A foul break question.

[Devo]

I've tried searching, but 'break' obviously brings up a whole load of hits!

I was playing with a friend. I broke, and the cue ball just clipped the end red, and then came back to the baulk. It hardly broke up the reds at all, with the red that I clipped sitting just a few millimetres from the pack.

Is that a legal break? My friend seemed to think that you need to move both of the reds on the corner of the triangle. I've tried to find some comprehensive rules, but they all seem to be abridged versions.

I know pool has a similar rule, but is there anything you need to do in snooker when you break apart from make contact with a red, and obviously, not pot the cue ball?!

Thanks.

[fred.england]

A foul break question.

As long as you hit the red on the break it is a legal shot. It does not matter how far any object ball moves as long as you hit it.

[DeanH]

This is an ok (if not lovely ) break.
It is not like pool where, depending on which association, you must have four balls hitting the rails, etc, etc, etc.

[Devo]

Thanks for the prompt replies guys.

I think he must have got memorially mixed up with pool! I don't often beat him, so I have to resort to the rules to win my battles!

Many thanks.

[Terry Davidson]

devo:

In American snooker rules (played on a 5 x 10 with slightly larger balls) there is a rule that 2 reds must hit a cushion on the break shot but nothing like that in the official international snooker rules. You could come off the top cushion and dribble up to the reds as Steve Davis did in a pro tournament once

Terry

[Devo]

Thanks for the reply Terry, but I'm not going to tell him about that in case he tries to use it in his defence!

I think he just had a bit of a brain fart. There's no way he would try and flex the rules to his advantage, besides, he doesn't need to when he plays me! Regardless, it'll give me plenty of opportunity have the odd dig at him!

Many thanks all, much appreciated.

[DeanH]

Of the back of this question, I have just had a critical look at the rules and am slightly amused that you have to get to page 12 for the first mention of the start of a frame and it is not necessarily the first place you would look for it; also it does not actually tell you how to start the frame just that the cue-ball is in-hand before the start of each frame.
The Index does not easily indicate where to go on how to start a frame either.
Maybe, a simple suggestion, the section "Position of Balls" [Section 3 Rule 2 page 16] could be renamed "Position of Balls at the Start of a Frame"?
Or a new section/rule added somewhere near the start of the document, "Starting a Frame"?
The sections noted in this exercise where:
Section 2 Definitions, Rule 9 In-Hand (a)(i) page 12
Section 3 The Game, Rule 2 Position of Balls (a) page 16
Section 3 The Game, Rule 3 Mode of Play (c) page 17
Section 3 The Game, Rule 5 Playing from In-Hand page 19

[Souwester]

It's perfectly possible to have a legal break without moving any of the reds!

[fred.england]

It's perfectly possible to have a legal break without moving any of the reds!

Yes, if you play "dead weight" and end up touching one of the reds in the pack.

[Souwester]

Yes, if you play "dead weight" and end up touching one of the reds in the pack.

Indeed! .

[tommygunner1309]

What if all balls are missed when breaking off? what would the referee call?
1 Foul - start again?
2 Foul and a miss?
3 Foul - play the cue ball from where it finished?

Two brownie points to the right answer

[nrage]

What if all balls are missed when breaking off? what would the referee call?
1 Foul - start again?
2 Foul and a miss?
3 Foul - play the cue ball from where it finished?

Two brownie points to the right answer

Without looking at the rules (where's the fun in that) I'm going to guess... #2

[Souwester]

Without looking at the rules (where's the fun in that) I'm going to guess... #2

Yes, indeed... F&M would be the call.

[tommygunner1309]

Without looking at the rules (where's the fun in that) I'm going to guess... #2

Two brownie points

[nrage]

Two brownie points

~WooHoo! I figured it couldn't be #3 because there might be some "advantage" to the new cue ball position. I figured #1 "start again" was essentially the same as a plain old foul and decided #2 had to be it, because missing the entire pack is something even a beginner shouldn't do