One Hundred and Fifty Three

Aussie critic Clive James once described the game of Snooker as "chess with balls", which I can personally attest to; I have played both keenly, yet am not particularly skilled in either. However, they have a disparity in one particular aspect - chess games are won by tactically overcoming and oppressing your opponent until they have no moves left, whereas snooker frames are won in a scale fashion, from a grinding safety play, to a complete whitewash; a maximum break.

The maximum break is most classically defined as 147 points, which is 15 reds, 15 blacks, then yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, and black...

This latest display by Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan, in his never-ending target of perfection, reminds us that the true maximum break is 155. This requires a very rare set of circumstances - for a free ball to be given before any red has been potted, then the free ball to be potted, followed by the black (current break of 8), then 15 reds, 15 blacks, then yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, and black...

Snooker frames phase between safety play and breaks. During safety play, you aim to force your opponent into difficult situations, namely snookers, or limit their available shot choices to risky shots. Taking a whole game to an extreme, a ground out safety battle would result in a "black ball" - where only the black and white balls remain on the table, and either player just needs to pot the black to win. Naturally, this is an exciting ending to a frame, and has led to numerous famous game point collisions, notably the 1985 black ball final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. Taylor potted the black ball after both adversaries had missed the pot in spectacular fashion. This alone likely inspired a generation of snooker players; after all, this would have been on BBC2 at a time when there were 4 TV channels. The broadcast remains the highest post-midnight viewing figures on the channel. Clearly, even a long grind carries some excitement.

The majority of frames, however, are won following breaks. The ultimate goal is to score enough points that there are not enough points available left on the table for your counterpart to make more than you, by stringing together a break. But once this theoretical number is reached, barring your opponent landing snookers on you, the pressure is off. You miss now - it doesn't matter, the frame is yours, the point is landed, perhaps the match is won. This is when the great game opens up for the players to show some flair and attempt shots that would not be attempted during the highly strung combat of normal play.

During breaks in normal play, the player at the table is balancing risk, opportunity, and arse-covering through shot choice and planning. The aggressor will be thinking 3-5 shots ahead, and will be planning these based on their strategy. The ability to "see" these shots ahead, including the placement of the cue ball and movements of others, how a group of balls might split, is an absolutely key skill in the game. In the late 80's and 90's Stephen Hendry changed the balance much more in the region of aggressive, attacking break play - making the break last as long as possible, and score as heavily as possible, by taking more risks. Hendry's dedication to training and practicing long potting gave him a massive advantage on the tour, winning seven world championships in his prime.

Hendry arrived on the scene after the Taylor/Davis/Thorne era, but a few years before Snookers "Class of '92" - Ronnie/Williams/Higgins. The Rocket followed in Hendry's footsteps with a very fast, attacking style of play, and has forever since been chasing perfection. This gameplay has been refined over the years, with Ronnie developing his tactical and safety play, while keeping the speed of the shots up. This style is now the benchmark for modern players. The bullish Trump and Robertson have had to pull back from out-and-out attack, and come more in line with the slightly more balanced playing style of the Rocket. They can hold the safety play for longer, waiting for better opportunities to break, and take the frame in a single visit. This approach has landed The Rocket a record of career centuries, the fastest ever 'maximum' and the highest ever maximum, as well as numerous titles.

Ronnie really has defined snooker over the last 25 years, and very few players come close to his natural ability, tactics, and shot choice. It is a dishonour that he is not more widely praised, having never won the Sports Personality Of The Year. Perhaps, this is because of Ronnie's personality, where he may fairly have been compared to that of Liam Gallagher in his earlier years, but O'Sullivan has more recently got into running and health, reporting of its positive impact on his game. I do believe that Ronnies approach to the game should be an inspiration to any athlete or goal-seeker; he is absolutely driven for perfection, and is deeply affected when his performances don't reflect this.

Returning to the chess comparison, I can't see how the games are even on par. The dynamics of a snooker frame are infinite in tension, duration, possibility. Frames allow for displays of flair and complete landslide, and leave no prisoners for those who are not performing. An undervalued game is Snooker, once a highlight of the British sports calendar, now reduced to broadcasting highlights reels only, media by search instead of push. Snooker has lost its position as the flagship pub game to darts... Perhaps it needs more players with the eye for perfection like Ronnie, or maybe more young energy and bigger crowds, in the shadow of Luke Littler and his viral impact on Darts. The former would be preferable for me.