on the notoriously difficult pro circuit. Selby missed a red that Ishpreet, down by 50 odd, pounced on, making the clearance in the deciding frame, to become first Indian in 10 years to make a pro semifinal at one of the four Home Nations majors.
He first played snooker at a 7-star resort on a vacation in Malaysia at 11, introduced by his father, but got serious at age 13, the sport helping him navigate the tough years of his parents’ separation. (Special Arrangement)
“Since I was a child, I have never looked at my opponent’s face, be it Pankaj Advani, or the big names here,” he says about the Brentwood run till semis that made him 21,000 pounds richer. “Yasin Sir would always stand in the line of my shot and boom down on me, so I get used to pressure. Now, if you wave a flag in front of me, or TV camera crew walk past, zooming right into my nostrils, or crowds scream, nothing distracts me. Other players get affected, but not me,” says the newbie who was playing on the main TV table against Selby 10 days ago.
He was stopped in the semis by the fluent, and equally adventurous Chinese 21 year old Wu Yize, his occasional sparring mate. “The Selby win took a toll emotionally, and I was anxious the next day, playing within 12 hours. I was too happy about beating Selby and fell flat the next match. It’s not good, but lesson learnt. It’s just a round won, not a tournament,” he says.
In his teens growing up in Mumbai with its bustling circuit of 19-20 posh clubs and pool parlours, he crossed his home street to spend hours at Khar Gymkhana snooker room, working on his attacking game under Merchant. He also brought the gnashing energy of Counterstrike E-sport, which he was mighty good at as a gamer, in Covid years. Ishpreet had won the Indian snooker Nationals in December 2022 after beating Pankaj Advani, from being 3-6 down, denying the legend one frame he needed for a win.
After clearing Q-school in Thailand and relocating to Sheffield to try his luck in professionals, he’s scalped former world champions – 2015 winner Stuart Bingham and 2023 winner Luca Brecel. At Brentwood, he stitched up a good run, beating former Worlds runners-up Graeme Dott and 2024 runners-up Jak Jones, then beating Iran’s best Hossein Vafaei and fellow tour card holder, He Guoqiang.
Yasin Merchant, Aditya Mehta and Advani have previously camped at the UK circuit, but it’s a long, difficult haul.
Ishpreet’s unpredictable and unconventional play will get tested by the hard-nosed pros, but he’s keen on staying a courageous upstart. (Special Arrangement)
“The Indian mindset is not aggressive and there’s a difference in attitude with the pros,” Merchant explains. “Ishpreet was fearless always, and we developed his aggressive game where he takes shots others would refuse. He’s dedicated, has no vices. I gave him no option but to play aggressive, if it’s do-or-die, just do. He’s champion material if he can keep his wits,” the coach says.
You are assured 20,000 pounds with a two-year Tour card, and Ishpreet has moved full time to the UK, with his mother accompanying him.
“I was born with a golden spoon, had everything on the platter and never had to work a single day in my life. But my fearlessness and hunger to win comes from my mum who played badminton herself. She’s a single mother, who raised me when my parents separated. As soon as Dad was not in the picture, she dedicated her life to making me better at sport,” he says.
He first played snooker at a 7-star resort on a vacation in Malaysia at 11, introduced by his father, but got serious at age 13, the sport helping him navigate the tough years of his parents’ separation.
Indians have historically struggled in the UK owing to the wretched weather. “Yea, it’s cold even when it’s sunny,” Ishpreet laughs. “Took 10 months to adjust and it rains at any time. In Mumbai, we grew up in A/Cs, and here I had to get used to switching on a heater. I took a lot of losses initially, and there’s more tough days than merrier, where I questioned if I’m good enough. But with the Selby win, I’m beginning to believe.”
Around 15-20 Indian supporters turned up at Brentwood and created a proper din, screaming for him. “It was nice to get home support,” he says, even as he enjoys the edge of the underdog, just beginning to bite at regulars who can succumb to pressure while playing for 300,000 pounds prize kitties.
His game needs some sturdiness though. “My technique is good, temperament improving. But I’ll need to improve my safety play and defensive game. I’m aggressive and score heavy when I get chances,” he says. Merchant wouldn’t want him to lose his sense of adventure but insists he needs to get the composed temperament of Aditya Mehta, and develop patience against opponents who play negative.
Ishpreet’s unpredictable and unconventional play will get tested by the hard-nosed pros, but he’s keen on staying a courageous upstart. “My mother’s taught me to be fearless. It’s in my blood,” he says.
