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Billiards &
Snooker
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The origins of billiards remain unclear. According to some, billiards originated in China, while others contend that it was called “pall-mall” and was brought to Europe by the Crusaders returning from the Near East. Still others credit the invention of billiards in one form or another to either France, Italy, England or Spain. The first billiard table would have been built in France in 1469 for King Louis XI. The game was previously played on the ground, and resembled bowling, although the Spanish “villorta” used a stick (known as “bilorta”, later “billarda”, and eventually “billiards”) to move a ball in between two posts. Towards the mid 19th century, depending on whether the game was played in France, England or the United States, billiards came in different forms; with or without pockets, and with three, four or fifteen balls. The first world championships took place in 1873. Several variations of the game developed, including snooker, American billiards, and English billiards. Billiards (classic, American and snooker) was included in the 2004 Olympic Games as a demonstration sport. World championships are held every year for snooker, classic and American billiards.
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How a match is organized:
Using a stick called a cue the player must strike a ball so that it makes contact with other balls on the table. Depending on the specific game, struck balls must be sunk into the pockets located around the table, or moved to another area of the table to hit in a subsequent shot. Matches are decided by the points scored by players when they “pocket” or sink a ball or, in classic (carom) billiards, when they score a carom. A player continues to play for as long as he or she continues to score points. Once a shot is missed, the other player's turn begins. Matches can be played individually or in teams of two, with the players alternating.
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Snooker
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The game of snooker is played with 22 balls, and the object of the game is to alternately sink red balls and coloured balls using the cue ball. Coloured balls are immediately replaced on the table in their original spots when they are sunk. Once all the red balls have been sunk, the coloured balls must be sunk in order of value. In addition to the points they score whenever they sink a ball, players also receive penalty points according to the fouls that they commit. Penalty points are then deducted from the player's total score. Penalties range from 4 to 7 points for fouls that include sinking the cue ball, missing all balls, or hitting the wrong ball (e.g. hitting a coloured ball instead of a red one). A player is “snookered” when he cannot hit an object ball because of obstructing balls between the cue ball and the object ball. The player must attempt the shot anyway, and is penalized if the object ball is missed or the other ball is touched.
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To win the game, a player tries to “snooker” his opponent as often as possible, causing his opponent to receive penalty points. The winner is the player with the highest score when the black ball is sunk according to the rules.
Common Rules:
Some rules are common to all forms of billiards and pertain to the possible fouls that players may commit during a game. In every case, a foul terminates the turn of the player at fault. The most common foul is a double hit, which occurs when the tip of the cue is in contact with the white ball when it touches another ball; a false hit, which occurs when the white ball is touched by a part of the cue other than the tip; a jumped ball, which is a ball that jumps from the table; and playing a ball before the balls are completely stopped. Players must keep one foot in contact with the ground at all times.
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Advani dons World Crown:
A few months ago National champion Pankaj Advani outplayed compatriot Devendra Joshi 6-2 to lift his maiden World Billiards (points format) crown at Qawra, Malta. The 19-year-old cueist who also holds the Asian title once again proved that he was much more matured as a player than his age suggests as he comfortably defeated his senior in only the second all-Indian summit clash in the history of the championship. The first time that two Indians clashed in the final for the world amateur billiards crown was in 1990 when Manoj Kothari defeated Ashok Shandilya to claim the title at Bangalore. The win also made
Advani only the second cueist to have won both the billiards and snooker amateur world titles.
The young man with a pleasant disposition, Pankaj has kept India's flag flying high. It's time to relish an Indian sportsperson's victory and salute him. Pankaj has warmed the cockles of many an Indian heart in as much as the same way as Sania Mirza and Narain Karthikeyan have done. By winning the International Billliards and Snooker Federations' three-ball game contested over time and points format, the 19-year-old Bangalore lad Pankaj has carved a niche for himself in a sport made famous here by the legendary Wilson Jones who became a role model for youngsters like first Michael Ferreira and thereafter for Geet Sethi, Manoj Kothari and Ashok Shandilya, and also women's snooker and billiards champion Anuja Thakur, all of whom won the world amateur titles.
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Doha Asian Games
will give boost to cue sports
Anuja Thakur _ the first ever Indian woman world champion felt the Doha Asian Games will provide good exposure to players and in turn will help the sports grow and bring a change in attitude. Speaking about the golden run at the tournament, Thakur was confident of winning the title once she overcame a tough opponent like Emma Boney in the semis. It runs in the family and Anuja is lucky enough to have her elder sister Meenal Thakur who is also a competent player where both discuss the mindsets and technicalities of the game.
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My
Point Of View
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Chelsea on top of the world
The long wait for Chelsea had finally ended. It took them 50 years to be crowned the English Premier Champions. Having watched their matches in the Premiership it was evidently clear that Chelsea demonstrated great team spirit and a determined effort. With their character and passion they produced champagne football all along.
It is interesting to note that the Chelsea club funded by their Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, confirmed Chelsea as the new dominant force in English football and brought the era of power sharing by Arsenal and Manchester Utd to an abrupt halt. The Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho has also guided the London club into the Champions League semifinals in his first season in England, less than a year after steering Porto to the European crown. Mourinho has been the tactical brains behind Chelsea's success while a spending spree of well over $600 million since Abramovic's takeover in 2003 provided a stream of top players. In my estimation, Mourinho has succeeded in such a short time and achieved what no other coach could do - whether it be Gianluca Vialli or Ruud Gullit.
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The distribution of money to players has not only made Chelsea the most elite club but also more reliant on its financialclout where top-notch players are paid nothing less than £20 million each. With these high stakes the emergence of Chelsea as a third force has now become a threat to the Premiership title. I
remember quite vividly that when Chelsea lost at Manchester city there was no looking back after this reverse and since then have been successful.
England midfielder Frank Lampard, was the club's top scorer with 18 goals ahead of strikers Didier Grogba and Eidur Gudjohnsen, while J. Cole delighted with his fancy footwork. Frank was voted Footballer of the Year by English soccer writers - ahead of Chelsea captain John Terry and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher. |
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Bula Chowdhury first woman to conquer five
continents
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I must confess that it was indeed a spectacular feat of stamina and endurance when Bula became the world's first woman to conquer five continents by crossing from three-anchor bay to Robben Islands near Cape Town in South Africa. Bula became the first woman to cross what is metaphorically called the seven seas, added another feather to her cap by conquering around 30 km. distance in the cold Antarctic waters in three hours and 26-minutes. The timing was a record in itself, as Bula emerged as the first Asian woman to have swam the stretch in such a short time and did her country proud.
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