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Suppose I have 70 points and my opponent has 20. I have just potted a red but have
snookered myself on all colours with 51 points (3 reds + blacks, etc.) possible remaining.
That means my opponent could win with 71 or more should I lose control of the cue ball.
Knowing that illegally potted reds are not returned to the table, what would keep me
from fouling, illegally potting a red, giving my opponent 4 points whilst leaving only 43
points (2 reds + blacks, etc.) possible? Now my opponent's maximum would be 67 and
would need a snooker to win. Is this possible?
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| Posted on 20th January 2008 by Danny Nicholas of Cardiff. |
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In snooker has the 4 point minimum penalty always been the rule. I seem
to recall it used to be the value of object ball fouled on. Please confirm.
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I was in discussion with a mate of mine who says that the pockets in televised
championships are wider than the ones at a standard snooker club so they can
get higher breaks. I disagreed saying that if anything it would be the other way
around with the championship tables having smaller more accurate pockets
because of the level of the players.
Snooker clubs tend to have one or two match tables which are obviously different
to the rest of the club table. Can you shed some light on this aspect?
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| Posted on 23rd April 2007 by Alan Massey of Manchester. |
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In a recent match between two players (challenge tour standard) the following
occurred.
Player "A" was at the table and had potted red, brown, red, and then went in off the
blue. As the referee I awarded 6 points to player "A" and 5 points for the foul to player
"BA" At this point there was a discussion with the board marker who was unsure of the
score and in the confusion I neglected to replace the blue ball.
I gave the white ball to player "B" and he played his shot. Player "A" then returned to
the table and was just about to take his shot when a member of the audience pointed
out that the blue ball was missing. I replaced the blue ball and after a short spell of
embarrassment, player "A" played his shot and the frame continued without any
further foul awarded to either player.
After the match finished there were several points of view about what I (the referee)
should have done. I took the position that the error was mine (the referees) and that if
the member of the audience had not pointed out the error player "A" would have played
a shot without the blue on the table just as player "B" had done.
Was I right or wrong? What would be the correct decision under the current rules?
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A friend and I have just purchased a full size snooker table. It has E.J.Riley
ACCRINGTON and the serial number:122368 wood stamped on each leg. I
have been told it would have been built around 1927 and is made of West
African mahogany and 2" welsh slate. It has large 10" turned legs with
vertical grooves around the circumference of them, it also has lock and key
locks in each of the legs. I am led to believe the model name is the Riley
"Perfection".
I would be interested to know if it is relatively rare, who or what would
have purchased it at that time i.e wealthy person (tried to trace the
serial number but records have been lost), and what i should insure it
for so it could be replaced by something of the same quality should it
get damaged. It is in fantastic condition, in full working order and will
soon take pride of place in my home!!! So I really would appreciate any
help in finding out about any of the above.
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With reference to Rules Section 2 Rule 12 & Section 3 12d(v), can you tell me what would happen in the following situation:
A player pots a red and is then snookered by the remaining reds on all colours.
He does not nominate a colour (Sec. 2 Rule 12) and before the referee has time
to ask (Sec. 3 Rule 12d(v)) plays his stroke. The cue ball misses a red, misses
the yellow & blue by a millimeter and ends up touching the black.
Is this a foul and what is the penalty? What would have happened if the cue ball
had come to rest not touching any colour?
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| Posted on 24th december 2006 by David Turner of Harlow. |
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A foul shot has occurred with one red left on the table, the cue ball is
touching the red. Is it a free ball or can you see both sides of the red?
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| Posted on 29th October 2006 by Dave Allen of Clitheroe. |
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Whilst watching a frame of snooker in my local league a player nominated the
brown as a free ball. He took his shot, missed potting it, and the brown then
snookered his opponent.
I thought this was a foul shot with a penalty of 4 points. The ref said although
it was a foul he did not award the 4 points as he had hit the ball he nomimated!
Can you explain the rule covering this situation please as he is adamant he is right.
