Ssb - six reds world championship

[MySockPuppet]

Killarney in the Republic of Ireland will host snooker's first 6 Reds World Championship in December.

The tournament will feature 160 players and be contested at the INEC Arena, which staged a World Series event in May. Among the organisers is Ken Doherty, the 1997 world champion.

The event runs from December 15-18. Entry is free for the first three days while tickets will cost 10 euros on the last day, which will be televised.

Despite the criticism it has attracted, six reds snooker has been played in clubs for decades.

Last year, a six reds tournament was staged in Thailand and attracted a huge field of top players, so much so that the prize fund for this year's staging of the event was doubled.

Jimmy White won the £18,000 first prize in Bangkok last month.

World Snooker stages its first six reds event at the end of the month in the Pro Challenge Series.

The governing body giving legitimacy to the short form version of the game meant that a World Championship was almost inevitable.

It will be interesting to see how many of snooker's best known names take their places in the Killarney draw.

If the players embrace six reds then it is, like it or not, here to stay.


More...

[spike]

Is televised coverage of the final day only limited to Ireland?

[Deiseboy]

The event management are in discussions regarding TV coverage with the plan being that the last day will be covered. It will not be limited to Ireland.

However internet streaming is also an option and is being looked at also for the four days.

[spike]

Okay thanks.

[wildJONESEYE]

question

does people want 6 red snooker at all ???

i find it the most boring pointless waste of time there is at pro level....

its ok as a knock about in a club where it levels the playing field between bad and good players but at profesional level its like watching paint dry.

[Matt_2745]

Personally I think it's the sort of thing that will appeal to those with a more casual interest in the sport than most of us posting on here, but there will be an audience for it nonetheless.

From a players point of view those outside of the elite need to take advantage of every opportunity to win prize money that is on offer too. Just look at Jimmy White, won more for the Sangsom event than he did all season last year on the pro tour. Makes total sense for them.

[rivercard]

question

does people want 6 red snooker at all ???

i find it the most boring pointless waste of time there is at pro level....

its ok as a knock about in a club where it levels the playing field between bad and good players but at profesional level its like watching paint dry.

I agree. Snooker is played with 15 reds, 6 reds snooker is just dumb, I wouldn't even call it snooker. If you want a faster and easier game there is pool, no need to dumb down a great game like snooker. I understand that the players will like it as it offers money, but I'm not interested in watching a tournament like this.

[bongo]

I think this will be good. Over the time I have heard of this 6-red snooker since it was introduced and became well-known I have had different opinions on it. But now I think that as long as it doesn't interfere with the normal game (such as 15-red tournaments turning into 6-reds) then I don't mind. I agree with Steve Davis that it may need some slight rule changes instead of it being normal snooker except with 9 less reds...possibly. I don't see anything wrong with it as another form of snooker and it is only snooker with 9 less reds, it isn't anything to threaten the sport is it!

I think that it is great news and 160 players is quite a lot too so it seems to be well supported. I look forward to watching it when it's on TV or live streaming (as long as it isn't £2.99 a session!) and also I look forward to the highlights from the recent 6-reds Grand Prix which apparently will be on Sky Sports in November.

6-reds snooker has it downsides of course compared to 15-red snooker. 15-red snooker isn't going anywhere so it is nothing to worry about in my opinion.

It shall be interesting to see how this 6-reds World Championship, and indeed the game of 6-reds itself, unfolds in the future. Who knows, there may be a full circuit of 6-reds snooker like there is today for normal snooker? There may be a Seniors Snooker circuit of 6-reds and the old players of the past return to snooker via 6-reds.

[wildJONESEYE]

I agree. Snooker is played with 15 reds, 6 reds snooker is just dumb, I wouldn't even call it snooker. If you want a faster and easier game there is pool, no need to dumb down a great game like snooker. I understand that the players will like it as it offers money, but I'm not interested in watching a tournament like this.

i think theres another point

all they have done is take 9 reds off the table ....thats all

at profesional level that is just 2 simple and luck will be the winner so change the table round play with less colours or a 10 second shotclock anything so its a different game and a challange whitch at the moment theres more challange in scissers,paper,stone.

[Terry Davidson]

I think all of you are missing the point of why 6 reds is starting to rise in popularity and why the WPBSA is trying to encourage it.

What's the biggest commercial market in the world? Without a doubt the USA! Now, ask yourself how much snooker is played in the USA as comparted to 9-ball, 8-ball and 10-ball.

Now ask yourselves what are the WPBSA and the pros most interested in? Answer - MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But where can we make more money they ask and the answer is...lets use the 6-red type of snooker which has the fast pace of 9-ball and see if we can encourage more pool fans to come to our fast paced snooker which is one hell of a lot more exciting than pool even though it's played on a larger table and smaller pockets. Maybe we'll get the American market interested even though the tables cost more and take up more real estate.

