Concept in Definition ABC

East sport from precision It is practiced on a tabletop lined with cloth. On it some balls are propelled by a cue. The movement of the balls has a dimension geometric and by this reason players must have great position control bodily and their movements.

Historical origins and modalities

Although ancient Egyptians and Greeks played with balls on the I usuallyIt was from the fifteenth century when the first billiard tables appeared. French and English dispute his invention. There are documents that prove that the French King Louis Xl played in the palace hall. From the point of view of sporting competition, it was the English who organized the first championships at the beginning of the 19th century.

Like most sports, this one has different versions: artistic or fantasy, carom or French billiards, American pool, snooker, freestyle, fins, blackball, plate or Russian billiards or pyramid.

In culture

American billiards or pool is practiced by several people and is usually played in nightlife venues. There are two Hollywood movies that show the

environment of this game: "The Hustler" from 1961 starring Paul Newman and "The Color of Money" from 1986 starring Tom Cruise and Paul Newman (the latter playing the role of a retired champion who discovers a new promise). Both show the atmosphere associated with the pool: places full of smoke, gambling and alcohol.

In other modalities there is a totally different environment. Thus, in artistic pool tournaments, players dress very elegantly and the spirit of fair play is maintained at all times.

Eight curiosities

- Formerly the balls were made of ivory, but today they are made of phenolic resin.

- The American version is the only one in which the balls are numbered.

- The colors green, red and blue are the most used in the rugs.

- Unlike other sports disciplines, billiard champions are not especially young.

- The first billiard room was created at the end of the 18th century in England.

- The first chalks are made from a compound made up of calcium and magnesium carbonate.

- The Frenchman Gustavo Coriolis, known for the Coriolis effect, wrote in the 19th century a treatise in which billiards were related to the principles of mathematics.

- Queen Mary Stuart of Scotland was imprisoned for eighteen years and was finally executed by order of Elizabeth I of England. In his first years of captivity, he entertained himself by playing billiards, one of his favorite hobbies.

Fotolia photos: Verve / Seroma72

Themes in Billiards