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Russian Billiards is an unusual game,
painstakingly developed over time, and to the best of our knowledge unique to
the games room of the University Club of Queen's University at Kingston.
However, since the rules were posted on the web, I've had feedback from players
all over the world who have tried playing this fine game. It is ideally suited
for varying numbers of players who may come and go at random. Although it has a
clear beginning, there is no clearly defined end, and no objectives, other than
those the players themselves bring to the game. The rules of Russian are subject to regular
modification, making this a truly "living" game. Violation of any rule is considered a scratch,
regardless of intent. Balls
Six or more coloured balls (red, pink, blue,
yellow, black and green) and one white ball may be present on the table. Except
as noted below, all of the balls must be present at the start of each shot.
Each ball is associated with (a) particular pocket(s) and spotting location.
Viewed from the bottom of the table: ·
·
The
red ball is spotted on the first central spot and associated with both bottom
pockets. Its value is one point. ·
The
pink ball is spotted on the second central spot and has special associative
properties described under Declaration. Its value is dependent on declaration. ·
The
blue ball is spotted on the middle spot and is associated with both of the side
pockets. Its value is nine points ·
The
yellow ball is spotted on the top left spot and associated with the top left
pocket. Its value is six points. ·
One
black ball may be spotted on the top centre spot for each of the of the players
that has a posted score of more than 90 points. It has no value, but has
special properties as described under Black Ball. ·
The
green ball is spotted on the top right spot and associated with the top right
pocket. Its value is three points. The figure shows the placement of each of the
balls on the table. The spots referred to are the standard Snooker spots. When
it is not possible to spot a ball in its assigned location it will be spotted
as directed by the second player following the current player, or by the other
player in the case where there are only two players. Play
Play will begin with all balls spotted on their
associated spots, when the first player strikes the white ball. After the first shot either the white ball or
the pink ball may be the cue ball. see Declaration. A shot consists of striking the cue ball with a
cue in such a way as to put it in motion, and continues until all the balls
have come to rest. A turn consists of one or more shots by the
same player. A player may continue shooting indefinitely, until a given shot
yields either zero points or a scratch, at which point play rotates to the next
player in the sequence. When any ball is first placed on the table, or
returned to the table after leaving the table in such a way as not to return of
its own accord, it shall be placed on its associated spot. If that spot is blocked,
the ball shall be spotted to any vacant spot on the table, at the discretion of
the player whose turn precedes the current player. When the white ball is returned to the table
and used as the cue ball, the next shot must direct it so that it does not
strike a ball that rests on the D line, or on the same side of the D line as
the cue ball, before the cue ball has struck a ball or cushion on the opposite
side of the D line. When, at the end of a shot, the cue ball is in
direct contact with another ball, that ball shall be considered to be the first
ball contacted by the cue ball on the next shot, regardless of the direction of
the shot. Players may enter and leave the sequence at any
vacant position, however, a player's score shall remain active until that
player has died; the game has been discontinued; or for one full rotation after
that player has declared said player's withdrawal from the game. (Returning
one's cue to the storage rack shall be considered a declaration of withdrawal
from the game.) Scoring
Scoring from a single shot is cumulative and is
treated as being without order of accumulation. A player shall keep a running
tally of points scored. These points will be posted to the player's score only
at the end of a turn, or when a star or planetary body is scored. In the event
of a scratch all points scored during that turn vaporize, and penalties are
applied to the player's score, if any, as it was at the start of the turn. A player who has no stars shall accumulate
points in two tallies, above and below a horizontal line, adding all newly
scored points to the tally above the line. In the event of a scratch, the tally
above the line will be eliminated and half its value (rounding down) will be
added to the tally below the line. If a scratch occurs when there is no score
above the line, the score below the line shall be halved (rounding down). A player with one star shall accumulate points
in a single tally. In the event of a scratch that tally shall be halved
(rounding down). A player with two stars shall accumulate points
in a single tally. In the event of a scratch that tally shall be reduced to