Some of the reasoning is Americans prefer pool because it's quick and exciting. Pool is drowning out snooker in Canada, which was one of the leading lights in snooker 25 years ago. In some Canadian cities it's difficult to find a snooker table except in the local Legions.

We have 6-red handicapped tournaments over here all the time, mostly local and on a weekly basis but they are popular as they end at a reasonable time and can be played in an evening at a best-of-5 format. They don't ruin the real game of snooker and in fact are a training ground for players to move on up to our ranking tournaments, which are 15-red and use all the official rules.

If 6-reds increases the popularity of the spot, I'm all for it

Terry

[rivercard]

I think all of you are missing the point of why 6 reds is starting to rise in popularity and why the WPBSA is trying to encourage it.

What's the biggest commercial market in the world? Without a doubt the USA! Now, ask yourself how much snooker is played in the USA as comparted to 9-ball, 8-ball and 10-ball.

Now ask yourselves what are the WPBSA and the pros most interested in? Answer - MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But where can we make more money they ask and the answer is...lets use the 6-red type of snooker which has the fast pace of 9-ball and see if we can encourage more pool fans to come to our fast paced snooker which is one hell of a lot more exciting than pool even though it's played on a larger table and smaller pockets. Maybe we'll get the American market interested even though the tables cost more and take up more real estate.

Some of the reasoning is Americans prefer pool because it's quick and exciting. Pool is drowning out snooker in Canada, which was one of the leading lights in snooker 25 years ago. In some Canadian cities it's difficult to find a snooker table except in the local Legions.

We have 6-red handicapped tournaments over here all the time, mostly local and on a weekly basis but they are popular as they end at a reasonable time and can be played in an evening at a best-of-5 format. They don't ruin the real game of snooker and in fact are a training ground for players to move on up to our ranking tournaments, which are 15-red and use all the official rules.

If 6-reds increases the popularity of the spot, I'm all for it

Terry

That's all fair, but you will still need snooker tables and there aren't that many in the USA. Would a pool room owner throw out 2 pool tables for a snooker table? I somehow doubt it.. What I don't understand is the sudden craze about 6reds. It's not that complicated after all.. Take away 3 more reds and you will have 3reds snooker! That will be even faster, how innovative..

[wildJONESEYE]

its rising in popularity ?

exactly who sais it does ??

it wont encourage people that dont watch snooker to watch because at the end of the day its putting balls in holes if they want a faster less skilfull alternative to that they got pool...

if you dont like Running or Athletics would you bother to watch a 13 mile marathon ?

the WSA are in cloud coocoo land with this boring concept but whats new they were born slightly coocoo with everything they do.

[JanieWatkins]

The point about raising interest in USA is interesting.

6-reds was first initiated in Asia by ACBS under the lead of Sindhu Pulsirivong.

They had a number of meetings and discussions with television companies with a view to getting more events televised and this format found favour with the tv.

I don't have any problem with it, as long, heaven forbid, that it never replaced the full version of snooker.

As a cricket fan I use the same analogy that there's room now in cricket for full 5 day test matches, 4 day country matches, 50 over one day games and the fun filled 20-20... All the purists and old grey tops awoke from their slumbers in the Long Room at Lords to say 20-20 was a terrible invention... But of course they were proved wrong and now it's hugely popular, has brought a whole new audience to the sport and s a major money spinner for the players and the infrastructure.

WSA have clearly recognised the success of 6-reds already around the world and are now jumping on the bandwaggon. But little 2 day events in Pontin's aren't quite going to fit the bill of fun fun fun I don't think.

Events like the Sangsom in Thailand and the World event in Killarney are going to tick lots of boxes for on and off table complete package entertainment.

Exactly what we've just enjoyed in Furth. A day out at the snooker should be a complete entertainment package, not just trudging in to watch the match you have tickets for.

I'm hoping someone will post some clips on You Tube of the PHC in Furth because it is impossible to put into words just how good that event is.

I met several UK fans who'd traveled over and they all agreed that it was the best event they'd ever been too, and that included their previous trips to the Crucible and other major ranking events.

The atmosphere was absolutely fabulous. The roars greeting the players into the arena for the final were the loudest I've ever heard anywhere!

[wildJONESEYE]

janie

it might be good to visit a strip show and they might enjoy that it doesent meen its has anything to do with snooker even if the strippers had cues.

[Deiseboy]

Well said Janie

I think there's a clip from last year on Cuesport.tv.

I'm raging i didn't head over to Furth to check it out.