In the world of billiards, where every stroke and every calculation can decide victory or defeat, it is rare for anyone to be complacent when facing a living legend like Efren “Bata” Reyes. However, in a recent match, a young Swedish player – ambitious but inexperienced – made a serious tactical mistake when he thought that playing “safe” was the best way to face someone like Reyes. He chose to keep the ball, play defensively and try to lock the match with consecutive “safety shots”. However, that choice opened the way for a humiliating ending, when the “Filipino Wizard” proved why he is considered one of the greatest tactical geniuses in the history of billiards.
The match started with a tense atmosphere. The Swedish player – Lars Edström – is considered by experts to have a rather tight tactical mindset, with a cold and controlled playing style. Against Reyes, he decided not to take risks, not to push, but instead to “play it safe” – that is, to keep the game steady, push Reyes into difficult situations and hope he would make a mistake.
But Edström forgot one thing: if there was anyone in the world who could get out of impossible situations with a miracle shot, it could only be Efren Reyes.
From the very first games, Lars played excellent defensive shots, putting the ball in difficult positions, often pushing the cue ball away from the object balls, or hiding behind the block balls. He thought that if Reyes could not attack, he would gradually lose his rhythm and make mistakes. However, what Lars did not expect was that he was playing right into Reyes’ “territory” – where Reyes turned “safety” shots into spectacular scoring opportunities.
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In the third game, Lars hit a safety shot that left the cue ball close to the long rail, while the object ball was hidden behind two other colored balls. The pool-savvy crowd thought this was a perfect defensive shot. But Reyes, after a few seconds of observation, smiled slightly, then hit an extremely difficult three-spin shot – a seemingly impossible, swerving shot that lightly hit the object ball, pocketing it to the cheers of the crowd. Lars stood there, not believing his eyes. He had done everything right… but not enough to defeat a genius like Reyes.
And from there, the scenario repeated itself. Every time Lars tried to “play safe,” Reyes “punished” him with amazing shots: from the third rail, the fourth rail, even a backspin shot from the last rail that sent the object ball straight into the pocket while still maintaining an ideal position for the next shot. The match suddenly became Efren Reyes’s own show.
In the sixth game, Lars had a great chance to score. He cleared most of the table, leaving only three balls, when he suddenly lost control of the cue ball, leaving it in a difficult position to reach. Instead of trying to score, he chose to play another safe shot. But Reyes, with decades of experience playing at the highest level, was not fazed. He leisurely walked to the table, measured the distance, smiled and... made a "kick shot" (hitting the target ball) with astonishing accuracy. The audience exploded. The commentator exclaimed: "How could he do that?!"
Lars's spirit began to waver. He could no longer maintain his initial calmness, his safe shots gradually became timid, weak and predictable. Meanwhile, Reyes played more and more enthusiastically. In the eighth game, Reyes made a table clearing in less than 90 seconds, with a series of absolutely accurate shots, leaving Lars shaking his head.
The match ended quickly with an overwhelming score in favor of Reyes. But what fans remember most is not the result, but the difference in tactical class. Lars – despite playing his strategy correctly – chose the wrong opponent to apply it to. For an average player, the strategy of holding the ball and playing defensively can be effective. But against a legend like Efren Reyes, every “safety” opportunity you create can turn into a magic show.
After the match, Lars shared in an interview: “I thought I had a good plan. I had studied a lot of his games and thought I could put him in a difficult position. But I underestimated Efren’s ability to read the table and solve the balls miraculously. It was a mistake I will never forget.”
Fans see it differently: “He’s not wrong to play tactically. But you can’t ‘play safe’ with someone who can turn that safety into a winning opportunity.”
Efren Reyes, at nearly 70, still shows that he is not only a technically brilliant player, but also a master of psychology and tactics. In the world of billiards, where every mistake is punished, he still stands – as an eternal symbol of wisdom, versatility and extraordinary.
