Snooker Question

I’m sitting here watching Ronnie O’Sullivan weave his magic and wondering:

  1. What is the lowest possible winning score in a frame of snooker?

  2. What is the lowest actually achieved winning score in a frame of snooker?

Anyone know?

Grim

Surely the first answer is 1? If every ball were potted during a foul shot, other than one red?

Yes, I have immediately realised how stupid that answer is…

According to this discussion, the lowest possible is 16.

Scoring 16 requires you to sink all 15 reds and go in off in a single stroke… unlikely :wink:

This seems to be the best offered explanation:

> Sam is right though - the lowest possible score would be 22 (in a
> non-conceded frame). Balls potted:
> player 1: 9 reds, yellow, brown, deciding black
> player 2: 6 reds, green, blue, pink

Although it’s unlikely to the point of impossible, couldn’t somebody pot everything except the pink and black, and then foul?

Found the answer to my second question here

Not sure I see what you mean here. Do you mean on a single (foul) shot? If so (very unlikely, of course), then all the colours would be respotted, so there would still be more points to be scored.

It is surely possible to win with a score of zero. In certain situations three consecutive misses will lead to the frame being awarded to the other player.

I’ve only ever heard of that rule in 9 ball. Late in snooker games it is pretty easy to make an opponent foul repeatedly if you are trailing and are engineering snookers.

I think the rule is that if you can see and hit a ball without fouling but do so, then the other player can make you retake the shot. 3 times and your out.

The winner would have 12 points from the fouls though.

Miss: The striker shall to the best of his ability endeavor to hit the ball on. If the referee considers the rule infringed he shall call foul and a “miss.” The incoming player (1) may play the ball(s) as they lie, or (2) may request that the ball(s) be returned to the original position and have the offending player play the stroke again.

http://www.titansports.co.uk/rules/snooker.htm
I’m sure that you can only try 3 times though (seen Steve Davis lose because of this circ. 1988)

From here

The winner would have 12 points from the fouls though.
[/QUOTE]

Ooops! I missed that obvious point.

Ronnie O’Sullivan was just warned for swearing. If he had repeated the offence he could forfeit the current frame - possible with no score.

I am pretty sure the three fouls rule does not apply in snooker. I have seen trailing players lay snooker after snooker trying to catch up, Stve Davis conceded 33 points in fouls in a single frame when he lost the UK Championship to Ding Junhui in 2005.

I see your link now and must admit I have never heard of this. It is a nonsense apparently, it requires a player who is not snookered to three times miss the ball he is attempting to play. I can’t imagine a drunk doing that.

Three misses, not three fouls - the ref calls “foul, and a miss” in these instances. However, they’re rather equivalent to conceding the frame, which we’re not interested in here.

It may occur if the straightforward shot leaves the balls open for your opponent whereas the risky shot may leave them safe.

Exactly. I’ve seen Davis try the risky shot off 2 cushions 3 times and forfit the frame rather than attempting the easy 1-cushion shot.

It nearly happened a few days ago- Steve Davis, in his first round match, attempted a safety shot which involved an extremely fine contact on a red ball, when he was not snookered. He missed twice, the referee warned him that a third miss would forfeit the frame, and he chose to play a different shot.