View source for Snooker

{{Short description|Cue sport}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox sport
| image = Snooker table selby.JPG
| imagesize = 300px
| alt = A player taking a shot at a practice snooker table, photographed from the opposite end of the table using a low camera angle to give forced perspective
| caption = Four-time world champion [[Mark Selby]] playing at a practice table during the [[2012 Masters (snooker)|2012 Masters]] tournament
| union = [[WPBSA]]<br />[[International Billiards and Snooker Federation|IBSF]]
| first = 1875 in India
| contact = [[Contact sport#Noncontact|No]]
| category = [[Cue sport]]
| equipment = [[Snooker table]], [[snooker balls]], [[snooker cue]], {{cuegloss|triangle}}, {{cuegloss|chalk}}, {{cuegloss|rests}}, {{cuegloss|scoreboard}}
| olympic = [[IOC]] recognition
| IWGA = 2001–present
}}

'''Snooker''' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|s|n|uː|k|ər}} {{respell|SNOO|kər}}, {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|s|n|ʊ|k|ər}} {{respell|SNUUK|ər}})<ref name="Macmillan British" /><ref name="Macmillan American" /> is a [[cue sport]] played on a rectangular [[Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables|billiards table]] covered with a green cloth called [[baize]], with six [[Billiard table#Pockets 2|pockets]]: one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side. First played by [[British Army]] officers [[British Raj|stationed in India]] in the second half of the 19th century, the game is played with 22 balls, comprising a white {{cuegloss|cue ball}}, 15 red balls and six other balls—a yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black—collectively called '{{cuegloss|colour ball|the colours}}'. Using a [[snooker cue]], the individual players or teams take turns to strike the cue ball to {{cuegloss|pot}} other balls in a predefined sequence, accumulating points for each successful pot and for each {{cuegloss|foul}} committed by the opposing player or team. An individual {{cuegloss|frame}} of snooker is won by the player who has scored the most points, and a snooker {{cuegloss|match}} ends when a player wins a predetermined number of frames.

In 1875, army officer [[Neville Chamberlain (police officer)|Neville Chamberlain]], stationed in India, devised a set of rules that combined [[black pool]] and [[pyramid pool|pyramids]]. The word ''snooker'' was a {{nowrap|well-established}} derogatory term used to describe inexperienced or {{nowrap|first-year}} military personnel. 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 standard rules of the game were first established in 1919 when the [[Billiards Association and Control Club]] was formed. As a professional sport, snooker is now governed by the [[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]].

The [[World Snooker Championship]] first took place in [[1927 World Snooker Championship|1927]], and [[Joe Davis]], a key figure and pioneer in the early growth of the sport, won fifteen successive world championships between 1927 and 1946. The "modern era" of snooker began in 1969 after the broadcaster [[BBC]] commissioned the television series ''[[Pot Black]]'', later airing daily coverage of the World Championship which was first televised in [[1978 World Snooker Championship|1978]]. The most prominent players of the modern era are [[Ray Reardon]] (1970s), [[Steve Davis]] (1980s) and [[Stephen Hendry]] (1990s), each winning at least six world titles. Since 2000, [[Ronnie O'Sullivan]] has won the World Championship seven times, most recently in 2022. 

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. The World Championship, the [[UK Championship]] and the [[Masters (snooker)|Masters]] together make up the [[Triple Crown (snooker)|Triple Crown Series]] and are considered by many players to be the most highly valued titles. The main professional tour is [[Open (sport)|open]] to both male and female players, and there is a separate women's tour organised by [[World Women's Snooker]]. Competitive snooker is also available to {{nowrap|non-professional}} players, including seniors and people with disabilities. The popularity of snooker has led to the creation of many variations based on the standard game but with different rules or equipment, including [[Six-red snooker|{{nowrap|six-red}} snooker]], the {{nowrap|short-lived}} "[[snooker plus]]" and the more recent [[Snooker Shoot Out]] version.

==History==
<!-- To be replaced with a definitely PD image [[File:Neville Francis Fitzgerald Chamberlain.png|thumb|right|upright|alt=Portrait of a British army officer in full dress uniform with aiguillettes and service medals, facing forward with one hand on hip|[[Neville Chamberlain (police officer)|Sir Neville Chamberlain]], a British Army officer who devised the game and its rules in the late 19th century]] -->
Snooker originated in the second half of the 19th century in India during the [[British Raj]].<ref name="origins" /> In the 1870s, [[English billiards|billiards]] was popular among [[British Army]] officers stationed in [[Jabalpur|Jubbulpore]] (now Jabalpur), India, and several variations of the game were devised during this time.<ref name="origins" />{{sfn|Boru|2010|pages=3–4}} A similar game, which originated at the [[Mess|Officers' Mess]] of the 11th [[Devonshire Regiment]] in 1875,<ref name="heritage2008" /><ref name="WST History of Snooker" /> combined the rules of two [[Pool (cue sports)|pool]] games: [[pyramid pool|pyramids]], played with 15 red balls positioned in a triangle,{{efn|A game called pyramid pool, like pyramids, was also played on a billiard table in England prior to 1850. The rules of these two games were very similar. However, that game of pyramid pool was played at this time in England with 14 reds instead of 15. In both games, each player shared the same cue ball.<ref name="Kentfield_book" />}}{{sfn|Kentfield|1850|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gp8NAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA48 48]}}<ref name="LWC1881" /><ref name="Snooker-Forum.com" /> and [[black pool]], which involved potting designated balls.<ref name="FullHistory" /><ref name="Neville Chamberlain disambiguation" /><ref name="Shamos 1994" /> Snooker was further developed in 1882 when its first set of rules was finalised by British Army officer [[Neville Chamberlain (police officer)|Neville Chamberlain]],{{efn|This is not the former [[Neville Chamberlain|British Prime Minister]] of the same name.<ref name="WST History of Snooker" />}}<ref name="heritage2008" />{{sfn|Boru|2010|p=3}} who helped devise and popularise the game at [[Stone House, Ooty|Stone House]] in [[Ootacamund]] on a table built by [[Burroughes & Watts]] that had been sent to India by sea.<ref name="telegraph2014" /><ref name="AZ Billiards" /> At the time, the word ''snooker'' was a slang term used in the British Army to describe new recruits and inexperienced military personnel; Chamberlain used the word to deride the inferior performance of a young fellow officer at the table.{{sfn|Boru|2010|p=3}}{{sfn|Everton|1986|page=48}}{{sfn|McCann|2013|page=1}}

Chamberlain was revealed to be the inventor, 63 years after the fact, in a letter to ''[[The Field (magazine)|The Field]]'' magazine published on 19&nbsp;March 1938.<ref name="heritage2008" /> Snooker became increasingly popular across the Indian colonies of the British Raj and in the United Kingdom, but it remained a game played mostly by military officers and the [[gentry]].{{sfn|Boru|2010|p=vii}} Many [[gentlemen's club]]s with a snooker table would refuse entry to {{nowrap|non-members}} who wished to go in and play snooker;<ref name="heritage2008" />{{efn|Reflecting the game's aristocratic origins, the majority of tournaments on the professional circuit still require players to wear [[waistcoat]]s and [[bow tie]]s, although the necessity for this attire has been questioned.<ref name="MEN waistcoats" /><ref name="Eurosport waistcoats" />}} to cater for the growing interest, smaller and more open snooker clubs were formed.<ref name="heritage2008" /> The Billiards Association (formed in 1885) and the Billiards Control Club (formed in 1908) merged to form the [[Billiards Association and Control Club]] (BA&CC) and a new, standardised set of rules for snooker was first established in 1919.{{sfn|Everton|1986|page=49}}{{sfn|Gadsby|Williams|2005|p=8}} The possibility of a drawn game was abolished by the use of a {{cuegloss|re-spotted black|{{nowrap|re-spotted}} black}} as a tiebreaker.{{sfn|Everton|1986|page=49}} These early rules are similar to those used in the modern game, although rules for a minimal point penalty were imposed later.{{sfn|Everton|1986|pages=49–50}}
[[File:Billiards_(24148162622).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=A full-size snooker table in a brightly lit room with bookcases and a boardroom table in the background, all cordoned off at the right-hand side as part of an English country house display|A full-size snooker table set up for a game]]
Played in 1926 and 1927, the [[1927 World Snooker Championship|first World Snooker Championship]]—then known as the [[1927 World Snooker Championship|Professional Championship of Snooker]]—was won by [[Joe Davis]].<ref name="origins" />{{sfn|Boru|2010|page=4}}<ref name="ProfessionalChampionship" /> The [[Women's Professional Snooker Championship]] (now the [[World Women's Snooker Championship]]) was created in 1934 for top female players.<ref name="EVERTONWTC" /><ref name="wome_Worl" /> Davis, himself a professional English billiards and snooker player, raised the game from a recreational pastime to a professional sporting activity.{{sfn|Shamos|2002|pp=228–229}}{{sfn|Everton|2012|page=2}} He retired from the world championships in 1946, having won all fifteen tournaments held up to that date.<ref name="5J29x" />{{sfn|Everton|2012|pages=3–4}} Snooker declined in popularity in the {{nowrap|post-war}} era; the [[1952 World Snooker Championship]] was contested by only two players and was replaced by the [[World Professional Match-play Championship|World Professional {{nowrap|Match-play}} Championship]], which was also discontinued in 1957.{{sfn|Boru|2010|page=4}}<ref name="WST History of Snooker" /> In an effort to boost the game's popularity, Davis introduced a variation known as "[[1959 News of the World Snooker Plus Tournament#Snooker plus|snooker plus]]" in 1959, with the addition of two extra colours, but this version of the game was {{nowrap|short-lived}}.{{sfn|Fotherington|2006|page=106}} A world championship for top amateur players, now known as the [[IBSF World Snooker Championship]], was founded in 1963,<ref name="f9rUu" /> and the official world championship was revived on a challenge basis in 1964.{{sfn|Morrison|1989|p=8}}

At the end of 1968, the [[World Snooker Championship]] reverted to a [[knockout tournament]] format, with eight competitors; the tournament concluded in [[1969 World Snooker Championship|1969]] with [[John Spencer (snooker player)|John Spencer]] winning the title.{{sfn|Everton|1986|pages=72–73}}{{sfn|Everton|2012|pages=36–37}} The BBC had first launched its [[colour television]] service in July 1967;<ref name="BBC Pot Black" /> in 1969, [[David Attenborough]], then the controller of [[BBC2]], commissioned the snooker tournament television series ''[[Pot Black]]'' primarily to showcase the potential of the [[BBC]]'s new colour television service—the green table and {{nowrap|multi-coloured}} balls provided an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the advantages of the new broadcasting technology.<ref name="WST History of Snooker" /><ref name="news_BBCS" /><ref name="Cue China" /> The series became a ratings success and was, for a time, the second most popular show on BBC2 after [[Morecambe and Wise]].<ref name="thet_Whit" /> Due to these developments, the year 1969 is taken to mark the beginning of snooker's modern era.<ref name="telegraph_JHeyes" /> The World Snooker Championship moved in [[1977 World Snooker Championship|1977]] to the [[Crucible Theatre]] in [[Sheffield]], where it has been staged ever since,<ref name=wst_crucible /> and the [[1978 World Snooker Championship]] was the first to receive daily television coverage.<ref name="commonwealth" /> Snooker quickly became a mainstream sport in the United Kingdom,<ref name="theg_Hearn" /><ref name="GuardianThatch" /> Ireland, and much of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]], and has remained consistently popular since the late 1970s,<!--{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}--> with most of the major tournaments being televised.<ref name="FullHistory" /> In [[1985 World Snooker Championship|1985]], an estimated 18.5&nbsp;million viewers stayed up until the early hours of the morning to watch the conclusion of the [[1985 World Snooker Championship final|World Championship final]] between [[Dennis Taylor]] and [[Steve Davis]], a record viewership in the UK for any broadcast on BBC Two and for any broadcast after midnight.<ref name="dsoH1" /><ref name="inde_Grea" />