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| Posted on 14th May 2006 by Craig Benstock of Cambridge, England. |
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Is it possible to pot all 15 reds in one legal shot from any position of reds & white
(with all colours on their spots). This is given the maximum amount of force that
can be applied to a cue ball with a cue, without it leaving the table (or shattering,
cue breaking, etc...).
Or is it simply that given the maximum input of force, and distances travelled,
and transferred force to reds, that the momentum would run out before all the
reds could find pockets.
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| Posted on 14th May 2006 by David Millar of Belle Cote, Nova Scotia. |
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I have just read your reply regarding the spots - I too had searched all over the
internet without success - and I have a question:-
Since the size of the balls does not vary proportionately to the size of the table
(if at all), the black will be closer to, or further from, the reds depending on the
size of the table. Is this the intent? It looks more logical (even if wrong!) to set
it midway between the reds and the cushion.
The closest I got in my earlier searches was a dealer in Canada who quoted
figures in inches - 8 3/8 radius for the "D" and 9 1/2 from the cushion for the
black. This brought it much too close to the reds - there was barely room for
the cue ball to pass between them.
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| Posted on 9th April 2006 by John Wilkinson of Manchester. |
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During a local snooker league match last week the following happened:
My opponent broke off leaving me a long rest shot to pot a red in one of the 'black'
pockets, the cueball being about 6 inches to the right of the pink (still on its spot).
I had to stretch over the side of the table whilst using the rest and cue extension.
As I leant over, standing on one leg to reach the shot, the carpet tiles under foot
slipped and moved quite severely causing me to over balance. This in turn caused
the cue and rest to move and I touched the pink with the cue moving it about 2
inches from its spot. No other balls were disturbed. Apart from being somewhat
amusing for everyone else and a bit embarrassing for me, nobody knew what the
ruling for this should be. I volunteered the foul (6 points) and that my opponent
should take the strike.
Is there any provision in the rules for this kind of situation and what would the ruling be?
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| Posted on 19th March 2006 by Ken Driver of Hertfordshire. |
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When I was a teenager, in 1945, I spent most evenings at the Savoy Snooker Hall in
Hull, E Yorkshire. There was a game we played that I am trying to find the rules for.
My memory of it is vague but it consisted of a set of snooker balls, 2 or possibly
3 small wooden mushrooms and a bag of numbered balls. Each player took and
pocketed a numbered ball without disclosing its value.
A "target" number of points had to be scored, but not exceeded, by potting reds
followed by a nominated colour, but each player could deduct the value of the ball in
their pocket from the standard "target" so each players "target" was different. There
came a time when everyone was, apart from trying to score their "target", trying to
guess what their opponents "target" was so they could prevent them from scoring it.
Knocking over mushrooms incurred a points loss penalty.
I am still in contact with the old friend I played my snooker with and he cannot
remember anymore than I have, except he disputes "mushrooms" as being better
described as 3" tall skittles. Like me he thinks it was 2 or 3 and like me he is unsure
of their positions but we are both under the impression they were close to the blue,
pink and black spots. Neither of us can remember the penalties for knocking them
down but we are both under the impression that one of them cost an all points loss.
He is still hoping he can find one of the old Savoy crowd and that they remember
more but considering we were 16/17 at the time they are all going to be 80+.
Do you have any knowledge of this game?
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In a match last night player Peter went in-off into the black left corner pocket.
The marker took it out of the pocket and handed it to Charlie who was standing next
to him. Charlie was walking to the baulk end of the table, cleaning the cue-ball with
one hand as he went when the cue ball suddenly shot in the air and landed on the
brown, blue and a red which were grouped together against the side cushion. None
of the three balls or the cue ball moved very far and none touched any other ball on
the table. (There were only 2 reds left.) Because of the way they were lying with the
red and brown against the cushion 10mm apart and the blue 10mm away from the
brown and in line with it square to the cushion, we, as spectators, had been observing
this and discussing what would happen when the penultimate red was potted. In other
words we knew exactly how the balls laid before the "accident" and could easily have
replaced them.