zero. A player with three stars shall accumulate
points in a single tally. In the event of a scratch that tally shall be
multiplied by negative one or, if it is already negative, shall be doubled. A player with more than three stars shall be
subject to more severe penalties, declared at the whim of his or her
opponent(s). In the special case where a player scratches in
the same turn during which that player claimed another player's score (see
Stars), the full value of the penalty assessed shall revert to the aggrieved
player. When the black ball is on the table and a
player whose posted score exceeds 90 points scratches, the penalty points must
be divided between the other players. The distribution is at the discretion of
the scratching player. Cannons
When the cue ball contacts more than one ball,
two points are awarded for each successive colour of ball that is contacted,
provided that colour has not been previously contacted by the cue ball during
that shot. Hitting the same ball more than once counts
zero. Hitting two different balls declared to be the same colour counts zero. In Off
When the cue ball is sunk in a pocket
associated with the first ball that it contacted, points are scored according
to the value of that ball. Pot
When a coloured ball is sunk in a pocket with
which it is associated points are scored according to the value of that ball,
except that no ball may be potted off it's spot on more than three successive
shots. Scratch
A scratch is assessed immediately against any
player who violates any of the rules, or against the active player when, during
a shot: ·the cue ball does not contact any
other ball. ·any ball leaves the table entirely
(that is, without being pocketed) and fails to return to the table of its own
accord. ·a ball is sunk in a pocket with
which it is not associated. ·the cue ball is sunk in a pocket
with which the first ball it struck is not associated. ·a black ball is contacted or put in
motion during the shot of a player who has a posted score of over 90 points. ·a player's accumulated score,
including points not yet posted, exceeds one hundred points, or reaches one
hundred points as the result of a shot that scored more than a single point. In addition, any player who shoots when a
required ball is missing from the table is assessed a scratch. Any player who
incorrectly spots a ball is assessed a scratch. Stars
Stars are for display purposes only, and once
awarded lose all but symbolic value. (Although previous versions of these rules
have permitted chicken stars and stars with honour, as we move to a market
economy it becomes clear that these stars are entirely artificial and contrary
to the spirit of the game. Hence, they have been purged.) A Real Star is scored whenever a player reaches
a total score of exactly one hundred points by scoring a single point on her or
his final shot leading to the star. At that point the player must claim and
post to his or her own score the accumulated points of any other player and a
`red ball star'. In either case, the player continues shooting and accumulating
points. Note that any single point shot is valid for obtaining a real star,
whether the red ball is involved or not. Declaration
At the start of any player's turn that player
may choose to declare the pink ball to have another colour. For example:
"The pink is green." This declaration associates the pink ball with
the same pocket(s) as the named ball and gives it the same point value. If no
declaration is made, the pink remains pink and has no associated pocket.
Following either the declaration or the player's first shot of the turn the
colour of the pink ball remains fixed for the duration of that player's turn. Declaration must be explicit, as the only
obvious (Shorter Oxford: Plain and open to the eye) colour of the pink ball is
pink. In the special case where the pink ball is
declared to be white, the player may choose to shoot either the white ball or
the pink ball as the cue ball, and may use either one in subsequent shots in
that turn. While the pink is in use as the cue ball, the white ball is deemed
to be black, and while the white ball is in use as the cue ball, the pink ball
is deemed to be black. In addition a player may not make more than five cannons
in any sequence of shots without including another scoring play. Black Ball
A black ball is not spotted to the table unless
all conditions specified under Balls have been met. If there are fewer black
balls on the table than are permitted by the conditions, any player may spot a
black ball to the table. Once the conditions would no longer permit the
spotting to the table of the number of black balls present, any black ball may
be removed from the table by any player, before any shot. Where multiple black balls are not available,
other balls, such as the brown ball may be substituted for the second and
additional black balls, but for the purposes of these rules, they shall be
considered indistinguishable from one another. These rules are copyright 1993,1994,1995,1996
by Ryk
(This space intentionally left blank to
accommodate future revisions of the rules.) Revised by Rick Sellens, 1996.04.18 |