As professional snooker grew as a mainstream sport, it became heavily dependent on [[tobacco advertising]]. Cigarette brand [[Embassy (cigarette)|Embassy]] sponsored the World Snooker Championship for thirty consecutive years from 1976 to 2005, one of the longest running deals in British sports sponsorship.<ref name="Marketing Week" /> In the early 2000s, a ban on tobacco advertising led to a reduction in the number of professional tournaments,<ref name="GuardianSponsor" /><ref name="sponsor" /> which decreased from 22 events in 1999 to 15 in 2003.<ref name="snoo_WWWS" /><ref name="snoo_WWWS_GThzD" /> The sport had become more popular in Asia with the emergence of players such as [[Ding Junhui]] and [[Marco Fu]],<ref name="BeebDing2" /><ref name="BeebDing1" /> and still received significant television coverage in the UK—the BBC dedicated 400 hours to snooker in 2007, compared to just 14 minutes 40 years earlier.<ref name="gE3Ec" /> However, the British public's interest in snooker had waned significantly by the late 2000s. Warning that the sport was "lurching into terminal crisis", ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper predicted in 2010 that snooker would cease to exist as a professional sport within ten years.<ref name="Guardian neg" /> In the same year, promoter [[Barry Hearn]] gained a controlling interest in the [[World Snooker Tour]], pledging to revitalise the "moribund" professional game.<ref name="fUEoB" /><ref name="peHgu" /><ref name="GuardianHearn" />

Over the following decade, the number of professional tournaments increased, with 44 events held in the [[2019–20 snooker season|2019{{nbnd}}20 season]].<ref name="snoo_Cale" /> Snooker tournaments were adapted to make them more suitable for television audiences, with some tournaments being played over a shortened duration,<ref name="bbc._Holt" /> or the [[Snooker Shoot Out]], which is a timed, one {{cuegloss|frame}} competition.<ref name="worl_2019" /> The prize money for professional events increased, with the top players earning several million pounds over the course of their careers.<ref name="IFuYf" /> During the [[COVID-19 pandemic|{{nowrap|COVID-19}} pandemic]], the professional tour was confined to events played within the United Kingdom and Ireland. In the [[2022–23 snooker season|2022{{nbnd}}23 season]], only two professional ranking tournaments were played outside the UK, the [[European Masters (snooker)|European Masters]] in Fürth and the [[German Masters]] in Berlin, while lucrative Chinese events remained off the calendar.<ref name="SnookerHQ" />

Snooker referees are an integral part of the sport, and some have become {{nowrap|well-known}} personalities in their own right. [[Len Ganley]], [[John Street (snooker referee)|John Street]] and [[John Williams (snooker referee)|John Williams]] officiated at seventeen of the first twenty World Snooker finals held at the Crucible Theatre.<ref name="wst_refs" /> Since 2000, {{nowrap|non-British}} and female referees have become more prominent in the sport; Dutch referee [[Jan Verhaas]] became the first {{nowrap|non-Briton}} to referee a World Championship final in [[2003 World Snooker Championship|2003]],<ref name="wst_Verhaas" /> while [[Michaela Tabb]] became the first woman to do so in [[2009 World Snooker Championship|2009]].<ref name="wst_Tabb" /> Tabb was the only woman refereeing on the professional tour when she joined it in 2002,<ref name="sg_Tabb" /><ref name="bbc_Tabb" /> but tournaments now routinely feature female referees such as [[Desislava Bozhilova]],<ref name="wst_Bozhilova" /> [[Maike Kesseler]],<ref name="wst_Kesseler" /> and [[Tatiana Woollaston]].<ref name="wst_Woollaston" />

==Gameplay==
===Equipment===
[[File:Set_of_Snookerballs.png|thumb|alt=Close-up view of an open snooker ball box with three rows of five red balls to the rear, one row of colour balls towards the front, a white ball to front left corner, a black ball to front right corner, and two chalk cubes at the front between the white and black balls|A complete set of snooker balls]]
[[File:London - Royal Automobile Club - 3024.jpg|thumb|alt=Close-up view of a horizontal scoring band showing the numerals 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, with a ceramic pointer resting above the 10, two cue tips resting against the 12, and a box of chalk sitting on a shelf beneath|A sliding scoreboard, some blocks of cue-tip chalk, white chalk-board chalk and two cues]]
[[File:Snooker player with rest.jpg|thumb|alt=A man playing snooker on a baize-covered table, preparing to strike the white ball using a cue stick that he is holding with his right hand; the end of the cue stick is resting on the cross-shaped head of a long stick which he is holding with his left hand|A shot using a {{cuegloss|rest}}, allowing the player to reach farther down the table]]
A standard full-size [[snooker table]] measures {{convert|12|×|6|ft|cm|abbr=on|1}}, with a rectangular {{cuegloss|playing surface}} measuring {{convert|356.9|×|177.8|cm|ftin|abbr=on|1|order=flip}}.{{sfn|Shamos|2002|pp=227–228}} The playing surface is surrounded by small {{cuegloss|cushions}} along each side of the table. The height of the table from the floor to the top of the cushions is {{convert|86.4|cm|ftin|abbr=on|1|order=flip}}.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|7}} The table has six {{cuegloss|pockets}}: one at each corner and one at the centre of each of the two longer side cushions.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" /> One drawback of using a {{nowrap|full-size}} table is the amount of space required to accommodate it, which limits the locations where the game can easily be played. The minimum room size that allows space on all sides for comfortable cueing is {{convert|22|x|16|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}.<ref name="roomsize" /> While [[pool tables]] are common to many [[pub]]s, snooker tends to be played either in private settings or in public [[snooker hall]]s.<ref name="BBC get inspired" /> The game can also be played on smaller tables,{{sfn|Shamos|2002|pp=227–228}} with variant table sizes including {{convert|10|×|5|ft|cm|abbr=on|0}}, {{convert|9|×|4.5|ft|cm|abbr=on|0}}, {{convert|8|×|4|ft|cm|abbr=on|0}}, and {{convert|6|×|3|ft|cm|abbr=on|0}}.<ref name="snoo_Pool" /><!--{{better source needed|date=November 2022}}-->

The [[Billiard table#Cloth|cloth]] on a snooker table is usually a form of tightly woven woollen green [[baize]],{{sfn|Shamos|2002|page=14}} with a directional [[Nap (fabric)|nap]] that runs lengthwise from the {{cuegloss|baulk end}} of the table to the far end near the {{cuegloss|black spot|black ball spot}}.{{sfn|Shamos|2002|page=160}} The nap affects the speed and trajectory of the balls, depending on the direction of the shot and whether any {{cuegloss|side spin}} is placed on the ball.{{sfn|Shamos|2002|page=160}}{{sfn|Peall|2017|pages=1,5}} Even if the {{cuegloss|cue ball}} is struck in precisely the same manner, the effect of the nap will differ according to whether the ball is directed towards the {{cuegloss|baulk line}} or towards the opposite end of the table.<ref name="heritage2008"/>{{sfn|Shamos|2002|page=160}}{{sfn|Peall|2017|pages=1,5}}

A [[snooker ball]] set consists of 22 unmarked balls: 15 {{cuegloss|reds}}, six {{cuegloss|coloured balls}}, and one white cue ball. The colours are one each of yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black,{{sfn|Shamos|2002|pp=227–228}} although the brown and blue balls were not a part of the original rules.{{sfn|Everton|1986|page=48}} Each ball has a diameter of {{convert|52.5|mm|in|1|order=flip|frac=16}}.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|8}} At the start of the game, the red balls are {{cuegloss|racked}} into a tightly packed [[equilateral triangle]], and the colours are positioned at designated {{cuegloss|spot (noun)|spots}} on the table. The cue ball is placed inside {{cuegloss|the D|the "D"}} ready for the {{cuegloss|break|{{nowrap|break-off}}}} shot.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|17}}

Each player has a [[snooker cue]] (or simply a "cue"), not less than {{convert|91.4|cm|ft|abbr=on|0|order=flip}} in length, which is used to strike the cue ball. The {{cuegloss|tip}} of the cue must only make contact with the cue ball and is never used for striking any of the reds or colours directly.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|9}}

Snooker accessories include: {{cuegloss|chalk}} for the tip of the cue, to help apply {{cuegloss|spin}} on the cue ball; various different {{cuegloss|rests}} such as the {{cuegloss|swan}} or {{cuegloss|spider}}, for playing shots that are difficult to play by hand; {{cuegloss|extension|extensions}} for lengthening the cue; a {{cuegloss|triangle}} for racking the reds; and a {{cuegloss|scoreboard}}, typically attached to a wall near the snooker table.{{sfn|Boru|2010|loc=Ch. "You can chalk that one up to..."}} A traditional snooker scoreboard resembles an [[abacus]] and records the {{cuegloss|points}} scored by each player for the current frame in units and twenties, as well as the frame scores. A simple scoring bead is sometimes used, called a "scoring string" or "scoring wire".<ref name="Scorboard" /> Each segment of the string (bead) represents one point as the players can move one or several beads along the string.<ref name="Scorboard" />

Additional accessories include cue tips of varying hardness to suit player preferences, {{nowrap|anti-slip}} cue grips for better control, and specialized table brushes and cloths to maintain optimal table conditions.

===Rules===
{{Main|Rules of snooker}}
[[File:Snooker table drawing 2.svg|thumb|alt=A computer-generated picture of a snooker table viewed from above, drawn exactly to scale, with the snooker balls shown in their starting positions|Illustration A: Aerial view of a [[snooker table]] with the 22 balls in their starting positions. The cue ball (white) may be placed anywhere in the [[semicircle]] (known as the "D") at the start of the game.]]

