Would this be a re-rack ?

[Souwester]

As ever DawRef has the answer.

[DawRef]

Thanks Souwester. Things are getting a bit better in my personal afairs. I hope to start refereeing again next season.

[Lloydinho77]

if you play at the jaw of the pocket with an excessive ammount of topspin, causing the white to jump the obstructing balls and contact the blue... is that a foul?

I think it is since the cue ball has jumped over an obstructing ball

[Souwester]

if you play at the jaw of the pocket with an excessive ammount of topspin, causing the white to jump the obstructing balls and contact the blue... is that a foul?

I think it is since the cue ball has jumped over an obstructing ball

Yes it is a foul. Here's the definition of a jump shot:

19. Jump shot
A jump shot is made when the cue-ball passes over any part of an object ball, whether touching it in the process or not, except:

(a) when the cue-ball first strikes one object ball and then jumps over another ball,
(b) when the cue-ball jumps and strikes an object ball, but does not land on the far side of that ball,
(c) when, after striking an object ball lawfully, the cue-ball jumps over that ball after hitting a cushion or another ball.

[The Statman]

This is called the impossible shot.
A miss cannot be called BUT the Striker must play the cueball with sufficient strength & direction to reach the blue had he not been snookered.
The only time a re-rack occurs is when in the opinion of the referee a stalemate has occurred.

I cannot remember when OR who but a few years back in a ranking event a frame was reracked with (I think) only blue-pink-black on the table.

Yes, it was the 1981 World final. Down to the blue, it was next to either pink or black hanging over the pocket and something like 20 shots each had been played. The frame had been going for 48 minutes and the score was 49-48 at the time; it is the record time lapse for a re-rack to take place.

[Souwester]

I think that in one of the EBSA European matches last year (or was it IBSF World Champs?) there was frame which was restarted after it got down to the black. It was on a cushion and neither player was attempting to make a positive shot, so they re-started the frame.

[ncyaa]

I know that jumping over an obstructing ball is not allowed. What if the player somehow managed to strike the cueball to make it roll along the top of the cushion and then somehow roll back to the table and hit the object ball, would it be legal?

Yes, this is unrealistic but it just comes out of curiosity and wonder if anyone knows the answer.

[Souwester]

If you could ever get that to happen, then yes, it would be a fair shot.

[ncyaa]

If you could ever get that to happen, then yes, it would be a fair shot.

Just for the sake of arguing, IF someone on earth who really knows how to do it but deliberately not doing it. Instead, he hits the cue-ball with sufficient strength and in direction of the blue, as suggested by someone earlier in this thread, then the referee can call a foul and a miss.......

[Souwester]

No, the referee would simply call a foul. The rules make specific reference to the situation where a ball on is impossible to hit, which specifically says that a Miss will not be called if he plays it in the way you describe:

14. Foul and a Miss

The striker shall, to the best of his ability, endeavour to hit the ball on. If the referee considers the Rule infringed, he shall call FOUL AND A MISS unless only the Black remains on the table, or a situation exists where it is impossible to hit the ball on. In the latter case it must be assumed the striker is attempting to hit the ball on provided that he plays, directly or indirectly, in the direction of the ball on with sufficient strength, in the referee's opinion, to have reached the ball on but the obstructing ball or balls.

[ncyaa]

No, the referee would simply call a foul. The rules make specific reference to the situation where a ball on is impossible to hit, which specifically says that a Miss will not be called if he plays it in the way you describe:

14. Foul and a Miss

The striker shall, to the best of his ability, endeavour to hit the ball on. If the referee considers the Rule infringed, he shall call FOUL AND A MISS unless only the Black remains on the table, or a situation exists where it is impossible to hit the ball on. In the latter case it must be assumed the striker is attempting to hit the ball on provided that he plays, directly or indirectly, in the direction of the ball on with sufficient strength, in the referee's opinion, to have reached the ball on but the obstructing ball or balls.

But if someone can play the trick shot that I mentioned and deliberately not playing it, the ball on is no longer impossible to hit, so the referee can call a foul and a miss.

[Souwester]

Yes, but for 99.9% of players, it would be impossible, and as a referee, I wouldn't interpret the rules differently, just because a player can play a trick shot, which virtually all others can't.

[Krypton]

He said "Just for the sake of arguing" and added a smiley

So... he got ya