Snooker (pronounced UK: /ˈsnuːkər/ SNOO-kər, US: /ˈsnʊkər/ SNUUK-ər)[1][2] is a cue sport played on a rectangular billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six pockets: one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side.

In 1875, army officer Neville Chamberlain, stationed in India, devised a set of rules that combined black pool and pyramids.

The most prominent players of the modern era are Ray Reardon (1970s), Steve Davis (1980s) and Stephen Hendry (1990s), each winning at least six world titles.

[3] In the 1870s, billiards was popular among British Army officers stationed in Jubbulpore, India, and several variations of the game were devised during this time.

[11][12][13] Snooker was further developed in 1882 when its first set of rules was finalised by British Army officer Neville Chamberlain,[b][5][14] who helped devise and popularise the game at Stone House in Ootacamund on a table built by Burroughes & Watts that had been sent to India by sea.

[14][17][18] The new game of snooker featured in an 1887 issue of the Sporting Life newspaper in England, which led to a growth in popularity.

[5] Snooker became increasingly popular across the Indian colonies of the British Raj and in the United Kingdom, but it remained a game played mostly by military officers and the gentry.

[44] Snooker quickly became a mainstream sport in the United Kingdom,[45][46] Ireland, and much of the Commonwealth, and has remained consistently popular since the late 1970s, with most of the major tournaments being televised.

Cigarette brand Embassy sponsored the World Snooker Championship for thirty consecutive years from 1976 to 2005, one of the longest-running deals in British sports sponsorship.

[49] In the early 2000s, a ban on tobacco advertising led to a reduction in the number of professional tournaments,[50][51] which decreased from twenty-two events in 1999 to fifteen in 2003.

[52][53] The sport had become more popular in Asia with the emergence of players such as Ding Junhui and Marco Fu,[54][55] and still received significant television coverage in the UK—the BBC dedicated 400 hours to snooker in 2007, compared to just 14 minutes 40 years earlier.

[57] In the same year, promoter Barry Hearn gained a controlling interest in the World Snooker Tour, pledging to revitalise the "moribund" professional game.

[75] One drawback of using a full-size table is the amount of space required to accommodate it, which limits the locations where the game can easily be played.

[75] At the start of the game, the red balls are racked into a tightly packed equilateral triangle, and the colours are positioned at designated spots on the table.

The players then take alternating turns at playing shots,[d] with the aim of potting a red ball into a pocket and thereby scoring one point.

Failure to make contact with a red ball constitutes a foul, which results in penalty points being awarded to the opponent.

[75]: 20 Professional and competitive amateur matches are officiated by a referee who is charged with ensuring the proper conduct of players and making decisions "in the interests of fair play".

[96] Beginning in the 2014–15 season, some players have also received invitational tour cards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the sport; these cards are issued at the discretion of the World Snooker Board, and have been awarded to players including Steve Davis, James Wattana, Jimmy White, and Stephen Hendry.

[111] Certain other events, such as those in the Players Series, use the one-year ranking list to qualify; these use the results of the current season to denote participants.

[117][118][119] The World Championship is the most highly valued title in professional snooker,[120] in terms of financial reward (the tournament has carried a £500,000 winner's prize since 2019), ranking points and prestige.

[125] As of April 2024[update], only eleven players have won all three events,[126] the most recent being Judd Trump who completed the Triple Crown in May 2019.

[133][134] After facing some criticism for matches taking too long,[135] Matchroom Sport chairman Barry Hearn introduced a series of timed tournaments: the shot-timed Premier League Snooker, held between 1987 and 2012, featured seven players invited to compete at regular United Kingdom venues and was televised on Sky Sports.

[138] A trial of the format for cue sports to be played at the 2024 Games was conducted at the 2019 World Team Trophy, which also featured nine-ball and carom billiards.

[154][155] Lower-ranked professional players can struggle to make a living from the sport, especially after paying tournament entry fees, travel costs and other expenses.

While the main professional tour is open to male and female players alike, there is also a separate women's tour organised by World Women's Snooker (formerly the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association) which encourages female players to participate in the sport and take part in high-level amateur competitions.

[166] Reanne Evans won the women's world title a record twelve times, including ten consecutive victories from 2005 to 2014.

"[170] A World Women's Snooker spokesperson commented, "It is disappointing and unacceptable that in 2019 that [sic] players such as Rebecca Kenna have been the victim of antiquated discriminatory practices.

[173] During his entire professional career, Davis remained undefeated when playing on equal terms, although he did lose some matches in handicapped tournaments.

First staged in 1990, the idea was resurrected in 2011 with a modified version that was added to the professional tour in the 2010–11 season and upgraded to a ranking event in 2017.

[208] Using nine red balls racked in a diamond-shaped pack at the start of the game, the matches were limited to a fixed game-play period of 30 minutes.