====Objective====
A player wins a frame by scoring more points than their opponent. At the start of a frame, the {{cuegloss|object balls}} are positioned on the table as shown in illustration A. Starting with the cue ball in the "D", the first player executes a {{nowrap|break-off}} shot by striking the cue ball with the tip of their cue, aiming to hit any of the red balls in the triangular {{cuegloss|pack}}. The players then take alternating {{cuegloss|turn|turns}} at playing shots,{{efn|Snooker is played either by two independent players or by more than two players taking "sides", e.g. four players constituting two sides of two players.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|16, 33}}}} with the aim of {{cuegloss|potting}} a red ball into a pocket and thereby scoring one point. Failure to make contact with a red ball constitutes a {{cuegloss|foul}}, which results in penalty points being awarded to the opponent.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" /> At the end of each shot, the cue ball remains in the position where it has come to rest, unless it has entered a pocket (from where it is returned to the "D"), ready for the next shot.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|25}} If the cue ball finishes in contact with an object ball, a {{cuegloss|touching ball}} is called;{{efn|The touching ball rule was first introduced in 1927.{{sfn|Everton|1986|page=49}}}} the player must then play away from that ball without moving it, otherwise the player will concede penalty points.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|23}}

When a red ball has entered a pocket, the striker{{efn|The ''striker'' is the person whose ''turn'' it is at the table, either currently in play or about to play.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|11}}}} must then choose a coloured ball (or "colour") and attempt to pot it.{{efn|The term ''colour'' is understood to mean one of the six remaining object balls other than red, i.e. yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|16}}}} If successful, the value of the potted colour is added to the player's score, and the colour is returned to its designated spot on the table.{{efn|If the colour's designated spot is obstructed by another ball and therefore not available, the colour is placed on the highest available colour spot; if no spots are available, the colour is respotted as close as possible to its own spot without touching the obstructing ball and in the direction of the top cushion.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|22}}}} The player must then pot another red ball followed by another colour. The process of alternately potting reds and colours continues until the striker fails to pot the desired object ball or commits a foul—at which point the opponent comes to the table to start the next turn—or when there are no red balls remaining in play.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" /> Points accumulated by potting successive object balls are called a "{{cuegloss|break}}" (see [[#Scoring|Scoring]] below).<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" /> At the start of each player's turn, the objective is to first pot a red ball, unless all reds are off the table or the player has been awarded a {{cuegloss|free ball}}, which allows them to nominate another object ball in place of a red.<ref name="rule_Snoo" /> The cue ball can contact an object ball directly or it may be made to bounce off one or more cushions before hitting the required object ball.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|12}}

The game continues until all 15 red balls have been potted and only the six colours and the cue ball are left on the table.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" /> The colours must next be potted in the ascending order of their values, from lowest to highest, i.e. {{cuegloss|yellow}} first (worth two points), then {{cuegloss|green}} (three points), {{cuegloss|brown}} (four points), {{cuegloss|blue}} (five points), {{cuegloss|pink}} (six points), and finally {{cuegloss|black}} (seven points); at this stage of the game, each colour remains in the pocket after being potted.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" /> When the final ball is potted, the player who has accumulated the most points wins the frame.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{efn|When black is the only object ball remaining on the table, the striker can claim the frame if more than seven points ahead of the opponent.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|10}}}} If there are not enough points remaining on the table for a player to potentially win the frame, that player may offer to concede the frame while at the table (but not while their opponent is still at the table); a frame {{cuegloss|concession}} is a common occurrence in professional snooker.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" /><ref name="rule_Snoo" /> However, players will often play on even when there are not enough points available for them to win, in the hope of laying one or more "{{cuegloss|snooker|snookers}}" to force their opponent into playing foul shots.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" /><ref name="rule_Snoo" /> Snookers are shots designed to make it difficult for the opponent to play a {{cuegloss|legal}} shot on their next turn, such as leaving another ball between the cue ball and the object ball.{{sfn|Shamos|2002|page=57}}

[[File:Snooker break.ogv|thumb|alt=|[[Computer simulation]] of a snooker {{nowrap|break-off}} shot at the start of a frame]]
If the scores are equal when all object balls have been potted, the black is used as a [[tiebreaker]] in a situation called a "{{cuegloss|re-spotted black|{{nowrap|re-spotted}} black}}". The black ball is returned to its designated spot and the cue ball is played {{cuegloss|in-hand|{{nowrap|in-hand}}}}, meaning that it may be placed anywhere on or within the lines of the "D" to start the tiebreak. The player to take the first strike in the tiebreak is chosen at random, and the game continues until one of the players either wins the frame by potting the black ball or loses the frame by committing a foul.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|20}}

Professional and competitive amateur matches are officiated by a referee who is charged with ensuring the proper conduct of players and making decisions "in the interests of fair play". The responsibilities of the referee include announcing the points scored during a break, determining when a foul has been committed and awarding penalty points and free balls accordingly, replacing colours onto their designated spots after being potted, restoring the balls to their previous positions after the "{{cuegloss|miss}}" rule has been invoked (see [[#Scoring|Scoring]] below), and cleaning the cue ball or any object ball upon request by the striker.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|40}} Another duty of the referee is to recognise and declare a stalemate when neither player is able to make any progress in the frame.<!--e.g. if the cue ball is nestled in amongst the reds, players have no option but to trade containing safeties ad infinitum--> If both players agree, the balls are returned to their starting positions (known as a "{{cuegloss|re-rack|{{nowrap|re-rack}}}}") and the frame is restarted, with the same player taking the {{nowrap|break-off}} shot as in the abandoned frame.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|33}} Professional players usually play the game in a sporting manner, declaring fouls they have committed that the referee has not noticed,<ref name="belf_Mark" /> acknowledging good shots from their opponent, and holding up a hand to apologise for a fortunate shot (known as a "{{cuegloss|fluke}}").<ref name="belf_Mark" />{{sfn|Peall|2017|p=64}}

====Scoring====
{| class="wikitable floatright plainrowheaders"
! scope=col | Colour
! scope=col | Value
|-
! scope=row | [[File:Snooker_ball_red.png|14px|alt=Red snooker ball|link=]] {{Cuegloss|Red}}
| 1 point
|-
! scope=row | [[File:Snooker_ball_yellow.png|14px|alt=Yellow snooker ball|link=]] {{Cuegloss|Yellow}}
| 2 points
|-
! scope=row | [[File:Snooker_ball_green.png|14px|alt=Green snooker ball|link=]] {{Cuegloss|Green}}
| 3 points
|-
! scope=row | [[File:Snooker_ball_brown.png|14px|alt=Brown snooker ball|link=]] {{Cuegloss|Brown}}
| 4 points
|-
! scope=row | [[File:Snooker_ball_blue.png|14px|alt=Blue snooker ball|link=]] {{Cuegloss|Blue}}
| 5 points
|-
! scope=row | [[File:Snooker_ball_pink.png|14px|alt=Pink snooker ball|link=]] {{Cuegloss|Pink}}
| 6 points
|-
! scope=row | [[File:Snooker_ball_black.png|14px|alt=Black snooker ball|link=]] {{Cuegloss|Black}}
| 7 points
|}

Points in snooker are gained from potting the object balls in the correct sequence. The total number of consecutive points (excluding fouls) that a player amasses during one {{Cuegloss|visit}} to the table is known as a "break".{{sfn|Shamos|2002|pp=227–228}} For example, a player could achieve a break of 15 by first potting a red followed by a black, then another red followed by a pink, before failing to pot the next red. A break of 100 points or more is referred to as a [[century break]]; these are recorded over the career of a professional player.<ref name="rise of century" /> A [[maximum break]] in snooker (often known as a "147" or a "maximum") is achieved by potting all reds with blacks, then potting all six colours in sequence, yielding 147 points.<ref name="Max 210" /> {{As of|2025|09|02}}, there have been 225 officially confirmed maximum breaks achieved in professional competition.<ref name="Official 147s" />

Penalty points are awarded to a player when their opponent commits a foul. This can occur for various reasons, such as sending the cue ball into a pocket or failing to hit the object ball. The latter is a common foul committed when a player fails to escape from a "snooker", where the previous player has left the cue ball positioned such that no legal ball can be struck directly in a straight line without being wholly or partially obstructed by an illegal ball. Fouls incur a minimum of four penalty points unless a higher value object ball is involved in the foul,{{efn|An object ball is involved in a foul if it is either the nominated {{cuegloss|ball on}}, or the highest-value ball unintentionally contacted or pocketed as a result of the foul.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|26–29}}}} up to a maximum of seven penalty points where the black ball is concerned.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|26–29}}{{efn|Until the 1920s, there was no minimum penalty, and a foul on a red ball was worth one point in penalties.{{sfn|Everton|1986|pages=49–50}}}} When a foul is committed, the offending player's turn ends and the referee announces the penalty. All points scored in the break before the foul occurred are awarded to the striker, but no points are scored for any ball pocketed during the foul shot.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|25}}

If dissatisfied with the position left after a foul, the next player may nominate the opponent who committed the foul to continue playing from where the balls have come to rest. If the referee has also called a "miss"—meaning that the offending player is deemed not to have made their best possible attempt to hit the object ball—the next player has the option of having the balls replaced to their original positions and forcing their opponent to replay the intended shot. If, after a foul, it is not possible to cleanly strike both sides of the object ball directly, the referee may call a free ball, allowing the next player to nominate any other ball in place of the object ball they might normally have played.<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|13, 28}} If a player is awarded a free ball with all fifteen reds still in play, they can potentially make [[Maximum break#Breaks exceeding 147|a break exceeding 147]], with the highest possible being a 155&nbsp;break, achieved by nominating the free ball as an extra red, then potting the black as the additional colour after potting the {{nowrap|free-ball}} red, followed by the fifteen reds with blacks, and finally the colours.{{sfn|Morrison|1987|p=79}} [[Jamie Cope]] was the first player to achieve a verified 155&nbsp;break during a practice frame in 2005.<ref name="guardian_murphy" />
[[File:To pot the red.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A close-up view of a pockmarked white ball to the front and left of a red snooker ball which is itself next to a corner pocket in top right-hand corner of the image. The tip of a cue stick is visible in bottom right-hand corner of the image, about to strike the white ball.|A close-up view of a cue tip about to strike the cue ball, the aim being to pot the red ball into a corner pocket]]
One {{Cuegloss|game}} of snooker is called a "frame", and a snooker {{Cuegloss|match}} generally consists of a predetermined number of frames. Most matches in current professional tournaments are played as the best of 7, 9, or 11 frames, with finals usually the best of 17 or 19 frames. The World Championship uses a longer format, with matches ranging from the best of 19 frames in the first round to best of 35 for the final, which is played over four {{cuegloss|session|sessions}} of play held over two days.<ref name="BBCWSN1" /><!--{{fv|date=August 2024|reason=Not all of the preceding info is supported by this source.}}--> Some early world finals had much longer matches, such as the [[1947 World Snooker Championship]], which was played over the best of 145 frames.<ref name="Snooker Scene" />{{sfn|Hayton|Dee|2004|page=144}}

