Free Ball Question

[Simon Whitehead]

Hi everyone this is a hardish to explain question i was playing snooker the other day with my friend and i fouled but you couldnt see both sides of any red because reds were covering sides of reds is this still a free ball? Ive always thought it was a free ball due to the fact you cant touch both extreme sides of any one red! Im looking forward to seeing what the answer is as its been kind of doin my head in for a while!

Thanks for your help
Simon

[nrage]

It all comes down to the definition of "snookered", from the official rules..

17. Snookered
The cue-ball is said to be snookered when a direct stroke in a straight
line to every ball on is wholly or partially obstructed by a ball or balls not
on. If one or more balls on can be struck at both extreme edges free of
obstruction by any ball not on, the cue-ball is not snookered .

So, in your example you are not snookered and therefore not awarded a free ball.

Essentially you have to consider each red in turn, ignoring all other reds. Or to put it another way, if all that's stopping you hitting both sides of a red, is another red, then you're not snookered, no free ball.

[Simon Whitehead]

Thank you

Thats fantastic thank you so much that will stop a few arguments and stuff thank you

[Souwester]

One red cannot snooker you on another red.

Imagine this line up: 2 reds on the table. Furthest one on theblue spot, cue ball on the brown spot. Nearer red immediately in front of the far red overlaps the right edge of the furthest one by say ¼ ball. Half ball to the right of the nearer red is the yellow.

You cannot hit both sides of the nearer red and not can you directly hit the right hand edge of the far red. However, in assessing whether this is a free ball, you have to imagine the nearer red not being there. If you take away the nearer red, you'd be able to see the right hand edge of the far red, because you've got about 1¼ ball's width.