Question about snooker on a free ball

[monocot1]

The last red is the ball on and I have a free ball. Lay of the balls looks a bit like this:
() Cueball () Green () Brown () Red
I know I can't just roll up behind the green, so I hit the green away to snooker my opponent behind the brown.

The green comes back off the cushion though and ends up somewhere between the brown and the red:
() Cueball () Brown () Green () Red

My opponent can see one edge of the red, but both balls are obscuring the other edge.

Is this a foul and a free ball to my opponent because the green is one of the balls in the way and I'm not allowed to snooker them behind the green?
Or, is it legal because the brown is the primary obstruction?

Something like this happened and I gave them the foul, but now I'm thinking the only reason you can't snooker behind the green is because it's considered the 'ball on' for that shot, so if the snooker was achieved by putting them behind the brown, it's the brown covering both 'balls on', so the fact the green happens to be in between is inconsequential?

Was only a very casual came and it's unlikely to happen again but I'm curious now haha

[DeanH]

No Foul.
The closest ball to the cue ball is the snookering ball, so in your scenario you are fine as the brown is now the snookering ball.

You do not start the "what if" thinking, what if I move the Brown then the Green is snookering ball, so a foul, do not think like this
I have had conversations like this down the club, "what if" does NOT come into it.

You can not snooker behind a nominated free ball (Green in your scenario) - unless only Pink and Black on the table (not your scenario).


IF there are two or more object balls equidistant from the cue ball, then there can be more than one snookering ball.


See the following two post which will help
http://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/boa...f-you-have-one
http://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/boa...-t)-do-with-it

[monocot1]

Very helpful answer thanks very much!

[Londonlad147]

You do not start the "what if" thinking,

'What if' thinking DOES come into play though, where multiple reds are concerned. because one red cannot snooker you on another red, and you need to consider each red individually, as if the other weren't there.

[DeanH]

of course when multiple reds are involved but not colours
I was going to add this scenario but then the horde arrived from school and somehow I forgot this bit

Thanks for covering :wink:

[monocot1]

'What if' thinking DOES come into play though, where multiple reds are concerned. because one red cannot snooker you on another red, and you need to consider each red individually, as if the other weren't there.

that makes sense, thanks for the addition!