My proposed rules changes for WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY
[Rough Draft]
My purpose is to make Snooker MORE difficult and FORCE the players to MAKE SHOTS & SCORE points. Stop all of the hiding behind the Yellow, Green, & Brown balls and the head rail.
Make every shot count. It is possible to score more points, win one less frame and LOSE a title. That should never be.
1. One safety per rack.
2. A shot clock - 30 secs. per-shot.
3. Match time, seven hours tops. 11 minutes per rack/frame
4. Elimination of "Frames"
5. Use of points total to determine the winner: 1,500 points wins the title. 35 racks/frames x 42 minimum
point value for a rack = 1470. Play will continue until 1,500 points have been scored by one player and
all balls from the last rack have been cleared from the table. The competitors will play four sessions of
375 points per session.
6. When the striker has the cue ball in hand the player may place the cue ball anywhere on or behind the
Baulk-line.
7. Once a ball is pocketed it STAYS OFF the table until the next rack.
8. And to forestall tactical "misses" if in the opinion of the ref a player has failed to make an HONEST effort
to POCKET a called object ball in an attempt to hide the cue ball behind a red ball or the baulk-line or a
Yellow, Green, or Brown ball and or near ANY rail, it is a FOUL, and the player will be assessed a 15-point
penalty for every violation, and the opponent will take the cueball in hand and may place the cue ball any-
where on or behind the Baulk-line.
9. All shots MUST be called.
The player is required to call shots, the intended ball and pocket must be indicated for each shot if they are
not obvious. Details of the shot, such as cushions struck or other balls contacted or pocketed are irrelevant.
Only one ball may be called on each shot. For a called shot to count, the referee must be satisfied that the
intended shot was made, so if there is any chance of confusion, e.g. with bank, combination, and similar shots,
the shooter should indicate the ball and pocket. If the referee or opponent is unsure of the shot to be played,
he may ask for a call. The shooter may choose to call “safety” instead of a ball and pocket, and then play passes
to the opponent at the end of the shot.
10. The Rack:
For the opening break shot, the pink is spotted on the Pyramid Spot. The apex ball of the triangle of reds is
racked as close as possible to the pink without touching it. The fifteen red balls are racked in a triangle with
the apex ball on the foot spot. When the balls are re-racked, the apex ball is omitted if only fourteen balls are
being racked.The marked outline of the triangle will be used to determine whether an intended break ball is
in the rack area.
11. The following rules apply to the opening break shot:
(a) The cue ball begins in hand behind the Baulk-line.
(b) If no called ball is pocketed, the cue ball and three red balls must each be driven to a rail or the shot is a
breaking foul. This is penalized by subtracting four points from the breaker’s score. The non-breaking
player may accept the balls in position or may require the breaker to play another opening break shot,
until the player satisfies the requirements for an opening break or the non-shooting player accepts the
table in position.
12. Continuing Play and Winning the Game:
The player remains at the table as long as the player can continue to legally pocket called balls or wins the
game by scoring the required number of points. When fourteen red balls and all colored balls from a rack
have been legally pocketed, play is suspended until the balls are re-racked.
13. One red ball will remain on the table as a break ball.
14. Play shall be continuous in that after fourteen red and all colored balls are pocketed, they are re-racked
and the shooter continues.
15. The player will pocket the break ball while attempting to open the 14 racked red balls to create the next
shot and to continue play.
16. ALL red balls must be pocketed FIRST.
17. ALL colored balls must be pocketed in NUMERICAL order. Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink, Black. The
player will leave one red ball as a break ball in an area of their choosing. The cueball will remain in position
and the player will then attempt to pocket the color balls in NUMERICAL order. Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue,
Pink, Black. In your opinion, what would make the game more difficult, leaving the colored balls in position
after 14 of the red balls have been pocketed OR respot ALL of the colored balls on their respective spots on
the table AFTER 14 of the red balls have been pocketed?
Points: all non-banked red balls count as one point. All non-banked colored balls retain their base value. The
opening rack is worth 41 points. Each subsequent rack is worth 41 points. 14 red balls = 14 points & 6 colored
balls = 27 points.
Remember, one RED ball must remain as a break ball after the opening break.
18. Serious Fouls
Three Consecutive Fouls, only standard fouls are counted, so a breaking foul does not count under the three
foul rule. Four points is subtracted for the third foul as usual, and then an additional 150 point penalty is sub-
tracted and the offending player’s consecutive foul count is reset to zero. All colored and red balls are re-
racked and the offending player is required to shoot under the requirements of the opening break.
Unsportsmanlike Conduct, the referee will choose a penalty depending on the nature of the offense.
Three Consecutive Fouls:
If a player fouls three times without making an intervening legal shot, it is a serious foul. The three fouls must
occur in a single rack. The referee must warn a shooter who is on two fouls when he comes to the table that
he is on two fouls. Otherwise a possible third foul will be considered to be only the second.
A fantasy change:
Another change that I think might be interesting, power snooker uses a clock and a player can score
extra points while the clock is running. To promote SHOTMAKING and an ATTACKING snooker, I propose
that bank shots where an object ball contacts one or more cushions receive extra points. In addition, details
of the shot, such as the number of cushions struck, other balls contacted, the intended pocket MUST be
called before the shot is taken.
For example, when a [RED OR COLORED] object ball strikes the LONG or SIDE rail ONCE and then are poc-
keted into a SIDE or CORNER pocket count double. A bank shot where an object ball crosses the baulk-line
once and strikes the LONG or SIDE rail ONCE and then crosses the foot string once and then are pocketed
into a CORNER pocket counts two and a half times [2.5 multiplier - a black or 7 ball x 2.5 = 17.5 points.] A
banked object ball that travels the length of the table twice where the object ball crosses the baulkline/foot
string and then strikes the HEAD/FOOT rail ONCE and then crosses the baulk-line/foot string once and then
is pocketed into a CORNER pocket counts triple.
A banked object ball that travels the length of the table three times where the object ball crosses the baulk-
line/foot string once and then strikes the HEAD FOOT rail ONCE and then crosses the baulk-line/foot string
again and then strikes the HEAD/FOOT RAIL again and then is pocketed into a CORNER pocket counts quad-
ruple. All five rail bank shots with the cue or object ball count as quintuple points.
However, IF the proposed changes for bank shots are included, you might be able to score 147 points ONCE
in a LIFETIME. But I can gurantee you, that The Rocket MIGHT have ONE 147 point frame to his credit under
THESE rules. If a player sank every ball on the table under the 4x multiplier, you would score 164 points. And
that is IMPOSSIBILE. "Centuries" will prove FAR more difficult. The most likely scenario to score a "century"
would be one point red balls, 5 two point red balls, & ALL colored ball would have to be banked in LENGTH-
WISE at a minimum. Thus: 9 x 1 = 9 + 5 x 2 = 10 + 27 x 3 = 81 = 100. How's that for a "century"?
- Mr Cam
- Posts: 43
- Joined: 03 October 2013