Should we (1) have replaced them on the markers instruction and Charlie carried on
with his shot, cue ball in-hand, as if nothing had happened? or (2) left them where
they were?
If they were left where they were, (A) Was it a foul shot with 4 points to Peter, (B)
whose turn was it to play, and (C) was the cue ball still in-hand.
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| Posted on 21st January 2006 by Graham Prickett of Derby. |
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I've found what I believe to be a snooker score board in my garage but it's not a regular
snooker score board. It is split into two sides, on one side the sliders give way to reveal
just one star. There are 12 rows of these sliders. On the other side similar sliders move
across to reveal 12 rows of 3 black circles. If you have any idea what this snooker
derived game is called or where I can access more information then please let me know.
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| Posted on 26th December 2005 by Jonothan Dempsey of Manchester. |
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| 1. |
I just fouled, say by potting a colour when on a red, and my opponent amid the
confusion, picks up the cue-ball, thinking i went in off. Obviously it's a foul on his
part, but where should the cue ball be replaced? Is it anywhere in the 'D'?
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Is a so called 'side swipe' legal? Side swipe being where its not quite a touching ball,
however than rather performing a push shot, just side swipe the cue ball with the tip,
almost like a miscue, so that the ball only moves a little and touches the object-ball.
Looks ugly but most effective. a little difficult to explain.
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Has anyone heard of a bistoquet?
I read the following sentence on the EABA site and as I have ancestors with the
name Bistoquet, I am interested in trying to find out the meaning of the word.
"We have an engraving of a billiard table, the instruments used at the game which
include the cue, the mace and the bistoquet"
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In a snooker game with referee, with score difference 29 pts and all colours on the
table (27 pts), if the loser snooked the leader and the leader missed, is it a foul and
miss with option to re-spot?
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| Posted on 30th October 2005 by Martin W Rushforth of Barnsley. |
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A player takes a shot in snooker and in disgust picks up the cue ball and throws
it on the table and it hits and moves the pink and black. What is the foul and what
happens next?
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| Posted on 23rd October 2005 by Rami S. Darwish, Kingdom of Bahrain. |
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Only Brown, Blue, Pink, and Black left on the table, and I got a free ball after a foul
made by my opponent on the Brown. I decided to nominate the Pink as a free ball,
I didn't pot it, but the Pink came in front of the cue ball and blocked quarter of the
next ball 'on' the Brown. In other words my opponent can see only 3/4 of the Brown.
So in this case is it a foul or not and if a foul, why?
Does my opponent get a free ball? and how many points the foul supposed to be.
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Is it a foul if, after playing a free ball, the cue ball is snookered behind the
nominated ball AND another ball - (in other words, if the nominated ball was
removed, the cue ball is still snookered).
On a similar note, with reds on the table, is it a foul if a player is snookered
on SOME of the reds by the nominated free ball and on the OTHER red(s) by
another ball.
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| Posted on 25th September 2005 by Stewart Edward of Glasgow. |
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My opponent fouled and snookered me, with the black pink and blue left on the
table. The black blocked the blue, therefore I nominated the black as my "free-ball".
I potted the black into the blue and the black also went in. I thought I would just
get 5 points, my friend stated 5 points for each ball as both balls were "on" but
another person watching said this was a foul. Could you help?
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| Posted on 7th August 2005 by Mike Gitsham of Knutsford. |
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At Dunham Massey (National Trust property) there is a Gillow's Billiards score board
dating to 1830. On one score index is the letter M and on the other is the letter P.
No-one knows what they stand for. Can you help us?
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In a recent doubles match I was playing in my opponents were 7 points behind with
only the black remaining. My partner fouled by missing the black which would have
then tied the scores. I had then said that because a foul had been made on the black
the game is tied and the black is re-spotted and we play the black again however my
opponent said that in doubles that does not happen and you continue to play on,
leaving the black where it was as the foul was made. Can you tell me if the black
should have been re-spotted after the original foul or should we have continued
on the black from where it was ?
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