Everything you need to know about Russian pyramid

Russian billiards (also referred to as “Russian pyramid”) is one of the varieties of cue sports. The game is played on a table with six pockets, located along the rails, into which balls are hammered with the cue. This version of billiards is considered one of the most complex. What should you know about this game?

Basic rules

Russian billiards is one of the types of world pocket (pocket) billiards with its own peculiar rules, slightly different depending on the discipline and requirements. The game requires a special knack and knowledge of tactical skills. Beginners need to know the following rules:

Two people or two teams can participate in the competition. The goal is to drive with the cue as many balls as possible in the pocket holes of the table.

The game is played on a special table. It must meet the technical requirements precisely for the sport. The main feature is the size of pockets – they are only a few millimeters in diameter larger than the balls, which greatly complicates the hit.

In this game, 16 balls are used. Fifteen of them are white and have numbers 1-15, and another one is unnumbered and yellow. In addition, a distinction is made between the bit and the rest of the balls, The bit is the ball on which the cue is hit (usually yellow, sometimes black ball is used for this purpose in the beginning).

Unlike most competitions, in Russian pyramid there is no coin toss. The right of the first shot is given to the one who wins the toss. The procedure is as follows: the rivals, standing at the longitudinal lines of the table, hit from home on the ball so that they hit the backsides. The winner is the one whose ball is closer to the front board.

Target balls are driven into the pocket holes by touching the bat with them. It is not necessary for the bat to strike directly.

If after the first hit the ball goes into the pocket, the athlete makes another hit. If after the second shot there is a hit, the billiard player has the right to a third shot and so on until he misses, then the opponent has the right to strike.

In the standard version, the winner is the one who scores more points. When the ball is driven into the pocket without violating any rule, the point is scored. If there was a violation, the point goes to the opponent. However, there are a few variations of Russian pool, where the points are scored differently.

Equipment

Let us start with the equipment used in Russian pyramid. The tables have a flat surface of slate covered with a dense green fabric, which consists of wool and nylon in the percentage of 70/30. The perimeter is surrounded by cushions (boards or rails) made of vulcanized rubber towering over the surface.

The tables come in four sizes: 12, 10, 9, 8, and 7 feet. At official tournaments, the 12-foot model is used with dimensions of 355 x 177.5 cm. The rules allow an error in size of 3.2 mm. Before the start of the competition, participants can try out the table for 5 minutes.

On the cloth of the table there are several points and lines. In the center, there is a point through which a central straight line is drawn parallel to the short rails, dividing it into equal halves of front and back. The middle of the front is marked by another point, through which  the house line is drawn. The area of the pool between the house line and the rail is called the house.

The table has six pockets. Four corner pockets are only 3 mm wider than the diameter of the ball; two middle pockets are 12-13 mm larger in diameter than the ball.

The game requires using 15 numbered white balls and one yellow ball. They are much more massive and heavy than those used in other types of pool. Because of the massive size of the balls, the distribution of strokes such as masse, jump in the pyramid is very difficult to perform. In informal games, using smaller tables, competitions are conducted with smaller balls: 63, 60 and 57 mm.

The American pyramid

The goal in this game is to score 8 points before the opponent does. A full set of balls (15+1) is used in the game. Arrangement and breakdown of exposed balls is carried out in accordance with the general rules. Each ball driven into the pocket hole, provided that the player scored it correctly, brings a point. You can hit any balls, including the cue ball, and the preliminary announcement of which ball is going to drive in, is not necessary.

If the ball is not played, the opposite side takes its cue in the game and starts earning points. If irregularities have been recorded, the opponent not only receives the right to hit, but also a point. Since the point is a ball, the opposing party can remove from the surface of the pool any ball they like.

The combined pyramid

The game is held by the same rules as the American pyramid. However, there is one peculiarity – in the game, the rules forbid that the cue ball collides with balls located in the house. If you hit from the house, the pool player is penalized and the rival, as well as in “American”, puts any ball from the pool surface to his shelf, earning a point. If in the game all balls are placed outside the house line, the pool player moves to strike on the other, opposite side of the house. The game ends when one of the participants scores 8 points.

The dynamic pyramid

Participants are guided by the general rules. The winner is the opponent who becomes the first one to score 8 points.

It is allowed to drive any of the 16 balls. However, if the cue ball hits the pocket, the player who hit it puts any ball from the pool on the shelf, and the cue ball is reintroduced into the game. The shot is made from any point, including the house, but the cue ball must not be close to the ball.

The classic pyramid

Unlike other types of the game, it is not the number of balls scored that counts, but their value. For each correctly scored ball a player receives the number of points equal to the number of scored ball, except for the ball number 1, or “ace”, costing 11 points. To the last remaining sighted ball on the table, regardless of its number is added 10 points.

A total of 140 points can be scored by both players without penalty. The goal of the game is to be the first to score 71 or more points. If both opponents score 70 points each, the last ball scored is placed on the back mark and the right of the next shot is determined by the draw, after which the game continues.

The strokes

Before the game balls are lined up on the table in the form of an equilateral triangle. Yellow ball is placed in the house, anywhere at the discretion of the participant and is used as a cue ball. There are several types of beats:

• The initial stroke is the very first move, in which the exposed balls are smashed. It is considered correctly executed if the ball after contact with the bit or any other hits the pocket, or at least three balls hit the sides, or 2 balls hit the sides and one of them crosses the line placed in the center of the pool. If the opening (first) stroke fails, the player is penalized and the right to perform a second initial stroke goes to another participant or team, depending on the format of the competition.
• The double stroke is the stroke punished by a penalty.
• The completed stroke is the one that results in any ball going into the pocket hole.

History

The first mention of billiards dates back to the V century, the game was fond of in India and China. Exactly from there, it was brought to Europe in the XV-XVI centuries. In China, the sport was not developed, but the Europeans liked it, quickly spreading and improving the game. The word “billiard” itself comes from French.

It is believed that billiards was brought to Russia from Europe by Peter the Great. The tsar took a fancy to the game and the table and balls were delivered from Holland.

Who invented the Russian pyramid is not precisely known, but it happened during the reign of Catherine II. During the reign of Anna Ioannovna, this game became very popular. The tables were set in the taverns, hotels and other public places. The first competitive tournament was held in 1953 at the Russian Pyramid Tournament.

All in all, although this game is mostly popular in Russia and post-soviet countries, it is possible to learn how to play it in other places, since it is very interesting and spectacular.