SNOOKER, NINE BALL and the billiards universe

[To view the list of my other drama companion pieces (with links to them), check : HERE.]

1.  INTRODUCTION to Billiards, Snooker, etc

Obs: pictures link to their sources ; text adapted from Wikipedia and other pages.

Lin Yiyang's billiard hall  with blue Nine Ball and green Snooker tables, in Helsin (where he was finishing a degree and part-time working as lecturer at Hursin university)   (eps. 4, 7, 10 with YG . My screenshots from episode 4)  

Ep.4  - 10:04  :  This underground billiards room...

Some people have expressed  frustration to have been "in the dark about the rules until the very last." wishing there had been "announcer voice overs explaining what's going on like they do for some sporting events." A part of them were bored by the repetition of the tournaments, despite the nice pictures of dexterity and precision and the interesting dress-code.

To this, MyeTezz  reacted that "Just to provide another perspective as someone who enjoys playing snooker & pool. the filming and depiction of the sport were great. There were displays of high-level plays that were impressive, although I know that those without prior knowledge of the game might struggle to fully grasp the intricacies especially in terms of snooker. I actually liked how the screen time was perfectly allocated rather than an abundance of explanations or information about how the game works (which would be boring for me). After all, this series is more about the love story rather than serving as a tutorial or wiki on snooker/pool." Nevertheless this MDL user offered the following explanations, to which I researched some additions so we better grasp the technical details.

TABLES, CUES, BALLS AND POCKETS

These are standardized by large federations that keep and set the rules for the games.

§ - The tables are rectangular with set dimensions and height, lined with rubber cushions, and for the games we are interested in, there are usually six pockets : one in each angle and one in the middle of each long "side rail", therefore called "center pockets".  The "bed" is usually made of very flat slate, covered by a fabric called baize, traditionally in green for snooker, but there are other colors possible. To the bottom of the table, a special area is divided according to what is called the "baulk" line, from which a half circle, called the "D" limits the area from which the breaking ball that opens the game will be played.

§ - Balls are also of set dimensions, numbered or not, and in particular colors. Usually, the white ball is called the "cue ball"; when two players compete in English billiards, there's a second cue ball, usually yellow. The other, differently colored balls have a set place at the beginning of the game, on the table surface which is divided into areas (top, baulk...). A group of balls (red ones, for snooker) will be "racked" (put together) in a diamond or pyramid shape in a particulat place on the table. There will be other, differently colored, balls in particular "spots".  The one furthest from initial playing spot, near the "top cushion" is the "black", the spot at the tip of the pyramid is the "pink", and along the D touching the baulk line are three colored balls in a  set order of the mnemonic "God Bless You" (Green, Brown Yellow).  These colored balls are "object balls" that must be moved by the "cue ball" hitting them", shot forward by the cue.  

§ - Cues are made of wood, or  fibreglass and are used for striking the balls.  Their name goes back to the French "queue" (tail) because in the past, billiards were played with a sort of golf-club called mace (a heritage of the medieval  garden-style ground billiards (*) from which the game appeared), but the foot of the mace often got stuck under the cushions, so people started using them by the other end, until finally using plain tapered sticks. These cues are either stored at the billiards club, or can be divided or folded in two-piece or 3/4 two-piece with a joint at , that can be carried in bags. The tapered end that pushes the balls is called the "tip" and the one near the "grip" is  the "butt".  The official rules of both snooker and billiards state that "A cue shall be not less than 3 ft (914 mm) in length and shall show no change from the traditional tapered shape and form, with a tip, used to strike the cue-ball, secured to the thinner end." But according to their uses, there are different kind of cues : the "break cue", the "jump cue", and other cues for trick shot: some have multiple sections, between which weights can be added; some can accept screwing on a butt extension to lengthen the cue and reduce dependency on the mechanical bridge or (see below).