==Governance and tournaments==
===Professional===
====World Snooker Tour====
{{Main|World Snooker Tour}}
Professional snooker players compete on the World Snooker Tour, which is a circuit of [[Snooker world rankings|world ranking]] tournaments and invitational events held throughout the snooker season. All competitions are [[Open (sport)|open]] to professional players who have qualified for the tour, and selected amateur players, but most events include a separate qualification stage. Players can qualify for the tour by virtue of their position in the world rankings from prior seasons, by winning continental championships, or through the [[Challenge Tour (snooker)|Challenge Tour]] or [[Q School (snooker)|Q School]] events.<ref name="qualifortour" /> Players on the World Snooker Tour generally gain a {{nowrap|two-year}} "tour card" for participation in the events.<ref name="qualifortour" /> Beginning in the [[2014–15 snooker season|2014{{nbnd}}15 season]], some players have also received invitational tour cards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the sport; these cards are issued at the discretion of the World Snooker Board, and have been awarded to players including [[Steve Davis]], [[James Wattana]], [[Jimmy White]], and [[Stephen Hendry]].<ref name="wpbsa_TourCards" /> Some additional secondary tours have been contested over the years. A {{nowrap|two-tier}} structure was adopted for the [[1997–98 snooker season|1997{{nbnd}}98 season]]; comprising six tournaments known as the WPBSA Minor Tour was open to all professionals, but only ran for one season.{{sfn|Hayton|Dee|2004|pp=166–167}}<ref name="cajt secondary" /> A similar secondary UK Tour was first played from the 1997{{nbnd}}98 season, which was renamed the Challenge Tour in 2000, Players Tour Championship in 2010 and returned as the Challenge Tour in 2018.{{sfn|Hayton|Dee|2004|pp=171–174}}<ref name="cajt secondary"/><ref name="wst._Worl" />

The global governing body for professional snooker is the [[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]] (WPBSA),<ref name="wpbsa_gov.body" /><ref name="wst_wpbsa" /> founded in 1968 as the Professional Billiards Players' Association.<ref name="wpbsafounding" /><ref name="uia_wpbsa" /> The WPBSA owns and publishes the official rules of snooker,<ref name="wst_wpbsa" /><ref name="BusinessLive" /> and has overall responsibility for policy making in the professional sport of snooker.<ref name="wpbsafounding" /> World Snooker Ltd is responsible for the professional tour which is owned by both the WPBSA and [[Matchroom Sport]].<ref name="QbFUx" />

====World rankings====
{{Main|Snooker world rankings}}
Every player on the World Snooker Tour is assigned a position on the WPBSA's official world ranking list, which is used to determine the [[seed (sports)|seedings]] and the level of qualification each player requires for the tournaments on the professional circuit.<ref name="WPBSA Rankings FAQ" /> The current world rankings are determined using a {{nowrap|two-year}} rolling points system, where points are allocated to the players according to the prize money earned at designated tournaments.<ref name="RankingPointsSchedule" /> This "rolling" list is maintained and updated throughout the season, with points from tournaments played in the current season replacing points earned from the corresponding tournaments of two seasons ago. Additionally, "{{nowrap|one-year}}" and "{{nowrap|two-year}}" ranking lists are compiled at the end of every season, after the World Championship; these {{nowrap|year-end}} lists are used for {{nowrap|pre-qualification}} at certain tournaments and for {{nowrap|tour-card}} guarantees.<ref name="WPBSA Rankings FAQ" />

The top 16 players in the world ranking list, generally regarded as the "elite" of the professional snooker circuit,<ref name="top16-1" /> are not required to {{nowrap|pre-qualify}} for some of the tournaments, such as the [[Shanghai Masters (snooker)|Shanghai Masters]], the [[Masters (snooker)|Masters]] and the World Snooker Championship.<ref name="top16-2" /> Certain other events, such as those in the [[Players Series]], use the {{nowrap|one-year}} ranking list to qualify; these use the results of the current season to denote participants.<ref name="news_Cora" /> There are approximately 128 places available on the World Snooker Tour each season.<ref name="WPBSA tour1" /> As of the [[2024–25 snooker season|2024{{nbnd}}25 season]], players in the top 64 on the official ranking list are guaranteed a tour place for the next season, as well as a maximum of 31 players who are currently on the first year of a {{nowrap|two-year}} tour card, and the top four prize money earners during the most recent season who are not already qualified; this being assessed after the World Championship.<ref name="WPBSA tour2" />
[[File:World Snooker Championship Trophy edited.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|alt=A silver cup-shaped trophy with a trumpet base, a Greek shepherdess finial on top, and two deco square-section handles at the sides with green sponsor ribbons tied to them; the trophy is sitting on a green cylindrical plinth|The World Snooker Championship trophy]]

====Tournaments====
{{See also|List of snooker tournaments}}
The oldest current professional snooker tournament is the [[World Snooker Championship]],<ref name="BBCWSN1" /> which has taken place as an annual event most years since 1927.<ref name="World Snooker list" /><ref name="vDR55" /> Hosted at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield since 1977,<ref name="World Snooker list" /> the championship was sponsored by tobacco company Embassy from 1976 to 2005<ref name="GuardianSponsor" /> and has since been sponsored by various betting companies after the introduction of an {{nowrap|EU-wide}} ban on the advertising of tobacco products.<ref name="BBC 4732047" /><ref name="Np1Uq" /><ref name="sbcn_Betf" /> The World Championship is the most highly valued title in professional snooker,<ref name="wcvalue" /> in terms of financial reward (the tournament has carried a £500,000 winner's prize since 2019), ranking points and prestige.<ref name="wcprizemoney" /><ref name="earnings_and_era_dominance" /> 

The [[UK Championship]], held annually since 1977, is considered to be the second most important ranking tournament after the World Championship.<ref name="WST_UKchamp" /> These two events, and the annual {{nowrap|non-ranking}} [[Masters (snooker)|Masters]] tournament, make up snooker's [[Triple Crown (snooker)|Triple Crown]] Series;<ref name="dottmasters" /><ref name="TC winners" /> among the oldest competitions on the professional circuit, the Triple Crown events are valued by many players as the most prestigious.<ref name="TC winners" /> {{As of|2025|01}}, only eleven players have won all three events,<ref name="SN Triple Crown" /> the most recent being [[Judd Trump]] who completed the Triple Crown in May 2019.<ref name="BBC20190506" /> The Triple Crown events are televised in the UK by the BBC,<ref name="bbc_deal2022" /><ref name="bbc_deal2024" /><ref name="bbc_deal2027" /> while most other tournaments are broadcast across Europe on the [[Eurosport]] network,<ref name="eurosport_deal2016" /> or [[ITV Sport]],<ref name="SportsPro Media" /> as well as numerous other broadcasters internationally.<ref name=wst_broadcasters22 /><ref name="wst_WatchLive" />

After facing some criticism for matches taking too long,<ref name="GuardianDull" /> Matchroom Sport chairman Barry Hearn introduced a series of timed tournaments: the {{nowrap|shot-timed}} [[Premier League Snooker]], held between 1987 and 2012, featured seven players invited to compete at regular United Kingdom venues and was televised on [[Sky Sports]].<ref name="earnings_and_era_dominance" /> The players had 25 seconds to take each shot, with each player allowed five {{nowrap|time-outs}} per match. The format did achieve some success but was not afforded the same amount of press attention or status as the regular ranking tournaments.<ref name="GuardianDull" /> The event was removed from the professional tour after the 2012{{nbnd}}13 season, when the [[Champion of Champions (snooker)|Champion of Champions]] was {{nowrap|re-established}};<ref name="en.e_O'Su" /> players qualify for this tournament by virtue of winning other events in the season, with sixteen champions competing.<ref name="cham_Cham" />{{efn|Under certain circumstances, some runners-up participate at the Champion of Champions.<ref name="cham_Cham" />}}

Classified as a "precision sport" by the [[International Olympic Committee]], snooker has never been contested at the [[Summer Olympics]].<ref name="telegraph_olympics" /><ref name="sky.history" />{{efn|Snooker was contested at the [[Paralympic Games]] from 1960 until 1988.<ref name="wdbs_Olympics" />}} In 2015, the WPBSA submitted a bid for snooker to be included at the [[2020 Tokyo Olympics]],<ref name="Snookerolympic" /> but without success.<ref name="eN1gH" /> Since its launch in October 2017, the [[World Snooker Federation]] (WSF) has been advocating for snooker to be added to the Olympic and Paralympic programme.<ref name="itg_wsf" /><ref name="wsf" /> Their initial bid for the [[2024 Paris Olympics]] was unsuccessful,<ref name="KpBpW" /><ref name="T9wCo" /> but the WSF is campaigning for snooker to be included at the [[2032 Brisbane Olympics]].<ref name="telegraph_olympics" /> Olympic status would create a significant public funding opportunity for the sport and boost its global exposure.<ref name="telegraph_olympics" /> A trial of the format for [[cue sports]] to be played at the 2024 Games was conducted at the [[2019 World Team Trophy (cue sports)|2019 World Team Trophy]], which also featured [[Nine-ball|{{nowrap|nine-ball}}]] and [[carom billiards]].<ref name="azbi_Inau" /> Snooker has been contested at the [[World Games]] since [[Cue sports at the 2001 World Games|2001]] and was included as an event at the [[Snooker at the 2019 African Games|2019 African Games]].<ref name="jtHKc" /><ref name="eN7hQ" /><ref name="pHlSh" />

====Criticism====
Several players, including [[Ronnie O'Sullivan]], [[Mark Allen (snooker player)|Mark Allen]] and Steve Davis, have claimed that there are too many tournaments in the season, causing [[occupational burnout|burnout]] of players.<ref name="JrHL1" /> O'Sullivan played only a subset of tournaments in 2012, so he could spend more time with his children; as a result he ended the 2012{{nbnd}}13 season ranked 19th in the world despite being the world champion. O'Sullivan played only one tournament in 2013, the [[2013 World Snooker Championship|World Championship]], which he won.<ref name="theg_Ronn" /> He suggested that a "breakaway tour" with fewer events would be beneficial to the sport, but none was organised.<ref name="bbc._Ronn" /> <!--The number of ranking events on the World Snooker Tour has continued to increase, from eight in [[2002–03 snooker season|2002–03]], to eleven in [[2012–13 snooker season|2012–13]], and fifteen in [[2022–23 snooker season|2022–23]].{{cn|date=August 2024}}-->

Some players, including 2005 world champion [[Shaun Murphy]], have asserted that a 128 player professional tour is financially unsustainable.<ref name="Eurosport bread" /><ref name="Eurosport JT" /> {{nowrap|Lower-ranked}} professional players can struggle to make a living from the sport, especially after paying tournament entry fees, travel costs and other expenses.<ref name="Metro_Haigh_2022" /> In 2023, [[Stephen Maguire]] criticised the World Snooker Tour and WPBSA, claiming that "the game is dying right in front of our eyes",<ref name="Express_2023_01_27" /> and stating that some players ranked within the world's top 30 were seeking jobs outside the sport due to lack of earning potential from tournaments.<ref name="Mirror_2023_01_27" />

