Advani to warm-up for World Championship with Myanmar Open

India's 21-time World Champion Pankaj Advani will kick-start the business end of the cue sports season with the Myanmar Open, beginning here on Monday. The three-day tournament is a prelude to the main event, the IBSF World Billiards Championship, both of which will be held here.

Pankaj will be on a mission to retain his billiards world title he won last year. "This tournament leading up to the world championship is pivotal. Getting settled in and used to the conditions is what the Myanmar Open will help me with. I'm looking forward to a week of billiards and excited to defend my world title," said Advani ahead of the tournament.

Both the tournaments will be played in the short format of 150-up. This format requires the cueist to score 150 points before his opponent to win a frame. The matches will be ranging from a best-of-5 to 11, depending on the stage of the tournament.