1914 World Straight Pool Championship

Results

Place	Player	Prize
1	Bennie Allen
2	James Maturo

Recap

Published April 13, 2026

In the early years of what would become pool’s most prestigious championship, Bennie Allen won the 1914 World Straight Pool Championship, defeating James Maturo in a tournament that helped establish straight pool as the premier professional billiards discipline. This championship came a few years after Jerome Keough invented the straight pool format in 1910.

Allen’s triumph occurred during straight pool’s formative era, when the newly adopted rules were being refined for world championship play. The game, also known as 14.1 continuous, was recognized as the official game of billiards following its invention. The first official World Tournament was held in 1911 and won by Cuban legend Alfredo DeOro. Allen’s victory in 1914 represented one of the championship’s earliest editions, establishing him as a key figure in the tournament’s history.

The format itself was innovative for its time. Players could call and attempt to pocket any object ball on the table regardless of number or color, with the fourteen balls being re-racked when only one object ball remained with the cue ball. This continuous play style created longer, more strategic matches that characterized professional pool for decades, making Allen’s championship win particularly significant in the sport’s development.

Allen’s defeat of Maturo in the final demonstrated the competitive level developing around this new format. The World Straight Pool Championship became the most prestigious pool tournament until the late 20th century, when faster-playing games like nine-ball eventually became more popular among professional players. Allen’s 1914 victory occurred during straight pool’s period of rapid growth and rising talent.

This championship stands as part of pool’s professional history. While the tournament would face interruptions throughout its history due to wars and economic challenges—including 29 missed tournaments and a 15-year gap between 1990-2005—Allen’s 1914 victory remains part of the lineage of champions connecting pool’s earliest professional era to the modern game.

Sources: World Straight Pool Championship – Wikipedia Straight pool – Wikipedia

This recap was compiled from public tournament records and tournament organizer communications. ForceFollow is not affiliated with the tournament organizer.