Snooker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Snooker

Three-time world champion Mark Selby playing a practice game
Highest governing body	WPBSA IBSF
First played	1870 in India
Characteristics
Contact	Non-contact
Type	Cue sport
Equipment	Snooker table, snooker balls, cue, triangle, chalk
Venue	Snooker table
Presence
Olympic	IOC recognition
World Games	2001 – present

Snooker is a billiards sport for two players. It is played on a large (12 feet by 6 feet) table that is covered with a smooth green material called baize and has holes or pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions.

The players use long thin sticks called cues to strike the white ball (the cue ball). The cue ball must always be hit first when attempting a shot at the target ball.

There are 21 target balls in total - 15 red balls (worth 1 point each) and 6 colours: a yellow (2 points), green (3 points), brown (4 points), blue (5 points), pink (6 points) and black ball (7 points).

Each target ball must be aimed or 'potted' into one of the pockets in sequence. A red ball followed by a colour then a red ball again and so on until only the coloured balls are left. The colours then have to be potted in the following order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black.

The player who scores more points wins the game or 'frame'. A match consists of an agreed number of frames.

Images for kids

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  A full-size snooker table set up for the start of a game

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  A complete set of snooker balls

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  A sliding scoreboard, some blocks of cue-tip chalk, white chalk-board chalk, and two cue sticks

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  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.

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  World Snooker Championship trophy

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  Steve Davis won the World Championship six times in the 1980s.

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  Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the World Championship seven times in the 21st century.

See also

In Spanish: Snooker para niños