Mechanical bridge or Rest :  These are "rakes" used in snooker, English billiards, and blackball. (Wikipedia).  There are three types. The swan, spider, and cross rakes (cross is modt commonly uded) help position the cue, and are also useful for disabled players. The  "spider" rest is used to raise the cue stick over an obstructing ball.. (Picture from Wikimedia commons)

§ - Chalk.  The last essential piece of equipment is chalk. During the game, each player will chalk the end of their cue to ensure there is good contact between the cue and the ball. Chalk often comes in a small cube.

(*) Pool and billiards developed as an indoor option to substitute for games such as croquet that were played on lawns. Dedicated venues began to appear in the 19th century, and by the early 20th century, billiard and pool halls were common in many countries; but they did not have a good reputation, said to be a gateway to laziness, gambling, smoking and philandering, as they were places that sold alcohol, and had gambling on the side (A song called "Ya Got Trouble" lampooned the game in a famous American musical show of 1957 turned into a movie of the 1960s and later again in 2003). Public perception had become less critical by the 1990s

Lyrics video on Youtube of the Ya Got Trouble song with many  references to billiards. (screenshot) The "magic" jump shot. (My Gif from a cut of a YouTube video collection)

My Gif from a linked Twitter shorts cut, reposted from Douyin.

Many games developed over the 19th and 20th century, under the "pool" umbrella term. Brief overview adapted from Wikipedia: 

Games typically called "pool" today are descended from two English games imported to the United States during the 19th century. The first was English billiards which became American four-ball billiards (essentially the same game but with an extra red object ball to increase scoring opportunities). The second and more influential game was pyramid pool. By 1850 a variant called fifteen-ball pool became popular. Pyramid and 15-ball required balls to be racked due to the large number of them on the table. New games introduced at the turn of the 20th century include eight-ball. Of the pyramid traditions of Continental Europe, only Russian pyramid survives. Snooker, originally known as snooker's pool, can be considered a member of this family. 

The distinctive appearance of pool balls with their many colors and division between solid and striped balls came about by 1889. Prior to this, object balls were uniformly deep-red and differentiated only by numbers. 

ENGLISH BILLIARDS

English billiards go back to the 16th century. They are played by two players (or teams of two) and use one object ball (red) and two cue balls (yellow and white). Each player uses a different color cue ball and attempts to score more points than their opponent and reach the previously agreed total required to win the match.  The game is played on a table that has exactly the same dimensions (3569 mm x 1778 mm) as a snooker table, and in many places both games are played on the same table. Three balls must also be used, one red, one yellow and one white.

How to "break" (choosing who will play first) : It can be decided on the toss of a coin. Or, the players first, simultaneously, hit their cue ball the length of the table, hitting the cushion and returning back towards them. The player who gets their cue ball nearest to the baulk cushion at the end the shot was played gets to choose who breaks. The red ball is placed on the field and  the player going first places their cue ball in the D and then plays the ball. 

Players then take it in turn to attempt to score the most amount of points and eventually win the game. Players can score in three ways:

• In-off (2/3 points) : When the cue ball hits one of more balls and then goes down a pocket.
• Pot (2/3 points) /This is when any ball other than your cue ball goes into a pocket.
• Cannon (2 points) : This happens when the cue ball hits both other balls (2 points).

Players remain on the table until they fail to make a scoring shot.

Following a foul (see below some situations), the opposing player has the option of having the balls all put on their "spots" (see §"balls" above, and picture of the snooker table below) or leaving the table as it is.

The winner of the game is the first player to the points total that was declared the winning total before the game.

Striking billiard balls is an exercise in applied geometry and mechanics :

The angle imparted on the object ball relative to the direction of momentum of the cue ball is the angle between a line drawn from the centre of the cue ball through the centre of the object ball at the moment of contact, and a line drawn from the centre of the cue ball in the direction of its momentum before contact occurs. The angle is trivially calculated by noting that the hypotenuse of the black triangle in the diagram is 2 radii of either ball (assuming equal sized balls), and the length of the side opposite to the angle in question is 1 radius, thus the angle is given by the inverse sine of ½, which is 30°.

