India’s top player Pankaj Advani has recently scooped the Liber Win Cup 2026 in Bangaluru, India. The event was the first in the country promoting the new cloth Liber Win in India, as Advani saw off fellow country man Kamal Chawla 6 – 3. Chawla had a 140 break on route to his final appearance.
However, the tournament wasn’t just about the players. The cloth LiberWin is now being world widely distributed and promoted across continents, as the battle of cloths in snooker ramps up.
There are many kinds of cloth – Strachan No 10 is the bread and butter of most billiard tables, especially in the UK, although there has been an upgrade to others, including the Marco Fu cloths, and the Hainsworth cloths, but most use the Strachan variety.
The Quiet “Cloth War” in Snooker 🎱
For decades, professional snooker tables have mostly used cloth from the British brand Strachan, particularly Strachan No.10, which became the standard at the World Snooker Championship and many other tournaments.
But in the last few years, new manufacturers — particularly from Asia — have started pushing into the market.
One of the biggest challengers is Liberwin, a Chinese textile company that specialises in snooker and billiards cloth.
What Liberwin Are Doing Differently
Liberwin’s strategy is quite aggressive compared to traditional equipment companies.
They are:
1️⃣ Signing big snooker ambassadors
Players associated with the brand include:
- Ronnie O’Sullivan
- Mark Selby
- Neil Robertson
- Judd Trump
- Ding Junhui
This helps push their brand internationally.
2️⃣ Sponsoring events
Events like the Liber Win Champions Cup in India are essentially brand showcase tournaments.
Instead of waiting for tours to adopt their cloth, they create tournaments themselves.
That’s why the Liber Win Cup exists.
3️⃣ Partnering with tours
Liberwin has also secured deals with:
- World Seniors Snooker Tour
Their cloth will be used across the tour and events including the World Seniors Snooker Championship.
Why This Matters in Snooker
Cloth affects everything in the game:
- ball speed
- spin response
- cue ball control
- how the nap behaves
Traditionalists often prefer Strachan, but many Asian tournaments now use alternatives.
That’s why you’re seeing more cloth brands appear in events in China and India.
I phoned up 20 clubs from socials to full on snooker clubs to check what the “rules” were on people being able to go on tables with so called new cloths, and bar one which I had a bad and hurtful experiences of, which is now a different club in the Jimmy White Sports Lounge, they said there was no “set” standard.
And all were welcome on them. This included the likes of Landywood, Crucible Reading, and, also the Sheffield Academies.
The Oxshott Club where I play have a Strachan cloth and two great tables.