snooker

Snooker is a cue sport played on a rectangular table with six pockets. The standard setup uses fifteen red balls and six colored balls, plus a white cue ball. The goal is to score more points than the opponent by potting balls in a prescribed sequence. The game developed in the United Kingdom during the late 19th century from earlier billiards games and is now played worldwide in clubs, pubs, and professional events.

Table and equipment: Professional tables are 12 by 6 feet; pockets and balls include red balls worth 1 point each and colors with fixed values: yellow 2, green 3, brown 4, blue 5, pink 6, black 7. The reds are racked in a triangle; the colors placed on their spots. Play begins with a break; after potting a red, the player may attempt a color; if the color is potted, it is respotted; if a red is not potted, the turn passes. The object is to alternate red and color while red balls remain on the table.

Rules and play: After all reds are potted, the colors must be potted in ascending order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black; each color, when potted, is not returned to the table. The frame ends when the black is potted after clearing the reds or when a foul ends the break. Foul rules apply if the cue ball fails to hit a legal ball, pots the white, or commits other infringements, awarding the opponent penalty points.

competitive snooker: Competitive snooker is played as frames within matches; most professional titles are contested on the World Snooker Tour, governed by the WPBSA. The sport is also organized at national and amateur levels with various formats, including six-red variants in lighter formats. Snooker requires precision, strategy, and safety play, with skills in potting, landing position, and control over cue balls.