Takmičenje će okupiti 32 najbolja igrača sveta, a favoriti su Džad Tramp, Roni O’Saliven, Kajren Vilson, Mark Selbi i Mark Alen
The championship brings together 32 of the world’s best players, and top favourites are Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby and Mark Allen
IN THE BUILD UP TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP A gentlemanly game of tension Snooker is a sport in which manners, respect for
Ko sakupi više poena, pobedio je. Odnosno, osvojio je frejm. Mečevi se igraju u više frejmova, u zavisnosti od kvaliteta turnira i toga da li se igra pr- vo kolo ili finale. U finalu Svetskog pr- venstva može da se odigra maksimal- no 35 frejmova, odnosno pobednik je igrač koji prvi stigne do 18. Zato se fi- nale igra dva dana, u više dnevnih ter- mina. Šta snuker čini zanimljivim? Re- kli bismo, strategija. Ne radi se sa- mo o pukom ubacivanju kugli nego i o postavljanju bele kugle tako da se- bi olakšaš sledeći potez, odnosno da otežaš protivniku. Važna je i preci- znost – sto je veliki, a kugle manje u odnosu na klasičan bilijar, pa treba dosta veštine. Snuker je sport u kojem su maniri, poštovanje protivnika i fer-plej od ve- like važnosti. Ova kultura discipline i elegancije doprinosi njegovoj dugoveč- nosti i ugledu. Takođe, kombinuje ve- štinu, taktiku i psihološku igru, što ga čini jednim od najuzbudljivijih spor- tova za gledanje i igranje. Preokreti su česti i dešava se da igrač ima frejm u ruci, ali da onda promaši lagan potez i tako dozvoli protivniku da počisti sto. Zato igrači moraju da planiraju nekoli- ko udaraca unapred, da u glavi zamisle gde će se bela zaustaviti, da se slučaj- no ne bi zalepila za mantinelu, odno- sno ivicu bilijarskog stola. Sve će vam se razjasniti posle nekoliko frejmova, ali da vas upozorimo, posle nema na- zad – postaćete superfan snukera. Ma- da ne deluje tako na prvi pogled, to je zarazna igra.
be potted, and so on. Once all the reds have been cleared from the table, the coloured balls must be potted in order from lowest to highest value (yellow to black). Penalty points are also awarded if, for example, you miss the target ball and hit the wrong one, touch the ball with your hand, pot the cue ball etc. Whoever earns the most points wins. Or wins the frame. Matches are played over multiple frames, depending on the qual- ity of the tournament and whether it is a first-round match or a final. A maxi- mum of 35 frames can be played in the fi- nal of the World Snooker Championship, meaning the winner is the first player to reach 18 frames. That’s why the final is played over two days, across multiple dai- ly sessions. What makes snooker interesting? We would say that’s strategy. This isn’t just about pocketing the balls, but also about placing the cue ball in such a way that you ease your next shot or make your op- ponent’s harder. Accuracy is also impor- tant – the table is large, while the balls are smaller than in classic billiards, mean- ing a lot of skill is required. Snooker is a sport in which manners, re- spect for opponents and fair play are hugely important. This culture of disci- pline and elegance has contributed to the sport’s longevity and reputation. It also combines skill, tactics and psycho- logical competition, which makes it one of the most exciting sports to watch and play. Turnarounds are frequent and it can often happen that a player seeming- ly has a frame “in the palm of his hand”, only to miss an easy pot and thus allow his opponent to “clean the table”. That’s why players need to plan several shots ahead, imagining in their head where the cue ball will come to a stop to ensure it doesn't accidentally “stick” to the cush- ion, i.e., the edge of the table. Everything will become clear to you after just a few frames, but we must warn you that, once you try it, there’s no turning back – you’ll become a snooker superfan. Though it might not seem like it at first glance, this is an addictive game.
opponents and fair play are just as important as skill or tactics S nooker is really an extremely simple sport. All you need is a little patience. And, yes, now is the right time to play it. We are awaited by peak sea- son and the World Championship, which runs from 19 th April to 5 th May at the fa- mous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Tickets for the final, only for the evening session, range from a price of £145 to £710 per day and are likely to have been sold out by the time you read this. That speaks volumes about the popularity of snooker, which has long since expanded beyond the shores of Great Britain and is today played equally well across the rest of Europe, China, Australia, India and elsewhere. The success of legends like Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry, and to- day’s inimitable Ronnie O'Sullivan, have only increased interest further. So, let’s switch slowly to the rules. Snook- er is a type of billiards that’s played on a larger table (3.6 x 1.8 metres), with more balls (21 in total, 15 red and six colours) and, of course, a white cue ball, as well as a cue that’s thinner and longer than the ones used in classic billiards. The ba- sic rule is that the player must alternate- ly pot the red ball followed by a coloured ball. A miss allows the rival player to take their turn. Moreover, if the player doesn’t have a “clear shot”, he doesn’t have to pot the ball and can instead choose to “hide” it. If the opponent is unable to hit the required ball directly, he is said to have been “snookered”, which is how the game got its name. Following the initial break shot, a snook- er player must first pot a red ball (worth 1 point), followed by one of the coloured balls (which are worth different points: 2 for yellow, 3 for green, 4 for brown, 5 for blue, 6 for pink and 7 for black). After a coloured ball is potted, it is returned to the table (as long as there are reds still in play), after which a red must once again
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