Free Ball question again

[bluenose1940]

Playing a game recently I found myslf well and truly snookered.

The Black ball was more or less the diameter of a ball from the top cushion, directly in line with its own spot. The last Red was effectively sandwiched between the Black and the cushion with about a millimetre between the Red and the cushion and the Red and the Black.

The white was in the baulk area and so I played off the Green side of the table and, it was rolling nicely towards the red but fell short by about 4 or 5 inches. The Red could obviously be hit full ball but, is that situation classed as a free ball.

For some reason I have it in mind that the cushion comes into the reckoning in such a situation but, I'm not entirely sure.

Any help will be much appreciated. Thank you.

[DeanH]

Cushions are NOT considered when defining any snooker situation.

BUT in your scenario the Black obscures one edge of the object ball, so in this scenario it would be a Free Ball.

For a Free Ball, there must be a snooker which is defined as being able to hit BOTH extreme edges of the ball on (full ball is ONLY for considering a Miss).
In your scenario the cushion is disregarded and it is considered that the cue ball CAN hit the extreme edge next to the cushion.
The Black obscures the other edge, so not BOTH extreme edges available = Free Ball.

For further reading see:
https://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/bo...f-you-have-one

[bluenose1940]

Got it! Thank you DeanH.

[John mac]

I have another question. If my opponent goes in off with only the colors left and the brown is an inch off its spot towards the black spot with the yellow almost touching brown, again towards the Black spot, is this a free ball because ,depending on where you place the cue ball in the D you can hit the extreme edge of both sides of the yellow?

[John mac]

But wherever you decide to play it from you cant hit the whole ball

[DeanH]

To cover both scenarios:
IF there is NO place in the D where you can hit BOTH extreme edges of the Yellow = snooker so a Free Ball.
If there a single place where you can hit BOTH extreme edges of the Yellow (regardless if that is where the player wants to play from) = no snooker so no free ball.

[John mac]

Thanks for that

[Alan Tibbles]

Free ball, no doubt. The cusion side of the red is considered to be fully accessible but not so for the black side.

[Alan Tibbles]

If you can see both extremes of the yellow from somewhere within the D then there's no free ball. However, the shot does not have to be played from that position. anywhere in the D is acceptable.