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Snooker Check Side & Running Side

The use of running side and check side is a tool that allows professionals to further manipulate the cue ball to end up in the position they intended. It’s something that is easier to understand when you watch it on screen as you can see the effect of the side as it happens, but as you’ll find out below, left and right hand side can both lead to running/check side depending on where the cue ball deflects.

Running Side

When the cue ball makes contact off a cushion, running side has the effect of increasing the speed of the cue ball and also widening the angle it comes off. So if you’re playing a shot and the first cushion the cue ball comes into contact with is on your left, then right hand side will act as running side in this situation. Similarly, if the first cushion the cue ball comes into contact with is on the right, then left hand side is the running side.

You’ll see running side used in situations like a multi-cushion snooker escape in order to ensure the cue ball can reach its destination. Or sometimes in ‘simpler’ shots such as a fairly high black off the spot where top spin with a trace of side is required to bounce off two cushions to come around the side of the pack.

Check Side

Check side has the opposite effect of running side in that the speed of the cue ball is dampened when it comes off the cushion. This is due to the cue ball going against the natural angle of the cushion which also has the effect of narrowing the angle it comes off. Like before, if the first cushion the cue ball comes into contact with is on the left, then left hand side will act as check side.

You mainly see check side applied subtly in shots where the cue ball comes off the cushion in a straight line, or a more squared off angle. For example, on a high black where the natural angle would be to play a touch of running side, check side would allow the cue ball to bounce off the cushion at a straighter angle in order to be closer to the object ball.

Things get confusing in shots where running side turns into check side depending on which cushions the cue ball interacts with. But you mainly see this in complicated, multi-cushion escapes. But it also shows how impressive the pros actually are because it doesn’t seem like they are physically doing much yet they are able to control the cue ball however they like with a few miniscule changes in where the choose to strike.

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Snooker’s New Wave?

Following the UK Championship, it appears that we may have had a glimpse into a possible future for snooker. For the first time in a long while, we were treated to a fresh-faced tournament final (not to mention that it was a major) between two young prospects that have put themselves on the map. This begged the question as to whether we are dawning in the new era of competitors that will carry the sport going forward.

Many have wondered, and in some cases have been concerned, about the future of snooker and whether it will be able to hold the interests of viewers once the current flock of top names eventually retire. Once the Class of 1992 hang their cues and subsequently, the likes of Trump, Robertson and Selby etc. will snooker be able to stand on its own two feet with the next generation of players?

Yan Bingtao has frequently been the number one pick to dominate the sport in the future which can be quite a heavy burden to place on a single person. While he is still the top prospect, he may find himself in fierce competition in the form of Zhao Xintong and Luca Brecel. However, we shouldn’t be looking too far ahead into the future just yet as current seeds should also be concerned about the number of titles they can win being reduced by the emergence of younger competition.

Zhao Xintong is only 24 years old and has flown well under the radar which is extremely surprising considering he’s been Top 32 for the past couple of seasons. His consistent Last 32/16 performances in events have placed him firmly within the Top 32 (pre-UK Championship) and most didn’t seem to know this. Now he’s won his first ranking title and it’s none other than the first major of the season and everyone will know his name.

Xintong is a unique case given the praises that fellow players and commentators have bestowed upon him regarding his talent. Compliments on his cue ball control, potting and cool-as-ice demeanour have been made and more importantly, have been displayed all week by Xintong in his impeccable performances throughout the UK Championship. Not bad for the Federer of the baize, huh?

Luca Brecel has also stamped his name for us to remember with his strong performances and impressive run to the UK final. Still only 26, Brecel seemingly came into a form that many were hoping he would achieve some time ago. Now brimming with confidence, Brecel will be going forward to ensure that this wasn’t his career highlight. ‘UK Championship finalist’ is probably not the only moniker that Brecel will want to be known by.

This takes me back to the original point, which was whether we are dawning in the new era of top players. It’s one thing to say that there will be a select few names that will be the headline players for years to come, but are these individuals in a position now to be stopping the likes of Trump/Robertson/Selby from adding to their catalogue?

Like this Short? Click here to read: Yan Bingtao is Very Impressive

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Difference Between an Amateur and Professional Snooker Player

There was a whole situation recently regarding amateur players and their abilities to compete in professional snooker tournaments which sparked a few areas of discussion among players and fans alike, and whether things needed to be changed. Following Shaun Murphy’s early exit of the UK Championship, he expressed his frustration in a calm, civilised manner about amateur players and their place on the tour.

