Player Profile Series: Johann Gonzales Chua - The "Bad Koi"

Johann Gonzales Chua was born and raised in Bacolod, in the central Philippines, on May 31, 1992. He began playing pool at the age of nine, often accompanied to the local pool hall by his father, who gave him the nickname “Bubwit” or “little mouse,” because he was too small to be seen behind the pool table.

At 13, Chua quit school to pursue his passion for billiards and turned professional at 19. He is also known by the nickname “Bad Koi.” A 2023 World Cup of Pool champion alongside James Aranas, Chua is a two-time All Japan Championship winner, having claimed the title in 2015 and 2017.

Chua placed ninth overall in the 2011 BSCP National Open Pool Championships. That same year, he finished 17th at the Manny Pacquiao International Ten-ball Championship held in General Santos. In November 2012, he achieved his first major international breakthrough, placing third at the Japan Open.

In 2013, he placed 17th at the China Open and returned to third place at the Japan Open. The following year, he reached the top 16 in the China Open before falling to Taiwan’s Chang Jung-Lin. At the 2014 WPA World Nine-ball Championship days later, he made it to the quarterfinals for the first time but lost to fellow Filipino Elmer Haya. In September 2014, he placed seventh in the Manny Pacquiao Cup.

Chua made his Southeast Asian (SEA) Games debut in 2017, capturing a bronze medal in Malaysia after losing to Vietnam’s Duong Quoc Hoang in the semifinals.

He remained active in international competition. In September 2017, he and partner Warren Kiamco brought home a bronze medal at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Before the year ended, Chua clinched his second All Japan Championship title, dominating Jundel Mazon, 11–2, in the final. He is currently ranked 13th in the world by the World Pool-Billiard Association.

In 2021, Chua captured his first SEA Games gold medal by defeating compatriot Carlo Biado, 9–6, in the all-Filipino Nine-ball singles final held at Ha Dong District Sporting Hall in Hanoi, Vietnam. In the same tournament, Biado exacted revenge by defeating Chua, 9–3, in the men’s Ten-ball singles event.

In 2022, Chua, Biado, and Rubilen Amit led the Philippines to victory at the WPA World Teams Championship, sweeping Great Britain, 3–0, in the final held in Klagenfurt, Austria.

In 2023, Chua and James Aranas secured the Philippines’ record fourth World Cup of Pool title by defeating Germany’s Joshua Filler and Moritz Neuhausen, 11–7, in the final at the Pazo de Feiras e Congresos de Lugo in Spain.

In 2024, Chua finally captured a major individual title, winning the Mansion Sports Hanoi Open 9-Ball crown after outclassing Ko Pin Yi, 13–7, at the Hanoi Indoor Games Gymnasium. The Filipino cue artist overcame a nervy start and showed composure until the end, finally claiming the crown after previous heartbreaks in the World Pool Championship semifinals and the European Open final. His consistent success in major tournaments has propelled him into the world’s top ten, where he is currently ranked fifth.

Just five days after his Hanoi Open triumph, on October 18, 2024, Team Asia won the inaugural Reyes Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. The team, composed of Johann Chua, Carlo Biado, Aloysius Yapp, Duong Quoc Hoang, and Ko Pin Yi, was coached by the legendary Efren “Bata” Reyes. They defeated Team Europe with a decisive 11–6 final score. Team Europe featured Jayson Shaw, Eklent Kaçi, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, David Alcaide, and Mickey Krause. Aloysius Yapp of Singapore was named the first-ever Reyes Cup Most Valuable Player for his outstanding performance throughout the event.