I have been explaining to my grandchildren about snooker and a fact I'm sure is true has cropped up and I'm now unsure about the answer in today's game.

I would like confirmation or not as to if the referee supplies the set of balls used in 'match play' snooker, which is currently being televised. I feel sure I understand that this was the case in times past but am unsure about any recent changes.

A good question, and one I too am unsure of. I suspect that as everything else is brought in new, tables, cushions, and cloth, that the balls are also brought in specifically for each tournament.

I’m sure the referee would bring them to the table before each match begins, but whether the table suppliers/fitters, or World Snooker bring them to the tournament venue, I simply don’t know.

If anyone can provide definate information, please make contact and the details will be posted here.

Player A comes to the table mid game and he is faced with a touching ball. No other reds are available so he strikes the cue ball away, hits nothing, but because his cue ball starts from a touching ball it is deemed to have touched a red, so no penalty is awarded.

Player B comes to the table, pots a red and his cue ball ends up touching another red. His next shot must be aimed at a colour, but because his cue ball is touching, is he automatically penalised knowing that his cue ball is already deemed to have touched a red?

When player A came to the table, the cue-ball was touching a ball that was "on" and he was able to play away from it quite legally, with or without hitting any other red. When player B left the cue-ball touching a red after potting one, he was then "on" a colour, and had to play for one.

So the red was effectively irrelevant, although of course he still had to play away from it. Had he left the cue-ball touching a colour, he could have nominated that colour, and played away from it, as Player A had with the red. If he nominated any other colour then he would still have had to play away from the one the cue-ball was touching, but would have had to hit the colour he nominated.

Perhaps the easiest way to understand the rule is to remember that if the cue-ball is touching a ball that is "on" you can play away with or without hitting any other ball, whether "on" or "not on", perfectly legally.
If the cue-ball is touching a ball that is "not on" you must also play away but must strike a ball that is "on".

It may seem strange that the rule seems to reverse itself depending on whether the cue-ball is touching a ball that is, or is not, "on" - but the rules are structured not only to govern the game, but also to make the game itself fair and playable. If that were not the case, in your example when player B had left himself touching a red after potting one, had a foul been called as he played away from the red, there would be a very good argument to say he had been unfairly penalised, and/or that his opponent had received an unfair advantage.

Would you be able to answer a question I have regarding the rules, it regards a player being snookered? Is it legal to place an object (say a piece of chalk), or otherwise mark, on the rail above the point on the cushion where you intend to hit.

I think this would be useful in instances where there is a likelihood of a 'miss' being called as it would give the player a point of reference to make their adjustment in the event that they are asked to play again from the same position.

It would be considered a foul to either mark the cushion or to place any object on the cushion to use as a reference point, and doing so would give your opponent seven penalty points. It would also be considered ungentlemanly conduct as it would give you an unfair advantage.

However, there is a way around this. And that is to look beyond the cushion and try to find something further away on the same line to use as a reference point.

By this I mean perhaps the corner of an alcove, part of a jacket, a pattern on the wall, the edge or middle of a window, or anything else that just happens to be on that line. Quite often there’s nothing of course, but sometimes you do get lucky.

If you devote any of your solo practice to getting out of snookers, then of course you are free to place any object on the cushion to give you that reference point. And such practice will always benefit your game.

When you have a private game between two people, who replaces the color balls and who marks the scores? My mates and I have been playing the following:

The person who is not on replaces colors and marks the points for the other person when he is finished, and every person is responsible for marking their own fouls.
Another point that may be relevant is the calling (or attention) to fouls. That is, should it be gentleman like, or is it up to the opponent to look for fouls?

Can you direct me to how a private game should be conducted?

The rules say that when no referee is present the opposing player referees the other, but gives no other advice on the matter.

The way you are playing now only needs a slight improvement. If you're at the table and begin a break, your opponent should spot the colours for you and call out the score as your break progresses. That way the player at the table can concentrate on what he is doing.

So your opponent calls out the score but at the end of your break, you add those points to the scoreboard yourself, leaving your opponent free to immediately concentrate on his first shot. (By adding your own scores to the scoreboard there can never be any question of cheating if a mistake is made.)

Regarding foul strokes, you must always admit to a foul immediately even if you don't think your opponent has noticed. Even if your opponent has not noticed someone else in the room may have, and you will quickly be regarded as a cheat, a reputation very hard to lose.
But fouls you cannot notice, perhaps your shirt sleeve just touching a ball when you're stretching over the table, should be called by your opponent, and accepted as graciously as possible.

The player committing a foul should add those points to the scoreboard, again to leave the opponent free to immediately concentrate on his first shot.

Where do you play from when your opponent accidently pots the white and there is no space in the semi circle for the white?

A good question but the situation could never arise. It's a surprise to many but you can quite easily get two full sets of snooker balls within the "D" and still have room to spare.