From Experiment to Global Sport- History of Snooker

-By Tanya Mahajan

Snooker started in the 19th century when British Army officers in India created a new version of billiards. In 1875, Lieutenant Neville Chamberlain experimented on the officers’ mess table with the existing game of ‘Black Pool’ featuring 15 red balls and a black, came up with the game by adding more colored balls. The word "snooker" was originally a slang term used for first-year cadets at the Royal Military Academy, but it soon became the name of the game itself.

The game became popular among British soldiers and later spread to England, where it grew in prominence, especially after British billiards champion John Roberts introduced it to a wider audience. In 1927, a famous player, Joe Davis, organized the first World Snooker Championship and won it. He went on to win 15 world titles in a row until he retired in 1946.

During the mid-20th century, snooker game saw a decline in popularity, but it was revived in the 1960s with the advent of color television. The BBC began broadcasting tournaments, most notably the World Snooker Championship and Pot Black, a show designed to popularize the sport.

By the 1980s, snooker had become a major professional sport. Players like Steve Davis, Alex Higgins, and Stephen Hendry made it even more exciting. In recent years, the game has grown even more, especially in Asia, where players from China and India are now competing at the highest level.

The first-ever Indian Open world ranking event took place in New Delhi in October 2013, marking a significant moment in snooker history. The event was widely celebrated, especially due to the rise of two talented Indian players—Aditya Mehta, who reached the final, and former billiards champion Pankaj Advani. Their success signaled a bright future for snooker in India, with hopes of many more skilled players emerging from the country.

Today, cue snooker is a well-known sport with big tournaments like the World Snooker Championship, the UK Championship, and the Masters. It remains one of the most popular cue sports in the world.

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