CHINESE BILLIARDS or CHINESE EIGHT BALL

Picture to left : My screenshot from ep.9. Picture to right : One of numerous proper racks in standardized eight-ball: The two rear corner balls are of different suits, the 8 ball is in the center, and the apex ball is on the foot spot.  These balls are "solid" (one color, numbered 1 to 8 or "striped", numbered 9 to 15). 

The eight-ball game has several competing sets of "official" rules, within North America, where it developed in the early 20th century. Millions of individuals play casually, using informal "house rules" which vary not only from area to area but even from venue to venue.

The version of eight-ball played in China uses rules that are essentially the same as standard WPA rules; and the game is played with standard 2+1⁄4-inch (57 mm) solids-and-stripes balls. However, the tables are constructed similarly to 9-foot (2.7 m) snooker tables, with rounded pocket openings, napped cloth and flat-faced rail cushions. This results in some differences in gameplay approach. The variant arose in the mid-1980s and 1990s as eight-ball gained popularity in China, where snooker was the most popular cue sport at the time (it changed its names several times to things like "16-colored" and "eight-ball" until being renamed Chinese pool or Chinese eight-ball.). With standard American-style pool tables rare, Chinese players made do with playing eight-ball on small snooker tables. It has since become the most popular cue sport in China, and the major tournaments have some of the largest prize money in pool.

"It is played with 15 numbered object balls and a cue ball. If one player chooses the solid group, the opponent is assigned the stripe group, and the shooter attempts to get his group off the table before attempting to pocket the black eight to win the rack. The game  requires an aggressive playing style; it's fast-paced, and quite exciting. In the period between the first edition and [2017]'s World Championship, the number of participating countries and regions has increased from 25 to 41. The number of players has increased from 305 to nearly 400 in that same period. Because only the top 96 receive the prize money, nearly 300 players come to play at their own expense.  The Chinese Pool World Championship of 2017 attracted for third year running snooker legends like Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui to Yushan, a southwestern county in China's Jiangxi Province."

In the beginning of ep. 9, the young men of the team from Bei City brought by Meng Xiaodong  challenged Lin Yiyang to play against them, thinking he was not just an amateur.  LYY said he didn't play snooker, so they offered to play Chinese billiards, but LYY had another idea. He set the rules for a demo game in which he showed how to pocket the red ball, wherever it was positioned by another player, demonstrating also the "side spin" to get the ball, positioned against a cushion, to rotate in an arch that brings it into the pocket.

(Gif from a linked Youtube video collection, recut by me)

THE LONG LIST OF FOULS  

From Wikipedia  Glossary : A violation of a particular game's rules for which a set penalty is imposed. In many pool games the penalty for a foul is ball-in-hand anywhere on the table for the opponent. In some games such as straight pool, a foul results in a loss of one or more points. In one-pocket, in which a set number of balls must be made in a specific pocket, upon a foul the player must return a ball to the table. In some games, three successive fouls in a row is a loss of game. In straight pool, a third successive foul results in a loss of 16 points (15 plus one for the foul).  --  Possible foul situations (non-exhaustive):

•  The player shoots the cue ball first into a ball that is not an object ball;
• The player shoots and after contacting an object ball, no ball is pocketed and neither the cue ball nor a numbered ball contacts a cushion (excepting push out rules);
•  The player pockets the cue ball ;
• The player does not have at least one foot on the floor at the moment of shooting;
• The player shoots the cue ball before all other balls have come to a complete stop;
• The player hits the cue ball more than once during a shot (a double hit);
• The player touches the cue ball with something other than the tip of the cue;
• The player touches any ball other than the cue ball;
• The player causes a ball to leave the table's playing surface without it returning (e.g., jumping a ball off the table);
• The player marks the table in any manner to aid in aiming;
• The player who has ball-in-hand, touches an object ball with the cue ball while attempting to place the cue ball on the table;
• The player shoots in such a manner that his cue tip stays in contact with the cue ball for more than the momentary time commensurate with a stroked shot (a push shot).