===Amateur===
Non-professional snooker (including youth competition) is governed by the [[International Billiards and Snooker Federation]] (IBSF).<ref name="ibsf" /> The highest level competition in the amateur sport is the IBSF World Snooker Championship.<ref name="trib_Muha" /> Events held specifically for seniors are handled by the WPBSA under the [[World Seniors Tour]],<ref name="LANCS" /><ref name="J3Vse" /><ref name="worl_WPBS" /> the highest level of the senior sport being the [[World Seniors Championship]].<ref name="worl_WPBS" /> World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS) is a WPBSA subsidiary that organises events and playing aids in snooker and other cue sports for people with disabilities.<ref name="BBC get inspired" /> The most prestigious amateur event in England is the [[English Amateur Championship]]; first held in 1916, this is the oldest snooker competition still being played in the world.<ref name="wst._Hanc" />

Snooker is a mixed gender sport that affords men and women the same opportunities to progress at all levels of the game. While the main professional tour is open to male and female players alike, there is also a separate women's tour organised by [[World Women's Snooker]] (formerly the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association) which encourages female players to participate in the sport and take part in high level amateur competitions.<ref name="BBC get inspired" /><ref name="wws_about" /> The leading tournament on the women's tour is the [[World Women's Snooker Championship]], the winner of which receives a {{nowrap|two-year}} tour card to the main professional tour.<ref name="wst_wwsc" />

[[Reanne Evans]] won the women's world title a record twelve times, including ten consecutive victories from [[2005 World Women's Snooker Championship|2005]] to [[2014 Women's World Snooker Championship|2014]].<ref name="bbc_evans12th" /><ref name="WWSC" /> She has also participated on the World Snooker Tour and has taken part in the qualifying rounds of the main World Snooker Championship on five occasions, reaching the second round in 2017.<ref name="bbc._Wome" /> Evans holds the record for the highest break made in WWS competition, having achieved a 140 break twice (in 2008 and 2010).<ref name="wome_Worl" /> Other successful female players are [[Kelly Fisher]] (with five women's world titles), [[Ng On-yee]] (with three), and most recently [[Nutcharut Wongharuthai]], [[Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan]] and [[Bai Yulu]], who won the World Women's Snooker Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively.<ref name="WWSC"/>

Some leagues have allowed clubs to exclude female players from tournaments.<ref name="BBC_Leeds_2019_03_26" /><ref name="bIhfn" /> A committee member of the Keighley league defended allowing such teams in the league as necessity: "If we lose two of these clubs [with the {{nowrap|men-only}} policies] we would lose four teams and we can't afford to lose four teams otherwise we would have no league."<ref name="BBC_Leeds_2019_03_26" /> A World Women's Snooker spokesperson commented, "It is disappointing and unacceptable that in 2019 that {{Sic|}} players such as [[Rebecca Kenna]] have been the victim of antiquated discriminatory practices."<ref name="BBC_Leeds_2019_03_27" /> The [[All-Party Parliamentary Group|{{nowrap|all-party}} parliamentary group]] for snooker said, "The group believes that being prevented from playing in a club because of gender is archaic."<ref name="BBC_Leeds_2019_03_27" />

==Important players==
{{See also|List of World Snooker Championship winners|List of world number one snooker players|List of snooker players by number of ranking titles}}
<!-- Need guaranteed PD image [[File:Joe Davis.jpg|thumb|alt=A black and white photograph of a man with Brylcreemed black hair, white shirt, black waistcoat, and black bow tie, holding a snooker cue in front of him; his autograph is visible in bottom right corner of photo|English player [[Joe Davis]], founder of the [[World Snooker Championship]], won 15 consecutive world titles between 1927 and 1946.]] -->
[[File:Joe Davis.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.65|alt=Photo of Joe Davis|[[Joe Davis]], founder of the [[World Snooker Championship]], won 15 consecutive world titles from 1927 to 1946.<ref name="Joe Davis" />]]

After the creation of the World Snooker Championship, snooker overtook billiards as the most popular cue sport in the United Kingdom.<ref name="hist_Hist" /> [[Joe Davis]] was the World Champion for twenty years, retiring unbeaten in the event after claiming his fifteenth world title in 1946 when the tournament was reinstated after the Second World War.<ref name="Joe Davis" /> During his entire professional career, Davis remained undefeated when playing on equal terms, although he did lose some matches in [[Handicapping|handicapped]] tournaments.<ref name="Joe Davis" /><ref name="2QWfZ" />{{sfn|Gadsby|Williams|2005|page=17}} He was only ever beaten on level terms by his younger brother [[Fred Davis (snooker player)|Fred Davis]], but not until after he had retired from professional play.<ref name="Joe Davis" />

By 1947, Fred Davis was deemed by his older brother ready to become World Champion,<ref name="Joe Davis" /> but he lost that year's world final to [[Walter Donaldson (snooker player)|Walter Donaldson]].<ref name="Western Daily Press" /><ref name="Mercury" /> Davis and Donaldson contested the next four world finals, with Davis winning three of the four.{{sfn|Morrison|1989|p=19}} With the abandonment of the World Championship in 1953 (after the boycott of the 1952 event by British professionals), the World Professional {{nowrap|Match-play}} Championship became the unofficial world championship.{{sfn|Gadsby|Williams|2005|page=47}} Fred Davis won the tournament every year from 1952 to 1956 but did not enter the 1957 event.<ref name="cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk" /> [[John Pulman]] won in 1957 and was the most successful player of the 1960s, winning the world title seven times [[1964–68 World Snooker Championships|between April 1964 and March 1968]] while the World Championship was being contested at irregular intervals on a challenge basis.{{sfn|Hayton|Dee|2004|page=144}}<ref name="cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk"/> Pulman's winning streak ended when the tournament reverted to a knockout format in 1968.<ref name="TIMES23NOV" /><ref name="SjlVi" /> [[Ray Reardon]] was the dominant force of the 1970s, winning six world titles (in 1970, 1973–1976, and 1978), and [[John Spencer (snooker player)|John Spencer]] won the world title three times (in 1969, 1971 and 1977).<ref name="Inside Snooker" /><ref name="Times_24Apr1976" />

{{multiple image |total_width=410
|image1=Wiki_stevedavis_upload.jpg 
|alt1=Photo of Steve Davis 
|caption1=[[Steve Davis]] won six world titles during the 1980s.<ref name="Davis6" />
|image2=Stephen Hendry PHC 2011.png 
|alt2=Photo of Stephen Hendry 
|caption2=[[Stephen Hendry]] won seven world titles during the 1990s.<ref name="cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk" />
|image3=Stephen Maguire, Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Michaela Tabb at German Masters Snooker Final (DerHexer) 2012-02-05 05 cropped.jpg 
|alt3=Photo of Ronnie O'Sullivan 
|caption3=[[Ronnie O'Sullivan]] has won seven world titles in the 21st century.<ref name="BBC RO worlds" />}}
<!--[[File:Wiki_stevedavis_upload.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Headshot of a man wearing an open-necked black shirt, not smiling or looking directly at camera|[[Steve Davis]] won the World Championship six times in the 1980s.<ref name="Davis6" />]]
[[File:Stephen Maguire, Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Michaela Tabb at German Masters Snooker Final (DerHexer) 2012-02-05 05 cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Headshot of a dark-haired man smiling at the camera, with black shirt, black waistcoat, and black bow tie visible|[[Ronnie O'Sullivan]] has won seven world titles in the 21st century.<ref name="BBC RO worlds" />]] RETAINED ORIGINAL IMAGES -->
[[Steve Davis]] (no relation to Joe or Fred) won his first World Championship in 1981, becoming the 11th World Snooker Champion since 1927.<ref name="Times_21Apr1981" /><ref name="Times_07Apr1981" /> He won six world titles altogether (in 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1987–1989) and competed in the {{nowrap|most-watched}} snooker match, the 1985 World Snooker Championship final, which he lost to Dennis Taylor.<ref name="dsoH1" /> [[Stephen Hendry]] became the 14th World Snooker Champion in 1990, aged 21&nbsp;years and 106&nbsp;days, the youngest player ever to have lifted the world title.<ref name="WST History of Snooker" /> He dominated the sport through the 1990s,{{sfn|McCann|2013|page=3}} winning the World Championship seven times (in 1990, 1992–1996, and 1999).<ref name="cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk" /><ref name="Global Snooker" />

[[Ronnie O'Sullivan]] has claimed the most world titles since 2000, having won the World Championship seven times (in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022).<ref name="BBC RO worlds" /> [[John Higgins]] and [[Mark Selby]] have both won four world titles (Higgins in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011; Selby in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021),<ref name="BBC JH worlds" /><ref name="BBC MS worlds" /> and [[Mark Williams (snooker player)|Mark Williams]] three (in 2000, 2003 and 2018).<ref name="BBC MW worlds" /><ref name="SN most worlds" /> O'Sullivan, Higgins and [[Judd Trump]] are the only players to have made over [[Century break#Players with 500 or more|1,000 career century breaks]].<ref name="SnookerInfo_CenturyBreaks" /> O'Sullivan holds the record for the most maximum breaks compiled in professional competition, having achieved his 16th and 17th in August 2025.<ref name="wst.Ronnie_16&17max" /> O'Sullivan also holds the record for the most ranking titles (41) and most Triple Crown titles (23) achieved in the sport.<ref name="wst.ros" />

==Variants==
Some versions of snooker, such as [[six-red]] or [[ten-red snooker]], are played with almost identical rules to the standard game but with fewer object balls, reducing the time taken to play each frame.<ref name="BBC Super 6" /><ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules" />{{rp|34}} The [[Six-red World Championship|{{nowrap|Six-red}} World Championship]], contested annually in [[Bangkok]], Thailand, was a regular fixture on the World Snooker Tour between [[2012 Six-red World Championship|2012]] and [[2023 Six-red World Championship|2023]].<ref name="WST Six Red History" /> A World Women's {{nowrap|10-Red}} Championship was held annually in Leeds, England, from 2017 to 2019.<ref name="S1tVF" /><ref name="NOKNf" /><ref name="c4a7C" />

Geographic variations exist in the United States and Brazil, while speed versions of the standard game have been developed in the United Kingdom. [[American snooker]] is an amateur version of the game played almost exclusively in the United States.{{sfn|Collender|1925|pages=40–48}} With simplified rules and generally played on smaller tables, this variant dates back to 1925.{{efn|Despite its name, American snooker is not governed or recognised by the [[United States Snooker Association]], but by the [[Billiard Congress of America]].<ref name="BCA 2008" />}}{{sfn|Collender|1925|pages=40–48}} ''[[Sinuca brasileira]]'' (or "Brazilian snooker") is a variant of snooker played exclusively in Brazil, with fully divergent rules from the standard game and using only one red ball instead of fifteen. At the start of the game, the single red is positioned halfway between the pink ball and the side cushion, and the {{nowrap|break-off}} shot cannot be used to pot the red or place the opponent in a snooker.<ref name="sinu_Hist" /> The [[Snooker Shoot Out]] is a variant snooker tournament consisting of single frame matches for an accelerated format. First staged in [[1990 Shoot-Out|1990]], the idea was resurrected in [[2011 Snooker Shoot-Out|2011]] with a modified version that was added to the professional tour in the [[2010–11 snooker season|2010{{nbnd}}11 season]] and upgraded to a ranking event in [[2017 Snooker Shoot Out|2017]].<ref name="Eurosport shoot out" /><ref name="7DxzR" />

