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The Magnet Frame

Postby Roland

Player misses a colour which stays in the jaw and is unhittable because it's blocked by reds. Start of scenario looks like this, safety is played to make sure the white is on the opposite side of the table so no chance of leaving a red to other corner:

Image


Eventually the frame will look like this:

Image

The black has acted like a magnet, drawing the reds towards it.


Most commentators cry "re-rack" but I think the players should always carry on until one of them pots the black because it will happen eventually and I love playing in these sorts of frames.

The "Magnet Frame" everyone.

Copyright :santa:

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby Bourne

Line up, pull the cue back and ... SMMMMAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHHH

:ahh:

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby mediter

How come you posted this now when Steve Davis, Ebdon and Dott are playing <laugh>

"Attacking" safety-shots :love:
Last edited by mediter on 20 Apr 2010, edited 1 time in total.

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby Roland

I'm just getting it in writing so that when everyone starts to know it as a magnet frame, I invented the term :santa:

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby Eirebilly

Sonny wrote:I'm just getting it in writing so that when everyone starts to know it as a magnet frame, I invented the term :santa:


Good name Sonny, My dad always called it a herd frame, as in when one of the herd moves the rest follow.

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby Monique

Well obviously Ebdon and Dott just went into the perfect demonstration of playing the magnet frame with great skill. Ended in rerack after some 30 minutes ;)

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby Roland

I guess if it was played in the club you'd carry on. I love trying to get my opponent to pot the black!

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby Smart

Ebbo was well within his rights to do what he did because he was well down in the frame 39-10.

Dotty was trying his best to move the reds away from the pocket area to continue the frame. Ref PW asked the players if this was "going anywhere" and Dotty said "he was trying to make something happen".

Really gripping stuff, because Ebbo was catching some real fine edges of safety shots pushing the reds that Dotty was trying to bring into play back around the pocket with the black hanging over it.

<cool>

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby chengdufan

I'm not a fan of these types of frames at the pro level, personally. The players should agree on a re-rack fairly quickly, which I think they do nowadays more often than not.
At club level, definitely play on. We don't have the skills to keep it safe for too long and it's a good test of technique.

I got here by the way because of a link from snooker.org. I'm inputting the scores for the rankings revisit from the 2015 China Open, and the Selby Milkins match had this type of frame apparently. Oddly (and I suppose rather cool), snooker.org calls it a magnet frame and links to here.

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby SnookerEd25

Good bump Mr. Dufan; I like the term ‘magnet frame’ and (personally) hate re-racks. At the very least it should revert to being at the referee’s discretion rather than players nodding to each other and the referee adhering to their demands.

In fact, I’d like to know what the official ruling is on this, and whether it has changed from the days when a ref. gave the players a designated number of shots to resolve the issue before deciding on ending the frame himself (or herself).

Aces? (or anyone) :chin:

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby acesinc

SnookerEd25 wrote:Good bump Mr. Dufan; I like the term ‘magnet frame’ and (personally) hate re-racks. At the very least it should revert to being at the referee’s discretion rather than players nodding to each other and the referee adhering to their demands.

In fact, I’d like to know what the official ruling is on this, and whether it has changed from the days when a ref. gave the players a designated number of shots to resolve the issue before deciding on ending the frame himself (or herself).

Aces? (or anyone) :chin:


I think "magnet frame" is a perfect term; well done, Roland!

As to Ed's query, I don't think I am an authority on this topic, I am just a guy with an opinion. You should know here in the US, I don't actually watch nearly as much professional snooker as I would like. I did have a referee's training course, but that is over ten years ago now, and I have not been re-certified at all. Of course, new editions of the Rules have been published recently so the only benefit I have is my prior familiarity with the gist of the Rules.

So in taking a look, yes, in fact, the controlling Rule for this situation has apparently changed with the 2019 edition. It is Section 3., Rule 17. (formerly Section 3., Rule 16. in the 2014 edition). So previously, the wording was,

"...
16. Stalemate

If the referee thinks a position of stalemate exists, or is being approached, he shall offer the players the immediate option of re-starting the frame. If any player objects, the referee shall allow play to continue with the proviso that the situation must change within a stated period, usually after three more strokes to each side but at the referee’s discretion. ..."

and this wording would seem to assume that the players would want to continue the frame. That may be true if there is a significant score differential, but it seems that in more recent times, players jump at the chance of a reset if it is early in the frame with little score on the board. I do recall seeing a frame or two years ago in which the players requested a stalemate but the Referee denied them the request because the frame had not advanced to an unworkable situation. I am certain this was long before the 2019 revision (of which, you may recall, I am not a particularly avid fan). So the Referee then had complete authority to determine if the frame would continue or not.

The current ruleset, 2019 edition, governing rule states,

"...
17. Stalemate
If the referee thinks a position of stalemate exists, or is being
approached, or is indicated by both players, the referee shall offer
the players the immediate option of re-starting the frame. ..." (bold italics added)

and this, in my opinion removes authority from the Referee. Awful governance in my opinion. Yet another reason for me to dislike the current ruleset. This wording says that if both players want a reset (the proper, archaic snooker term which has now been dumbed-down to the standard pool term "re-rack" in the current, God-awful ruleset), then the Referee is obligated to give it to them. A travesty.

We don't recognize the current ruleset in my club. We still play under the authority of the Rules of 2014. Anarchy.

Re: The Magnet Frame

Postby SnookerEd25

Thanks Aces. And good to hear your club still adheres to the ‘old’way of doing things. A bastion of tradition in increasingly anarchic times <ok>