A player racking the balls (Wikipedia) Table setup for snooker (My notes added) Computer simulation of a snooker break-off shot at the start of a frame (Wikipedia) Basic cue tip contact points on the cue ball to impart various forms of spin; top spin is also known as follow, side spin as english, and bottom spin as back spin, draw, or screw. (Wikipedia) The World Snooker Championship trophy (Wikipedia) Link to video collection of 20 top shots for snooker Gif excerpt (shot by World class champion Mark Williams): "Since there is no limit to the number of fouls that can be committed, there is no theoretical maximum to the points that can be scored.  The record for the most points scored by a single player in one frame is 178 pts by Jimmy Robertson in 2021 Scottish Open [end of match in GIF above].  The record for the most points scored by both players together in one frame is 195 by Ding Junhui and Mark Williams in 2023."

SNOOKER  In the early 20th century, snooker was predominantly played in the United Kingdom where it was considered a "gentleman's sport" until the early 1960s, before growing in popularity as a national pastime and eventually spreading overseas. The first  World Snooker Championship  took place in 1927, and these events became televised from 1978. Top professional players compete in regular tournaments around the world, earning millions of pounds on the World Snooker Tour, a circuit of international events featuring competitors of many different nationalities. A match is made up of several "frames" ; each one from the break off until a clearance, losing foul or concession has been made. MyeTezz  explained :  "In snooker, players must pot a  red ball (1 pt)   first before they can attempt to pot a colored ball, which carries varying point values (yellow-2,  green-3 ,  brown-4 ,  blue-5 ,  pink-6 ,  black-7 pts ).    This alternation between potting reds and colored balls       (red, colored, red, colored) continues until all the red balls are cleared from the table, after which players must pot the colored balls in sequence from yellow to black. To maximize their points, players need to strategically position the cue ball (white ball), ideally near the  black  ball (which yields the most points), after potting a red. They must also position for the next red ball after potting the black.  "Moreover, players will also need to deal with being "snookered," where their opponent skillfully blocks the path to the required ball, typically as fewer red balls remain on the table.  A snooker, where the player is to hit the brown ball, but the cue ball is stuck behind the black ball. (My notes added) "Failing to hit the required ball results in a foul, with the opponent gaining points (a minimum of 4 pts, when you miss all the balls, or hit any colored balls lower than 5 pts). Contacting let’s say a  pink  ball when you are supposed to hit a  red  ball will be a foul that gives the opponent the pink-ball points (6 pts), while for  black  it will give the opponent 7 pts, etc. The one with the most points at the end of the game wins (obviously). "In snooker, the colored balls are replenished once they’re potted, as long as there are still red balls on the table, with the maximum break score of 147 (potting red and only black alternating) which is insanely challenging even for professionals." "Free ball":  After a foul, the player cannot strike both extreme edges of the last Red, so he is free to call Blue as Red and to pot it for a point. A maximum break is the highest possible break in a single frame of snooker. A player compiles a maximum break by potting all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points, followed by all six colors for a further 27 points, totalling 147 pts. But 147 is not the absolute maximum amount of points that can be scored in a regular snooker game...  Due to a foul from his opponent at the start of the game that allowed him the free ball, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, a champion from Thailand, scored 155 pts in a snooker academy in England, on 14 August, 2021, a rare event although he was not the fisrst to do so. -- This is also called a "century" : a break of 100 points or more, which requires potting at least 25 balls consecutively, in snooker (but can be earned via a combination of scoring techniques in English billiards, etc.) A century of centuries is the achievement of 100 or more century breaks in a career, a feat few players have performed to date. See also double century. Jimmy Robertson (#1 champion at snooker) set a new points record for a single frame at  178 pts vs 6  (making a clearance of 133 after Walker had given up 44 points in fouls),  during his 4-1 win over Lee Walker at the 2021 Scottish Open.