Other games have been designed with an increased number of object balls in play. One example is "snooker plus", which included two additional colours: an orange ball worth eight points positioned between pink and blue, and a purple ball worth ten points positioned between brown and blue, increasing the maximum possible break to 210.<ref name="8NWyU" /> Introduced at the [[1959 News of the World Snooker Plus Tournament]], this variant failed to gain popularity and is no longer played.{{sfn|Shamos|2002|pp=140–150}} [[Power Snooker]] was a {{nowrap|short-lived}} cue sport based on aspects of snooker and pool; this was first played competitively in [[2010 Power Snooker Masters Trophy|2010]] and again in [[2011 Power Snooker Masters Trophy|2011]], but the format was discontinued after it failed to gain widespread appeal.<ref name="Eurosport shoot out" /> Using nine red balls racked in a diamond shaped pack at the start of the game, the matches were limited to a fixed {{nowrap|game-play}} period of 30&nbsp;minutes.<ref name="GuardianPower" /> [[Tenball]] was a snooker variant designed specifically for the television show of the same name, an [[LWT]] production that was broadcast for one series in 1995. An extra ball worth ten points (the yellow and black "tenball") was added between the blue and pink, and the game had a slightly revised set of rules compared to the standard game.<ref name="ukgameshow" />

==See also==
{{portal|Cue sports}}
* [[Comparison of cue sports]]
* [[Glossary of cue sports terms]]
* [[Timeline of snooker on UK television]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="Snookerolympic">{{Cite news |title=Snooker bids to be included in 2020 Olympics in Tokyo |work=BBC Sport |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=16 September 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/30942350 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808061802/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/30942350 |archive-date=8 August 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Macmillan British">{{cite web |title=Pronunciation of snooker |work=Macmillan Dictionary |url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/snooker |publisher=Macmillan Publishers<!--"Publishers" should not be removed; this is a different company than the US-based Macmillan Publishing, since 1896.--> |location=London, UK |access-date=19 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415162427/http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/snooker |archive-date=15 April 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="Macmillan American">{{cite web |title=American pronunciation of snooker |work=Macmillan Dictionary |url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/american/snooker |publisher=op. cit. |access-date=19 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512225433/http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/american/snooker |archive-date=12 May 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="Neville Chamberlain disambiguation">{{cite ODNB |last1=Moreman |first1=T. R. |title=Chamberlain, Sir Neville Francis Fitzgerald (1856–1944), army officer and inventor of snooker |date=25 May 2006 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/73766}}</ref>
<ref name="earnings_and_era_dominance">{{Cite news |title=Where does Ronnie rank? |last=Chowdhury |first=Saj |work=BBC Sport |date=21 February 2005 |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/4283589.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070601033451/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/4283589.stm |archive-date=1 June 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="BeebDing2">{{Cite news |title=China in Ding's hands |last=Chowdhury |first=Saj |work=BBC Sport |date=22 January 2007 |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/6288739.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827174441/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/6288739.stm |archive-date=27 August 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="origins">{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/sporting-vernacular-11-snooker-1089731.html |first=Chris |last=Maume |title=Sporting Vernacular 11. Snooker |work=The Independent |date=25 April 1999 |access-date=25 February 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208184559/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/sporting-vernacular-11-snooker-1089731.html |archive-date=8 February 2021}}</ref>
<ref name="heritage2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.snookerheritage.co.uk/normans-articles/days-of-old/origins-of-snooker/ |title=Origins of Snooker |first=Peter |website=snookerheritage.co.uk |publisher=E. A. Clare & Son Limited |last=Clare |year=2008 |access-date=8 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103150005/http://snookerheritage.co.uk/normans-articles/days-of-old/origins-of-snooker/ |archive-date=3 January 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="MEN waistcoats">{{cite news|last=Pugh |first=Rachel |title=People are just realising why snooker players are forced to wear bow ties and waistcoats |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/people-just-realising-snooker-players-23843980 |date=2 May 2022 |access-date=2 May 2024 |newspaper=[[Manchester Evening News]] |url-status=live |archive-date=31 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531004033/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/people-just-realising-snooker-players-23843980}}</ref>
<ref name="Eurosport waistcoats">{{cite web|last=Snowball |first=Ben |title=World Snooker Championship 2021 – 'No one enjoys playing in a bow tie and waistcoat' – Mark Allen |url=https://www.eurosport.com/snooker/world-championship/2020-2021/world-snooker-championship-2021-no-one-enjoys-playing-in-a-bow-tie-and-waistcoat-mark-allen_sto8284489/story.shtml |date=22 April 2021 |access-date=2 May 2024 |work=Eurosport |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001114053/https://www.eurosport.com/snooker/world-championship/2020-2021/world-snooker-championship-2021-no-one-enjoys-playing-in-a-bow-tie-and-waistcoat-mark-allen_sto8284489/story.shtml}}</ref>
<ref name="WST History of Snooker">{{cite web |url=https://wst.tv/wpbsa/history-of-snooker/ |title=History of Snooker |last1=Nunns |first1=Hector |last2=Hendon |first2=David |work=World Snooker |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815075857/https://wst.tv/wpbsa/history-of-snooker/ |archive-date=15 August 2020 |url-status=live |access-date=11 February 2021}}</ref>
<ref name="LWC1881">{{cite news |title=Billiard Sketches. |newspaper=Liverpool Weekly Courier |date=9 July 1881 |page=6 }}</ref>
<ref name="Snooker-Forum.com">{{cite web |last=Ainsworth |first=Peter |url=https://snooker-forum.com/TheOriginofSnooker.pdf |website=Snooker-Forum.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015165728/https://snooker-forum.com/TheOriginofSnooker.pdf |url-status=live |title=The Origin Of Snooker: The Neville Chamberlain Story |date=10 October 2017 |archive-date=15 October 2023 |page=2 |access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="BBC Pot Black">{{Cite web |date=10 May 2013 |title=The BBC Story – July anniversaries – Pot Black first transmitted 23 July 1969 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/great_moments/archive/july.shtml |access-date=1 March 2022 |publisher=BBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510114116/https://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/great_moments/archive/july.shtml |archive-date=10 May 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="telegraph2014">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/india/articles/Ooty-India-back-in-time-to-the-birthplace-of-snooker/ |title=Ooty, India: back in time to the birthplace of snooker |date=16 June 2014 |newspaper=The Telegraph |first=Martin |last=Hughes-Games |access-date=8 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321074803/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/india/articles/Ooty-India-back-in-time-to-the-birthplace-of-snooker/ |archive-date=21 March 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="AZ Billiards">{{cite web |url=http://www.azbilliards.com/snooker/history.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030306050113/http://www.azbilliards.com/snooker/history.html|title=The History and Development of snooker |website=AZBilliards.com|archive-date=6 March 2003|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="news_BBCS">{{Cite news |title=Pot Black returns |work=BBC Sport |date=27 October 2005 |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/4382776.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061117104945/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/4382776.stm |archive-date=17 November 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="thet_Whit">{{Cite news |title=White and Pot Black combine in hope of a return to the good old baize |last=Syed |first=Matthew |work=[[The Times]] |date=29 October 2005 |access-date=1 August 2021 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/white-and-pot-black-combine-in-hope-of-a-return-to-the-good-old-baize-xc5zjmzmwwt |url-access=subscription |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801153235/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/white-and-pot-black-combine-in-hope-of-a-return-to-the-good-old-baize-xc5zjmzmwwt |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name=wst_crucible>{{cite web|url=https://www.wst.tv/cazooworldchampionship/ |title=Cazoo World Championship |access-date=8 August 2024 |work=World Snooker |url-status=live |archive-date=14 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514021849/https://www.wst.tv/cazooworldchampionship/}}</ref>
<ref name="Cue China">{{Cite magazine |title=2008 Summer Journey |magazine=Time |last=Porter |first=Hugh |date=19 June 2008 |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1815747_1815707_1815672,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813223355/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1815747_1815707_1815672,00.html |archive-date=13 August 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="telegraph_JHeyes">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=John Higgins eyes more crucible titles |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/snooker/5276218/John-Higgins-eyes-more-Crucible-titles.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/snooker/5276218/John-Higgins-eyes-more-Crucible-titles.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-status=live |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=5 May 2009 |access-date=13 April 2020 |url-access=registration |quote="...the modern era, which began in 1969 when the World Championship became a knockout event."}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
<ref name="commonwealth">{{Cite news |title=Take snooker to the world |work=BBC Sport |date=5 May 2002 |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/world_champs_2002/1959780.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225160919/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/world_champs_2002/1959780.stm |archive-date=25 February 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>
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<ref name="GuardianSponsor">{{Cite web |title=Snooker finds sponsor with deep pockets |last=Anstead |first=Mike |work=The Guardian |date=19 January 2006 |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/jan/19/snooker.gdnsport31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125075332/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/jan/19/snooker.gdnsport31 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}</ref>
<ref name="BeebDing1">{{Cite news |title=Could Ding be snooker's saviour? |last=Harlow |first=Phil |work=BBC Sport |date=4 April 2005 |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/4408523.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127141717/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/4408523.stm |archive-date=27 November 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="WPBSA_Official_Rules">{{cite web |title=Official Rules of the Games of Snooker and English Billiards |url=https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf |website=[[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association|WPBSA]] |date=September 2024 |access-date=12 March 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128111034/https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf |archive-date=28 January 2025}}</ref><!-- For updates to the rules of snooker since last reprint of September 2024, see https://wpbsa.com/ -->
<ref name="rule_Snoo">{{Cite web |title=Snooker for beginners |last=Puddy |first=David |work=Snooker rules and refereeing |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=http://www.rulesofsnooker.com/snooker-for-beginners.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013735/http://www.rulesofsnooker.com/snooker-for-beginners.html |archive-date=1 February 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="Max 210">{{cite web |title=Murphy makes magical Masters maximum |url=https://www.wst.tv/news/2025/january/18/murphy-makes-magical-masters-maximum/ |work=[[World Snooker Tour]] |date=18 January 2025 |access-date=18 January 2025 |archive-date=18 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250118160554/https://www.wst.tv/news/2025/january/18/murphy-makes-magical-masters-maximum/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Official 147s">{{cite web |url=https://wpbsa.com/about-us/history/147-breaks/ |title=147 Breaks (full list) |website=WPBSA |date=2 September 2025 |access-date=7 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250902183536/https://wpbsa.com/about-us/history/147-breaks/ |archive-date=2 September 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>
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<ref name="Snooker Scene">{{cite web|title=Embassy World Championship|url=http://www.snookerscene.co.uk/page.php?id=36|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124071753/http://www.snookerscene.co.uk/page.php?id=36|archive-date=24 January 2013|work=Snooker Scene|access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="belf_Mark">{{Cite news |title=Mark Allen pockets £70k Scottish Open title with a 'nice fluke' |newspaper=Belfast Telegraph |date=17 December 2018 |last=Luney |first=Graham |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-allen-pockets-70k-scottish-open-title-with-a-nice-fluke-37632011.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013259/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-allen-pockets-70k-scottish-open-title-with-a-nice-fluke-37632011.html |archive-date=1 February 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rise of century">{{Cite AV media |work=BBC Sport |first=Steve|last=Davis|title=Steve Davis charts the rise of snooker's century breaks |date=7 January 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/snooker/30599646 |access-date=13 January 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="roomsize">{{cite web |url=http://www.thurstonsnooker.co.uk/Pages/Snookerfaq.html |title=Thurston Snooker Table makers |quote=Recommended room size for full size table 22&nbsp;ft × 16&nbsp;ft |access-date=25 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060503151323/http://www.thurstonsnooker.co.uk/Pages/Snookerfaq.html |archive-date=3 May 2006 |url-status=dead |website=thurstonsnooker.co.uk}}</ref>
<ref name="BBC get inspired">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/get-inspired/31510504 |title=Get Inspired: How to get into snooker, billiards and pool |date=30 April 2018 |orig-date=8 March 2015 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221172554/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/get-inspired/31510504 |archive-date=21 February 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="wws_about">{{cite web|url=https://www.womenssnooker.com/about/about-wws/ |title=About WWS {{!}} WWS {{!}} Women's Snooker |access-date=13 August 2024 |website=[[World Women's Snooker]] |url-status=live |archive-date=14 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614003347/https://www.womenssnooker.com/about/about-wws/}}</ref>
<ref name="wst_wwsc">{{Cite web|date=12 October 2021|title=Sheffield to Host 2022 World Women's Snooker Championship|url=https://wst.tv/sheffield-to-host-2022-world-womens-snooker-championship/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012211844/https://wst.tv/sheffield-to-host-2022-world-womens-snooker-championship/|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 October 2021|access-date=29 October 2021|website=World Snooker|language=en-US}}</ref>
