Snooker - Overview

Snooker is a sport played on a table roofed with a green cloth or (baize), with pockets at each of the four corners and in the inner of each of the long side cushions. Snooker is commonly regarded as having been invented in India by British Army officers and is widely held in many of the English-speaking and Commonwealth countries.

A Brief History of Snooker

Snooker was invented in 19^th century by changing some rules in billiards. In billiards only red balls are used while in snooker colored balls are also used besides the red balls. Sir Neville Chamberlain finalized the rules in 1884. The word snooker came into light when one of the opponents of Chamberlain failed to pocket a ball and was called a snooker by Chamberlain.

Snooker became popular in England and later on, various clubs were made to play the sport. The first World Snooker Championship was held in 1927 and its organiser was Joe Davis. Before his retirement he won the World Championship in 1946.

In 1969, David Attenborough organised Pot Black snooker tournament which included multi colored balls and green table. He did this for the demonstration of a colored television. In 1978, World Snooker Championship was telecasted on television.

Participating Countries

Snooker is one of those popular sports that is played in almost every corner of the world. The sport is often treated as royal sport too. The sport was originated in India (during the British rule) but soon after that it got widespread all over the world. Now every country has their individual snooker governing bodies to ensure fair play of this sport.

The countries where the sport is popular include: England, Canada, Wales, Australia, India, Ireland, Scotland, and China.