Pyramid (unofficial name - "Russian billiards") - a kind of pocket billiards. It began to form as a separate kind of billiards approximately from the 18th century in Russia, and here historically it has become most widespread. Currently, it is the most popular billiard game in the countries of the former USSR and includes 4 official disciplines: free, dynamic, combined and classic pyramids.
Main characteristic features: relatively large balls, slightly inferior in size to the pocket opening (ball diameter - 68-68.5 mm, weight - about 285 g, corner pocket opening width - 72-73 mm; middle pocket - 82-83 mm) , all balls are of the same color (white) with numbers from 1 to 15, with the exception of a colored cue ball - a yellow or dark red ball without a number (when playing Free Pyramid, Combined Pyramid and Dynamic Pyramid, it is allowed to use fifteen white balls without a number). Balls for playing Russian billiards are made from phenolic resin. Tables come in various sizes (from 12 feet and under), covered with green cloth. In official competitions, tables of 12 feet are used. There are markings on the cloth: a central mark through which, parallel to the short sides of the table, a central line passes, dividing the table into front and back halves; front mark (located in the center of the front half) and rear mark (located in the center of the back half). A house line is drawn through the front mark (parallel to the short side) (the space from the front short side to the house line is called the house). From the rear mark to the middle of the rear short side, a line for placing balls is drawn.
The main dimensions of the tables are shown in the table below. Equipment for the game and premises for official competitions must strictly comply with the official requirements approved by the International and European Pyramid Committees. These requirements describe a lot of parameters - from the elasticity of the rubber used for lining the boards, to the recommended manufacturers of cloth and balls, the number of lamps above the gaming table, the temperature and humidity in the competition room.
Free Pyramid (American)
The initial position of the balls is as follows: a pyramid of fifteen white balls, set up using a standard triangle, is located so that the front ball of the pyramid is on the back mark, and the base of the pyramid is parallel to the short side of the table. The cue ball can be anywhere within the house (but not on the house line, since it does not belong to the house itself).
After the pyramid is broken by the cue ball, you can choose any ball as the cue ball. Both the object ball and the cue ball enter the pocket (but must be after the collision with the object ball). The player who pocketed the ball without violating the rules (who played the ball) has the right to make the next shot.
Penalties are imposed if a player knocks a ball (at least one) off the table, does not hit any of the object balls with the cue ball, or otherwise strikes in violation of the rules (hit without touching the floor with at least one foot, pushed, etc.). .). If neither ball is played, after the collision of the cue ball and the object ball, at least one of them must:
touch two different sides (or, bouncing off one side, bring the other ball to the other side, or touch another ball close to the other side), or
cross the center line of the table and then touch at least one of any boards (or bring another ball to the boards, or touch another ball close to the boards), or
touch one side, and then cross the center line of the table (or roll another ball over it, or touch another ball, the center of which at the moment of collision was on the other side of the center line or on the center line); otherwise, the stroke is also considered to have been made in violation of the rules and a penalty is imposed.
In case of violation of the rules, the opponent of the violator has the right, after placing incorrectly pocketed and jumped out balls, as well as removing a penalty ball from the table to his shelf, either to make the next stroke himself, or to yield it to the violator. The winner of the game is the player who first scored eight balls.
Due to the relative simplicity of the rules, the free pyramid is most often used in films (for example, in the famous scenes of the films "The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed", "The New Adventures of the Elusive", "Classic") and is the most popular pyramid discipline among amateurs.
Combined pyramid
The main difference between a combined pyramid (as well as a dynamic one with a classic one) and a free pyramid is that the same ball is always used as a cue ball (colored, that is, the one that also produces the initial blow). In addition, a significant difference between the combined pyramid and all other official disciplines of Russian billiards is that after the cue ball is played, this ball is placed within the house and from there, respectively, the next strike is performed by the scoring player; at the same time, the player who pocketed such a ball, before the next hit, puts any other ball from the table instead of the pocketed one on the shelf, and the next hit itself can be struck by the cue ball only on balls located outside the home (otherwise a penalty is imposed). If, after the cue ball has been played, there is not a single ball left outside the house, the next shot is made from the “temporary” house, located in the same way as the “main” house, only on the opposite half of the table.
In case of violation of the rules, the opponent of the violator has the right, after placing incorrectly pocketed and jumped out balls, as well as removing a penalty ball from the table to his shelf, either to make the next stroke himself, or to yield it to the violator.
Dynamic pyramid (Neva pyramid, St. Petersburg pyramid)
The rules are similar to the combined pyramid, but instead of a cue ball, the player gets the right to hit the cue ball from his hand not “only from home”, but from anywhere on the table. At the same time, only an object ball can be scored into the pocket after playing the brother-in-law, and if your own falls, a fine is imposed and the blow goes to the opponent, who has the right to put the cue ball anywhere on the table.
Thus, in a dynamic pyramid, the ability to score a brother-in-law plays an important role, since by placing him after the score in any convenient place on the table, it is easier to score the next object ball.
Classical pyramid (Russian pyramid)
Unlike other types of pyramid, it is not the number of pocketed balls that is taken into account, but their value. For each ball correctly pocketed, the player receives a number of points equal to the number of the ball pocketed, with the exception of the number 1 ball, or "Ace", worth 11 points. 10 points are added to the last object ball left on the table, regardless of its number. If the cue ball falls into the pocket, a penalty is imposed and the blow passes to the opponent. For each violation, the offender's score is reduced by 5 points, and 5 points are added to the opponent's score.
In total, both players can score 140 points without penalty. The goal of the game is to be the first to score 71 or more points. If both opponents score 70 points, the last potted ball is placed on the back mark and the right of the next hit is determined