<ref name="bbc_evans12th">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Reanne Evans wins 12th Women's World Snooker Championship title |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/48739476 |work=BBC Sport |date=23 June 2019 |access-date=23 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623200013/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/48739476 |archive-date=23 June 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="snoo_Pool">{{Cite web |title=Pool Table Room Size Guide |work=Snooker & Pool Table Company Ltd. |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://www.snookerandpooltablecompany.com/room-size-guide.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101051405/https://www.snookerandpooltablecompany.com/room-size-guide.html |archive-date=1 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Scorboard">{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsdefinitions.com/snooker/Scoreboard.html |title=What is Scoreboard in Snooker? Definition and Meaning |website=sportsdefinitions.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060047/http://www.sportsdefinitions.com/snooker/Scoreboard.html |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="wpbsafounding">{{Cite news |title=WPBSA v TSN |work=BBC Sport |date=16 February 2001 |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/1174311.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030101203136/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/1174311.stm |archive-date=1 January 2003 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="ibsf">{{cite web |url=http://www.ibsf.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=120 |title=About Us |website=International Billiards and Snooker Federation |year=2017 |access-date=13 November 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812003050/http://www.ibsf.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=120 |archive-date=12 August 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="WPBSA Rankings FAQ">{{Cite web |title=Rankings FAQ |url=https://wpbsa.com/rankings/rankings-faq/ |access-date=25 January 2021 |website=WPBSA |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107025129/https://wpbsa.com/rankings/rankings-faq/ |archive-date=7 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="RankingPointsSchedule">{{cite web |url=https://wst.tv/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Tour-Prize-Money-Ranking-Points-Schedule-2019-20-v2.pdf |title=Prize Money World Rankings Schedule 2019/2020 Season |date=2 October 2019|work=World Snooker |access-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220173631/https://wst.tv/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Tour-Prize-Money-Ranking-Points-Schedule-2019-20-v2.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
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<ref name="5J29x">{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=7 October 1946 |page=8 |title=Billiards and Snooker – J Davis retires}}</ref>
<ref name="Shamos 1994">{{cite book |last1=Shamos |first1=Michael I. |title=Pool: History, Strategies, and Legends |url=https://archive.org/details/poolhistorystrat0000sham |url-access=registration |date=1994 |publisher=Friedman Fairfax |location=New York City |ref=Shamos 1994 |page=[https://archive.org/details/poolhistorystrat0000sham/page/50 50] |isbn=978-1-56799-061-4}}</ref>
<ref name="IFuYf">{{Cite news |title=World Snooker prize money increase highlights growth, says Barry Hearn |work=BBC Sport |date=8 July 2019 |access-date=16 September 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/48909960 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829000907/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/48909960 |archive-date=29 August 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Metro_Haigh_2022">{{cite news |title=World Snooker Tour announce format and prize money changes for new season |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/12/world-snooker-tour-explain-format-and-prize-money-changes-for-new-season-16634464/ |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |first=Phil |last=Haigh |date=12 May 2022 |access-date=11 March 2025 |archive-date=13 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513005306/https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/12/world-snooker-tour-explain-format-and-prize-money-changes-for-new-season-16634464/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Eurosport bread">{{Cite web |date=8 December 2021 |title='30% of players can't afford a loaf of bread' – Elliot Slessor backs Ronnie O'Sullivan in call for cuts to snooker tour |url=https://www.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/scottish-open/2021-2022/30-of-players-cant-afford-a-loaf-of-bread-elliot-slessor-backs-ronnie-o-sullivan-in-call-for-cuts-to_sto8663600/story.shtml |access-date=27 February 2022 |website=Eurosport UK |language=en |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810045749/https://www.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/scottish-open/2021-2022/30-of-players-cant-afford-a-loaf-of-bread-elliot-slessor-backs-ronnie-o-sullivan-in-call-for-cuts-to_sto8663600/story.shtml}}</ref>
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<ref name="WPBSA tour1">{{cite web|url=https://wpbsa.com/participation/wst/ |title=WST {{!}} WPBSA {{!}} Snooker |orig-date=25 March 2020 |date=9 May 2023 |access-date=6 August 2024 |website=WPBSA |url-status=live |archive-date=21 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121051941/https://wpbsa.com/participation/wst/}}</ref>
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<ref name="worl_WPBS">{{Cite web |title=WPBSA World Seniors Tour |work=World Snooker |date=3 May 2018 |access-date=16 September 2019 |url=https://wst.tv/wpbsa-world-seniors-tour/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220185646/https://wst.tv/wpbsa-world-seniors-tour/ |archive-date=20 February 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
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<ref name="bbc._Wome">{{Cite web |title=Reanne Evans: Women's number one two wins away from reaching Crucible |work=BBC Sport |date=6 April 2017 |access-date=17 February 2021 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/39510641 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221050934/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/39510641 |archive-date=21 February 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="wst._Hanc">{{Cite web |title=Hancorn Wins Historic Amateur Final |work=World Snooker |date=8 February 2020 |access-date=17 February 2021 |url=https://wst.tv/hancorn-wins-historic-amateur-final/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220213003/https://wst.tv/hancorn-wins-historic-amateur-final/ |archive-date=20 February 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="EVERTONWTC">{{cite news |last=Everton |first=Clive |date=6 April 1976 |title=Women Take Cue |work=The Guardian |page=27 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/259899662/ |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
<ref name="wome_Worl">{{Cite web |title=WWS History |website=World Women's Snooker |access-date=13 August 2024 |url=https://www.womenssnooker.com/history/wws-history/ |quote=A professional Championship was also held for the first time in 1934, with Billiards champions Ruth Harrison and most recently Thelma Carpenter among its winners most recently in 1950. |archive-date=28 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228130406/https://www.womenssnooker.com/history/wws-history/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
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<ref name="bbc._Holt">{{Cite web |title=Michael Holt has faith in Barry Hearn approach |work=BBC Sport |date=8 December 2011 |access-date=22 July 2021 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/16092271 |archive-date=22 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722151146/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/16092271 |url-status=live}}</ref>
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<ref name="BBC 4732047">{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4732047.stm |title=Law ends UK tobacco sponsorship |date=31 July 2005 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=29 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060205091917/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4732047.stm |archive-date=5 February 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="WST_UKchamp">{{cite web |url=https://wst.tv/tournaments/betway-uk-championship-2019/ |title=Betway UK Championship |year=2020 |work=World Snooker |access-date=29 March 2021 |archive-date=29 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329104550/https://wst.tv/tournaments/betway-uk-championship-2019/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
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<ref name="TIMES23NOV">{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=23 November 1968 |page=5 |title=Spencer beats Pulman}}</ref>
<ref name="BBC RO worlds">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cg3lq5ll9dxo |title=I'm not the best snooker player ever – O'Sullivan |last=Emons |first=Michael |date=23 April 2024 |access-date=7 August 2024 |work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-date=29 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429121240/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cg3lq5ll9dxo}}</ref>
<ref name="BBC JH worlds">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cx7d3vpgv17o |title=Crucible 'will be retired' before me, says Higgins |last=Emons |first=Michael |date=26 April 2024 |access-date=7 August 2024 |work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-date=29 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429121157/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cx7d3vpgv17o}}</ref>
<ref name="BBC MS worlds">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cer34mdlwvyo |title=Selby unsure of snooker future after round-one loss |last=Emons |first=Michael |date=22 April 2024 |access-date=7 August 2024 |work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-date=29 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429121259/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cer34mdlwvyo}}</ref>
<ref name="BBC MW worlds">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/44035443 |title=World Championship: Mark Williams says third title is unbelievable |last=Hafez |first=Shamoon |date=8 May 2018 |access-date=7 August 2024 |work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820085654/https://www.bbc.com/sport/snooker/44035443}}</ref>
<ref name="SN most worlds">{{cite web|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/snooker/news/most-world-snooker-championship-titles-hendry-osullivan-davis-trophies/joqsk1qyc3vivgpfptced4rl |title=Who has won the most World Snooker Championship titles? Hendry, O'Sullivan, Davis and the players with the most trophies |last=Wright |first=Jo |date=17 April 2024 |access-date=7 August 2024 |work=The Sporting News |url-status=live |archive-date=18 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418073327/https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/snooker/news/most-world-snooker-championship-titles-hendry-osullivan-davis-trophies/joqsk1qyc3vivgpfptced4rl}}</ref>
<ref name="wst.ros">{{Cite web |title=Ronnie O'Sullivan |url=https://www.wst.tv/players/226c7294-655e-4925-bcde-17330ddfc438 |website=World Snooker |access-date=2 August 2024 |url-status=live |archive-date=7 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807073339/https://www.wst.tv/players/226c7294-655e-4925-bcde-17330ddfc438}}</ref>
<ref name="wst.Ronnie_16&17max">{{cite web|url=https://www.wst.tv/news/2025/august/15/O-Sullivan-Makes-Two-147s-In-Same-Match-To-Earn-Huge-Bonus--And-Reaches-Final/ |title=O'Sullivan makes two 147s in same match to earn huge bonus, and reaches final |date=15 August 2025 |access-date=7 September 2025 |website=World Snooker Tour |url-status=live |archive-date=21 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250821224306/https://www.wst.tv/news/2025/august/15/O-Sullivan-Makes-Two-147s-In-Same-Match-To-Earn-Huge-Bonus--And-Reaches-Final/}}</ref>
<ref name="BCA 2008">{{Cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |chapter=Snooker Games |title=Billiards: The Official Rules and Records Book |date=2008 |publisher=Billiard Congress of America |location=Colorado Springs, Colorado |isbn=978-1-87849-318-7 |at="American Snooker" entry, pp. 118–121 |ref=Reference-BCA-2008}}</ref>
<ref name="sinu_Hist">{{Cite web |title=História da Sinuca – Conheça as Origens do Jogo de Bilhar e da Sinuca no Brasil |trans-title=History of Snooker – Discover the Origins of the Game of Billiards and Snooker in Brazil |website=sinucasinuca.com.br |access-date=19 August 2021 |url=http://www.sinucasinuca.com.br/historia/ |language=pt |archive-date=30 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630033732/http://www.sinucasinuca.com.br/historia/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Eurosport shoot out">{{cite web |url=https://www.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/shoot-out/2020-2021/snooker-shoot-out-what-is-it-why-are-ronnie-o-sullivan-judd-trump-and-neil-robertson-missing_sto8095085/story.shtml |title=Snooker Shoot Out 2021: What is it? Why are Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump missing? |work=Eurosport |date=2 February 2021 |last=Kane |first=Desmond |access-date=14 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718162455/https://www.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/shoot-out/2020-2021/snooker-shoot-out-what-is-it-why-are-ronnie-o-sullivan-judd-trump-and-neil-robertson-missing_sto8095085/story.shtml |archive-date=18 July 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="ukgameshow">{{Cite web |title=Tenball |website=ukgameshows.com |access-date=21 May 2018 |url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Tenball |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702044844/http://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Tenball |archive-date=2 July 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="f9rUu">{{cite web |last=Turner |first=Chris |title=Major Amateur Championships |url=http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Amateur.html |year=2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512004350/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Amateur.html |archive-date=12 May 2012 |website=Chris Turner's Snooker Archive |access-date=5 December 2011}}</ref>
<ref name="wpbsa_gov.body">{{cite web|url=https://wpbsa.com/snookers-world-governing-body/ |title=Snooker's World Governing Body |website=WPBSA |date=24 April 2023 |access-date=14 August 2024 |url-status=live |archive-date=19 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519133225/https://wpbsa.com/snookers-world-governing-body/}}</ref>
<ref name="wst_wpbsa">{{cite web|url=https://www.wst.tv/wpbsa/about-wpbsa/ |title=About WPBSA |website=World Snooker |access-date=14 August 2024 |url-status=live |archive-date=14 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814123241/https://www.wst.tv/wpbsa/about-wpbsa/}}</ref>
<ref name="uia_wpbsa">{{cite web|url=https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100045886 |title=World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) |website=Global Civil Society Database |publisher=[[Union of International Associations|UIA]] |access-date=14 August 2024 |url-status=live |archive-date=10 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210091336/https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100045886}}</ref>
<!-- (reserved sources, mostly about sponsorship, infighting, etc.)
*{{Cite news |title=Snooker's biggest break |work=BBC Sport |date=7 December 2000 |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/1059298.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031217035813/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/1059298.stm |archive-date=17 December 2003 |url-status=live}} 
*{{Cite news |title=Snooker at the crossroads |last=Everton |first=Clive |work=BBC Sport |date=14 November 2002 |access-date=31 January 2019 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/2478413.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040711122138/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/2478413.stm |archive-date=11 July 2004 |url-status=live}}</ref>
-->
<ref name="QbFUx">{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://wst.tv/corporate/about-us/ |access-date=25 January 2021 |work=World Snooker |language=en-US |archive-date=10 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510044539/https://wst.tv/corporate/about-us/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<!-- Not in use
<ref name="5cp6g">{{cite web |url=https://life.spectator.co.uk/articles/its-finally-time-snooker-ditched-the-bow-tie/ |title=It's finally time snooker ditched the bow tie |last=Mason |first=Mark |date=20 April 2017 |work=The Spectator |access-date=25 February 2020 |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807011002/https://life.spectator.co.uk/articles/its-finally-time-snooker-ditched-the-bow-tie/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Not in use-->