"Golden break" perfect shot The new break box

NINE-BALL 9-Balls origins are traceable to the 1920s in the United States. The balls are numbered, and "racked" in a diamond shaped pack, with the Nine in the middle of the pack. MyeTezz  explained : "For 9-ball pool, it’s simpler, they just have to pot the balls numbered 1 through 9 in sequential order, starting from the lowest numbered ball. The one who pots the 9-ball at any point wins the game (so hitting a required lowest numbered ball first but successfully potting the 9-ball in the process win instantly as well)." Most professionals choose to break from the side. This technique is also called a "cut break". It brings a lot of advantages: It can help to have a "golden break" – the best break: pocket the 9-ball in one shot. It is easier to pocket the wing ball and drive other balls to expected locations. To make it harder, a new rule was introduced on the Euro Tour, creating a "break box" to limit the areas from which a break can be played from. (Table pictured left).

MyeTezz  concluded "Both games requires a lot of tactical positioning since you can’t just pot whichever ball you want and you must always plan for the next."  Adding the rule books to know more about the fine details :

• Snooker: WPBA Official Snooker Rulebook (PDF)
• 8-Ball/9-Ball: WPA Official 8-Ball/9-Ball Rules (PDF)
  
  

My GIF from Episode 2, when LYY played Nine-Ball against the local champion, demonstrating his skills, including of the technique of the "english". 

Adapted from Wikipedia Glossary:   "english, chiefly American term. Also known as side spin, the english (which is usually not capitalized) is spin placed on the cue ball when hit with the cue tip to the left or right of the ball's center. This has a marked effect on cue ball rebound angle off cushions (though not off object balls), and is thus crucial for gaining "shape" (planned position) ; and can be used to "throw" an object ball slightly off its otherwise expected trajectory, to cheat the pocket (i.e. to allow the ball to pass another partially obscuring the path to the pocket), and for other effects. The British and Irish do not use this term, instead preferring "side".

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Wow. Thanks for this. 

4. SONGS FOR COMPETITIONS

In Amidst A Snowstorm of Love,  this song was the theme competition one : 

 I Want To Win (我要赢) 

sung by Wang Heye (王赫野 ), from " Amidst A Snowstorm of Love" (在暴雪时分)   ; lyrics by Chen Xi (陈曦 ) , music by Dong Dongdong (董冬冬)

Wang Heye (王赫野) is best known for his "Windy" (大风吹 Da feng chui ) 2021 song in Putonghua + Cantonese, below another stage recording with Zhong Chuxi. Click on pictures to link to recordings.

Chi/Eng/Pinyin lyrics by Peachey Blossom

Ch/Pinyin version by Sarann, English subtitles

Below are some competition songs from other c-dramas OST:

• Glory Battlefield (荣耀的战场, Rong Yao De Zhan Chang) sung by the pop group R1SE, from "The King's Avatar" (全职高手) 
• The Only Light (唯一的光) sung by  Liu Yuning (刘宇宁), from  "Hello, The Sharpshooter" (你好, 神枪手) 
• Shine/Glory (光耀, Guang Yao) sung by Lara Liang ( 梁心頤 ) from "Go, Go, Squid"    [although the most well known song from that drama is the melancholy Nameless Generation (無名之輩)  by Chen Xueran  (陈雪燃) ]
• Heroes,  the ZGDX team song,  by Air League Band 气运联盟 , from "Falling Into Your Smile" 
•  Shine   (闪耀) - by Shuiguo Xingqiu (水果星球 ) from  "Nothing But You" (爱情而已)    ... and yes, Peachey Blossom mixed up the pictures from that drama and those of AASOL to illustrate her lyrics MV, but that brings us back to the drama at hand !

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Thank you for doing this! AASOL uses symbolism throughout. I knew the touch ball was significant but couldn't figure it. I love your note on courtship rules. Also, it came to my attention from a comment in the discussion section that the coffee emoji that LYY sends to Yin Guo is also symbolic. 

Dropping by again to pin this collection of BTS (already collected by WuLeiGalaxy, I believe) which has all the cast in it, even the little boy who brazenly thinks billiard playing is "childish". The Youtube title is clickbait, but the selection of footage is entertaining and fun: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN8QFB80OzY

Also added, in part 3, the link to the longer version of the video about Wu Lei's development as billiards player, posted by WuLeiGalaxy on March 2, 2024.