The World Championship uses a longer format, with matches ranging from the best of 19 frames in the first round to better of 35 for the ultimate, which is performed over four classes of play held over two days. The highest degree competitors within the newbie sport is the IBSF World Snooker Championship. Essentially the most prestigious amateur event in England is the English Amateur Championship; first held in 1916, that is the oldest snooker competitors still being performed on the planet. The main tournament on the girls's tour is the World Women's Snooker Championship, the winner of which receives a two-12 months tour card to the principle professional tour. O'Sullivan played only one tournament in 2013, the World Championship, which he won. He received six world titles altogether (in 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1987-1989) and competed in the most-watched snooker match, the 1985 World Snooker Championship last, which he lost to Dennis Taylor.

One sport of snooker is named a "frame", and a snooker match typically consists of a predetermined number of frames. The total number of consecutive points (excluding fouls) that a participant amasses throughout one go to to the desk is known as a "break". A sport called pyramid pool, like pyramids, was also performed on a billiard desk in England prior to 1850. The principles of these two games had been very comparable. Snooker has been contested on the World Games since 2001 and was included as an occasion on the 2019 African Games. A trial of the format for cue sports activities to be performed at the 2024 Games was carried out on the 2019 World Team Trophy, which additionally featured 9-ball and carom billiards. Beginning within the 2014-15 season, some gamers have additionally received invitational tour playing cards in recognition of their excellent contributions to the sport; these cards are issued on the discretion of the World Snooker Board, and have been awarded to players together with Steve Davis, James Wattana, Jimmy White, and Stephen Hendry. Professional and aggressive amateur matches are officiated by a referee who's charged with making certain the proper conduct of players and making decisions "in the interests of truthful play".

While the main skilled tour is open to male and feminine players alike, there can be a separate women's tour organised by World Women's Snooker (previously the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association) which encourages feminine players to participate in the sport and take part in excessive level amateur competitions. All competitions are open to professional players who've qualified for the tour, and chosen amateur gamers, but most events include a separate qualification stage. A two-tier structure was adopted for the 1997-98 season; comprising six tournaments known as the WPBSA Minor Tour was open to all professionals, however only ran for one season. Every player on the World Snooker Tour is assigned a position on the WPBSA's official world rating listing, which is used to determine the seedings and the level of qualification each player requires for the tournaments on the professional circuit. Other profitable female gamers are Kelly Fisher (with 5 girls's world titles), Ng On-yee (with three), and most lately Nutcharut Wongharuthai, Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan and Bai Yulu, who won the World Women's Snooker Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively.

However, cue ball control, huge amounts of spin and arm energy are all wanted to grasp the sport successfully. 13,28 If a participant is awarded a free ball with all fifteen reds nonetheless in play, they'll probably make a break exceeding 147, with the very best possible being a 155 break, achieved by nominating the free ball as an additional red, then potting the black as the additional colour after potting the free-ball purple, followed by the fifteen reds with blacks, and eventually the colours. 40 Another obligation of the referee is to recognise and declare a stalemate when neither player is able to make any progress in the body. Snooker is a mixed gender sport that affords women and men the identical alternatives to progress at all levels of the game. Geographic variations exist within the United States and Brazil, while velocity versions of the standard sport have been developed in the United Kingdom. Sinuca brasileira (or "Brazilian snooker") is a variant of snooker performed solely in Brazil, with totally divergent rules from the standard sport and using just one red ball as an alternative of fifteen. All factors scored within the break earlier than the foul occurred are awarded to the striker, however no factors are scored for any ball pocketed through the foul shot.