The professional circuit consists of 128 players, each with their own tour card. A tour card is required for a player to compete in tournaments and is earned by remaining within the Top 64 or qualifying via Q-School/Challenge Tour. An unranked player is what would be classed as an amateur and technically, they would not be allowed to participate in professional main tour events. However, it’s unlikely that all 128 ranked players will compete in every tournament so it’s necessary that the field be topped up to complete the tournament brackets.

Murphy’s case was that amateur players possess a ‘nothing to lose’ mentality in comparison to the professionals that are competing for their livelihoods. He noted that snooker is an individual sport where players aren’t contracted to a team, so they’re under different pressures than those outside of the main tour. Judd Trump didn’t necessarily agree pointing out that everyone competing on the table is going for the same thing and getting chances at matches like this may be the only real shot at earning some money for those at that level.

Having said that, there were many that agreed with Murphy following his statement. Mark Selby raised the question about the relevance of Q-School and those that qualified to become professionals using the traditional approach. His point, which was also backed by Stephen Hendry, looked at the matter of Q-School even being necessary if players that didn’t qualify still had a chance to compete in professional tournaments.

WST are always going to have the commercial perspective and look at ways to make snooker globally developed and increasingly entertaining. The inclusion of amateur players in competitions which can lead to moments such as this, where headlines are made and snooker is talked about on television/radio, is something that those on the top floor will certainly favour towards.

There is always the argument of professionals being able to walk over amateurs whenever they play them however, it will always come down to whoever plays better on the day. And the player that performs better on the day will come out on top, regardless of their ranking status. Which also happens to be the nature of sport. These things happen. They’ve happened in the past and will likely happen at some point in the future.

What was your stance on the amateur vs. professional discussion? Do you agree that certain things need to be changed? Or are things fine as the way they are?

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Yan Bingtao is Very Impressive

This isn’t exactly brand new information; we already knew how good Yan Bingtao is. But I don’t think most realise just how well-rounded of a player he is given that he is still only 21 years old. He plays shots and can compete at a level that seasoned professionals are still aspiring to; he is improving at a phenomenal rate; and he still has his whole career ahead of him. Plus he’s already won the Masters.

I think many thought that it would be a long while since snooker would discover another young prodigy the likes of Trump, Class of 1992, Hendry etc., especially considering players seem to come into their prime at a slightly older age these days. Which is what makes things exciting when a talent comes through that seems to be able to back up the hype.

There are a lot of young players that have an abundance of talent, but Bingtao is seemingly the only player currently that can put pen to paper and apply his talent effectively in competitive play. Most players struggle or take a few years to ease into the professional tour before they are able to establish themselves however, Bingtao is already able to compete at the top level and has many wondering whether the future of snooker lies on his shoulders.

Bingtao turned professional in 2016 and had already done quite well to venture into the later stages of several tournaments. And his presence has only increased, proving that he isn’t a one-hit-wonder. He has backed this up with his first ranking title with a victory at the Riga Masters in 2019 but perhaps more notably, his triumph at the Masters at just 20 years old when he entered as a debutant.

What makes Bingtao so formidable? Not only is he a power potter and heavy scorer, but he can compete at top level when it comes to safety as well. Take his recent match against Higgins in the Champion of Champions – whenever Bingtao was playing safe, he would consistently have Higgins close to the cushion. His ability to judge the pace of the cue ball and table when playing these shots are what separate him from others.

Bingtao having more than one layer to his game is what allows him to compete at a high level. Although, his ability to keep cool under pressure along with his work ethic is what allows him to compete at the top level. Most players can pot balls, but Bingtao has already adopted the high standard that is required to achieve that he has done so far.

If Bingtao continuously improves the way he has been, it’s not going to be long before he turns into the player many are expecting him to. However, I think right now Bingtao needs to be a little more confident in what he can do. He struggles against someone like Trump because Trump already has that confidence. But he can compete a little better with someone like Selby (who probably is less of a confidence player and more of a tactical player) because he already has the facets to overpower him.

This is something that will only come with time, which Bingtao has a load of. So as time pushes on, what do you think Bingtao will accomplish?

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