Interesting Q & A’s   A foul shot has occurred with one red left on the table, the cue ball is touching the red. Is it a free ball, or, can you see both sides of the red?   NO FREE BALL would be awarded by a referee and the reasoning is quite straightforward. The rules clearly state that for a free ball to be awarded you must be snookered after the foul stroke. In your example you are not snookered, any more than you would be if the cue-ball had come to rest touching the cushion in the jaws of a pocket. You cannot be snookered by the cushion or by the ball "on" - so no free ball. But you would have the options of playing yourself or putting your opponent back in.     With reference to Rules Section 2 Rule 12 & Section 3 12d(v), what would happen in the following situation: A player pots a red and is then snookered by the remaining reds on all colours. He does not nominate a colour (Sec. 2 Rule 12) and before the referee has time to ask (Sec. 3 Rule 12d(v)) plays his stroke. The cue ball misses a red, misses the yellow & blue by a millimeter and ends up touching the black. Is this a foul and what is the penalty? What would have happened if the cue ball had come to rest not touching any colour?   You were so close to finding the answers yourself. Had you read one more line of Section 3, you would have found Rule 12d(vi). This states that after potting a red, if you commit a foul before nominating a colour it carries a penalty of 7 points.     An opponent breaks off leaving me a long rest shot to pot a red in one of the 'black' pockets, the cueball being about 6 inches to the right of the pink (still on it's spot). I have to stretch over the side of the table whilst using the rest and cue extension. As I lean over, standing on one leg to reach the shot, the carpet tiles under foot slip and move quite severely causing me to over balance. This in turn causes the cue and rest to move and I touch the pink with the cue moving it about 2 inches from its spot. No other balls were disturbed. Is there any provision in the rules for this kind of situation and what would the ruling be?   An incident like this is covered quite adequately by Rule 18 in Section 3, which states that the equipment normally found at the table is not the responsibilty of the striker. So if any piece of equipment was faulty and caused the striker to touch a ball then no foul would be called. The floor of course is normally found at the table, and although you would not normally think of it as part of the equipment, it surely is. So, NO FOUL should be called, the referee should replace the pink, and you should carry on as though nothing had happened.     In a doubles match my opponents were 7 points behind with only the black remaining.  My partner fouled by missing the black which would have then tied the scores.  I had then said that because a foul had been made on the black the game is tied and the black is re-spotted and we play the black again, however, my opponent said that in doubles that does not happen and you continue to play on, leaving the black where it was as the foul was made. Can you tell me if the black should have been re-spotted after the original foul or should we have continued on the black from where it was ?   You were correct. The black should have been re-spotted, and the cue-ball played from 'hand' in the next stroke. See the next question but one for a similar query.     A question about a respotted black in a doubles match. I broke off originally, my partner potted blue pink and black to tie the scores. I won the toss, and potted the black to win the frame. Our opponents claim that my partner should have made the shot because he was the last player on the table. Advise please.   The rules cover this situation very clearly in Section 3.17, which governs four-handed snooker. As you won the toss, you and your partner had the choice of who played the next stroke. So your shot was perfectly legal. Had you failed to pot the black the rules then stipulate that the order of play must continue as it had from the beginning of the frame.     In a recent match a free ball was called as the last red could not be seen after a foul stroke. The player at the table potted the black as the free ball, but did not nominate the black as the free ball prior to the shot. Is this a foul as the free ball was not identified ?   Not necessarily. If it was totally obvious that the black was the only colour he could possibly be playing, then it would not be a foul stroke. But had there been any doubt a foul should have been called and a seven point penalty awarded to the opponent. A good referee would always ask the player to declare in this situation, and the player must answer - or a seven point penalty would be awarded to the opponent, regardless of which colour he intended to play. It is not necessary for the player to declare verbally, simply pointing the cue at the ball he intends to take would be enough.     A player is granted a free ball with only the blue, pink and black left. He nominates the pink which he plays onto the blue potting the blue and the pink. Is this a foul ?   No, it would be a perfectly legal shot. The player would score five points only, and the pink would then be replaced on it's own spot. The reason only five points would be scored although in effect two "blues" were potted, is because there is deemed to be only one blue ball in the game, and it can only be potted once in any one stroke.     One red is left on the table and the striker has a free ball, he nominates black as the free ball but goes in-off. What are the points awarded to his opponent, 4 or 7 ?   4 points would be awarded to the opponent. The "free ball" counts as the ball "on" for the duration of the shot. So in the example you give his opponent would gain 4 points for any foul.     I have heard somewhere that fine sandpaper should be used to roughen the tip so that it holds the chalk and also to mould it to the correct shape. Is this true and are there any other pointers you can give me with reference to keeping the tip in good condition.   No, you should never use sandpaper. Special tools are available for shaping the tip but your best bet is to use a small file. Protect the cue by wrapping paper around the end of the shaft, and then hold in place with sellotape. There is very little you need do to keep it in good condition. If you find you're miscueing a little too often, use the edge of the file and push this in to the surface of the tip. Sometimes the chalk can get a little clogged, and this will break it up without causing any damage.     I came across something for the first time not so long ago which I probably will never see again. A player potted a red and by some outrageous chance ended up in the middle of the reds with a loose red coming around the angles and then trapping the cue ball in the pack. With no possible route to a colour, what happens?   Luckily this doesn't happen too often !   Nevertheless the rule covering this situation is quite straightforward. It is important to realise that the striker has no choice, he can only play a foul stroke. The stroke must be played however with enough strength that had their been no intervening balls then he could have struck the ball on. The referee will of course state that a 'foul' has been made, but will not call a 'miss.' In this particular example, the player must take care. He must play the cue ball out of the pack and (hopefully) in the general direction of the nominated colour. If he were to nominate blue, pink or black, (assuming they were on or near their spots,) he may be able to escape the reds without leaving too many opportunities for his opponent. This would obviously make him liable for a 5, 6 or 7 point penalty, but if he chose yellow, green or brown, to gain a lower penalty, he may dislodge many more reds in the attempt.   If you have any queries or questions e-mail them to us at: info@downpatrickdistrict-snookerbilliards.com We will do our best to answer all your questions.