<ref name="pHlSh">{{cite web |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1074080/snooker-to-feature-as-medal-event-at-2019-african-games-in-morocco |title=Snooker to feature as medal event at 2019 African Games in Morocco |date=11 January 2019 |website=[[Inside The Games]] |access-date=8 December 2019 |archive-date=2 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802213523/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1074080/snooker-to-feature-as-medal-event-at-2019-african-games-in-morocco |url-status=live |first=Michael |last=Pavitt}}</ref>
<ref name="SjlVi">{{cite news |last=Baxter |first=Trevor |title=Obituary: John Pulman |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-john-pulman-1076338.html |work=The Independent |access-date=31 August 2012 |location=London |date=26 January 1999 |archive-date=27 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127230011/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-john-pulman-1076338.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="S1tVF">{{Cite web |website=snookerscores.net |publisher=WPBSA |title=WPBSA SnookerScores – 2017 LITEtask World Women's 10-Red Championship |url=https://snookerscores.net/tournament-manager/2017-litetask-world-womens-10-red-championship/ |access-date=27 March 2021 |language=en |archive-date=19 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019081001/https://snookerscores.net/tournament-manager/2017-litetask-world-womens-10-red-championship |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="NOKNf">{{Cite web |website=snookerscores.net |publisher=WPBSA |title=WPBSA SnookerScores – 2018 World Women's 10-Red Championship |url=https://snookerscores.net/tournament-manager/2018-world-womens-10-red-championship |access-date=27 March 2021 |language=en |archive-date=23 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123100300/https://snookerscores.net/tournament-manager/2018-world-womens-10-red-championship |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="c4a7C">{{Cite web |website=snookerscores.net |publisher=WPBSA |title=WPBSA SnookerScores – 2019 World Women's 10-Red Championship |url=https://snookerscores.net/tournament-manager/2019-world-womens-10-red-championship |access-date=27 March 2021 |language=en |archive-date=28 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228180734/https://snookerscores.net/tournament-manager/2019-world-womens-10-red-championship |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="7DxzR">{{cite web |url=https://www.livesnooker.com/major-ranking-events/snooker-shoot-out/ |title=Snooker Shoot-Out |website=livesnooker.com |access-date=14 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810203109/https://www.livesnooker.com/major-ranking-events/snooker-shoot-out/ |archive-date=10 August 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Kentfield_book">{{cite book |last=Kentfield |first=Edwin |author-link=Edwin Kentfield |date=1850 |title=The Game of Billiards |publisher=Smith, Elder & Co |location=London |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gp8NAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA49 49–50] |edition=5th |via=Google Books}}</ref>
<ref name="wdbs_Olympics">{{cite web|url=https://www.wdbs.info/about/paralympic-games/ |title=Paralympic Games {{!}} WDBS {{!}} Disability Snooker |access-date=15 August 2024 |website=World Disability Billiards and Snooker |url-status=live |archive-date=4 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240804170942/https://www.wdbs.info/about/paralympic-games/}}</ref>
<ref name="Express_2023_01_27">{{Cite web |last=Watson |first=Fraser |date=27 January 2023 |title=Maguire launches blistering attack on snooker bosses in angry rant |url=https://www.express.co.uk/sport/othersport/1727223/Stephen-Maguire-snooker-news |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Daily Express |language=en}}</ref>
<ref name="Mirror_2023_01_27">{{Cite web |last=Parsons |first=Ben |date=27 January 2023 |title=Snooker 'dying in front of our eyes' as Maguire slams sport's under-fire 'suits' |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/snooker/snooker-stephen-maguire-match-fixing-29072032 |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=mirror |language=en}}</ref>
<ref name="SnookerInfo_CenturyBreaks">{{cite web |title=100+ Centuries |url=https://snookerinfo.co.uk/ |website=snookerinfo.co.uk |access-date=9 January 2025 |archive-date=9 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250109121804/https://snookerinfo.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
</references>

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book|title=The Little Book of Snooker |last=Boru |first=Sean |author-link=Sean Boru |others=Foreword by Jimmy White MBE |year=2010 |publisher=[[The History Press]] |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0-7524-5561-7}}
* {{Cite book |title=Rules Governing the Royal Game of Billiards |author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.--> |location=Chicago |publisher=[[Brunswick-Balke-Collender]] |date=1925 |oclc=20873549|ref = {{SfnRef|Collender|1925}}}}
* {{Cite book|last=Everton |first=Clive |author-link=Clive Everton |title=The History of Snooker and Billiards |year=1986 |edition=1st |publisher=[[Partridge Press]] |location=Haywards Heath |isbn=1-85225-013-5}}
* {{Cite book|first=Clive |last=Everton |author-link=Clive Everton |title=Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards: The Inside Story of the Snooker World |publisher=[[Mainstream Publishing]] |location=Edinburgh |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-78057-568-1}}
* {{Cite book |title=Fotheringham's Extraordinary Sporting Pastimes |last=Fotherington |first=William |date=2006|publisher=[[Robson Books]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-86105-953-6}}
* {{Cite book |first1=Paul |last1=Gadsby |first2=Luke |last2=Williams |title=Masters of the Baize: Cue Legends, Bad Boys and Forgotten Men in Search of Snooker's Ultimate Prize |year=2005 |publisher=Mainstream Publishing |location=Edinburgh |isbn=978-1-84018-872-1}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Hayton |first1=Eric N. |last2=Dee |first2=John |title=The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History |year=2004 |publisher=Rose Villa Publications |location=Lowestoft |isbn=978-0-9548549-0-4}}
* {{cite book |first=Liam |last=McCann |title=Snooker: Player by Player |year=2013 |publisher=[[Demand Media]] |location=Woking |isbn=978-1-90921-745-4}}
*{{cite book |last=Morrison |first=Ian |date=1987 |title=The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker |edition=Revised |location=Twickenham |publisher=[[Hamlyn (publisher)|Hamlyn]] |isbn=978-0-600-55604-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Morrison|first=Ian |date=1989 |title=Snooker: Records, Facts and Champions |publisher=Guinness Superlatives |location=Enfield |isbn=978-0-85112-364-6}}
* {{Cite book|last=Peall |first=Arthur F. |title=Billiards and Snooker |year=2017 |orig-year=1928 |edition=Reprint |publisher=Barzun Press |isbn=978-1-44552515-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shamos |first=Michael I. |author-link=Michael Ian Shamos |title=The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards |publisher=[[Lyons Press]]|location=New York |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-58574-685-9}}

==External links==
{{Commons and category}}
{{Wiktionary}}
* [https://www.wst.tv/ World Snooker Tour]
* [https://wpbsa.com/ World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association]
* [https://www.womenssnooker.com/ World Women's Snooker]
* [https://www.wdbs.info/ World Disability Billiards and Snooker]
* [https://seniorssnooker.com/ World Seniors Snooker]
* [https://www.ibsf.info/ International Billiards & Snooker Federation]

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{{Cue sports nav}}
{{Snooker lists}}
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[[Category:Snooker| ]]
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