Killarney in the Republic of Ireland will host snooker's first 6 Reds World Championship in December.
The tournament will feature 160 players and be contested at the INEC Arena, which staged a World Series event in May. Among the organisers is Ken Doherty, the 1997 world champion.
The event runs from December 15-18. Entry is free for the first three days while tickets will cost 10 euros on the last day, which will be televised.
Despite the criticism it has attracted, six reds snooker has been played in clubs for decades.
Last year, a six reds tournament was staged in Thailand and attracted a huge field of top players, so much so that the prize fund for this year's staging of the event was doubled.
Jimmy White won the £18,000 first prize in Bangkok last month.
World Snooker stages its first six reds event at the end of the month in the Pro Challenge Series.
The governing body giving legitimacy to the short form version of the game meant that a World Championship was almost inevitable.
It will be interesting to see how many of snooker's best known names take their places in the Killarney draw.
If the players embrace six reds then it is, like it or not, here to stay.
dave
ReplyDeleteits a farcical rubish and it will die sooner rather than later because people watching will die of total boardom.
I'm not convinced by the 6/10 red format, but what really troubles me about this event is that it's just after the UK championship, scheduled for mid-week play only and in the run up to Christmas. Can it really succeed in the face of all of these obstacles?
ReplyDeleteAs a died in the wool, hardest-of-hardcore snooker fan, I would like to state for the record that I am totally, completely, utterly opposed to this format.
ReplyDeleteIf a problem exists with the game itself, it's that when a player gets a chance he cleans up in a single visit, which makes the games predictable. Fewer reds will only accentuate this problem. If somebody can explain to me what problem 6 reds is solving, I vow to never post on this forum again, but right now, I just don't see it.
I guess Ken just wants to create a big tournament where even he can do a maximum break :p
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't farcical rubbish to Jimmy White. He won more winning the Thailand title than he did last season.
ReplyDeleteSnooker's intractable 'hardcore' fanbs are one of the sport's biggest problems: unwilling to change anything and not realising the game is spiralling into the gutter.
The sport needs more casual fans, more interest period, and if this can help then good luck to all involved.
It isn't farcical rubbish, it's a perfectly legitimate form of the sport.
ReplyDeleteNo different to having one day, or 20-20 in addition to Test Matches in cricket
The feedback from every player here in Furth at the Paul Hunter classic is that they can't wait to go to Killarney.
The players want to play snooker, in any of its forms. They want to compete in events, they want to earn money obviously and they want to provide entertainment for the fans.
The Killarney event ticks all those boxes.
In addition to the leading stars, there will be international teams as well featuring well known players from around the world, some of the up and coming young lads and so on.
If it's a quarter as successful at the PHC in Furth it will be a huge success.
Incidentally it's been very interesting to see UK fans travelling across to Furth in considerable numbers and without exception they've all told me it's the most fun they've ever had at a snooker event.
Snooker isn't all about sitting in total darkness, in total silence watching the guys sweating over their ranking points.
Sport is also entertainment. The biggest entertainment here was the conclusion of the World Speed Cup last night, which I am delighted to say that WALES won and retained their title. We'll be back for the hat trick next year!!
follow all the action from Furth on Global Snooker.
thats cos jimmy isnt good enought at real snooker any more!!!
ReplyDeleteFunny thing is that people dont realise that the top pros and top amatuers love this format.
ReplyDeleteIt won't replace 15 red snooker but whats the harm in it, why is everyone so down on it.
I was looking at the snooker forum also and there's more talk on who has the best cue or leather v alimimum case than the addition of a new event on the calender, that's what worries me more.
So long as they don't end up giving out ranking points for 6-Red events, I don't see the problem.
ReplyDeleteNot a huge fan of the format personally but if it gives the players a chance to earn some money and the fans an opportunity to see some more action then it can't be bad.
As for the UK Championship being close, I don't really see it as an issue because 2/3's of the professionals won't have qualified in the first place and will have not played since the end of November. Then in any case, many of the others will lose in Telford about a week before which leaves plenty of time.
janie, just because the players (mostly) think its ok doesnt make any difference to people on here posting THEIR OWN OPINION of what they think of it.
ReplyDeleteif 90% of people who regulalry watch snooker dont like it, they are entitled to (and i know you never said they arent entitled to) voice their opinion on this blog stating such, and why...even if the players themselves like it, or at best dont mind it.
I can understand if people prefer normal snooker and prefer watching it but why people are so angry and hate watching 6-reds it is beyond me. All it is is snooker with 9 less reds.
ReplyDeleteAnon 11.40 just come and watch Jimmy and see how good he still is.
ReplyDeleteFrom where I'm sitting I can actually watch his match.
Okay I suppose I'll have to agree cos he's just missed the pink on 99... he's past it!!
I have no problem with anyone's opinions. It's a blog and we can agree or disagree. But how many people have actually been to a 6-red event like The Sangsom, or the Indian 6-reds Championships, or the EBSA European 6-reds qualifiers and so on?
I'm just saying try it, you might be surprised.
I am a died in the wool cricket fan and have been all my life... I love the test matches, but I also enjoy the 50 over one dayers, and the 20-20. All variations on the same sport and equally entertaining in different ways.
I agree 100% with Janie, and, in fact, I'll go further: snooker will NEVER again enjoy the kind of popularity it had in the 80s unless it adjusts its product to satisfy the demands of the 21st century consumer, particularly the young and affluent.
ReplyDeleteSnooker boomed in the 80s because there was a 'perfect storm', i.e. a number of essential ingredients came together at the same time. One of these essential ingredients was snooker's willingness to adapt the game to a new era, and a new media: colour TV. Joe Davis would never have accepted a best of 35 frame World Final in his day, never mind best of 9 matches. There were plenty of diehards back then who refused to accept that best of 9 was a sufficient test of skill; blah, blah, blah.
Now snooker MUST adapt again. For the vast majority of young people today even a 35 frame final, played over 2 days, is too long, and, if it's one-sided, the final session (if there is one) is anti-climatic and boring. Who honestly believes that the last few World Finals have been gripping sport? Who genuinely thinks these matches have enhanced the appeal of the game? Likewise, as Janie implies, having to watch matches in silence (and with no refreshments) is dull. Someone needs to remind snooker that it's supposed to be part of the entertainment industry!
If snooker is to have a bright future then the ONLY way forward is shorter matches in general (including 6 red matches in smaller ranking events), with players learning to tolerate some noise, as they do in other sports. If snooker insists on the current recipe of long matches played in total silence then the players will eventually end up playing in front of their families and a few anoraks!
janie my problam with 6 red snooker is all they done is take 9 reds off the table woopeeedooo..
ReplyDeleteif they want to create a different game and format do that but only take 9 reds off the table its a boring concept of a idea and will die.
6-reds snooker should not have any ranking points attached to it unless the format has its own stand-alone tour, with the possible (albeit unlikely) scenario that you'd have professional players dedicated to 6-reds and nothing else.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I can see many more pros than cons in this format.
Firstly, it may help to expand and promote the game outside of snooker "heartlands". Isn't this what the Thai events have tried to achieve?
Secondly, it may narrow the gap between local players and professionals, helping to guarantee more local interest in a tournament. Would Maltese fans, for example, rather see a potentially close 6-reds match, or see Joe Grech and Simon Zammit getting whitewashed at the 15-red Malta Cup?
Thirdly, it could be used as a bottom-tier tour if snooker ever experiences a 90s-style boom again.
Let's say that you have the World Snooker Tour of 96 or 128, that's the top level.
Then you've got some form of Challenge Tour/PIOS, usually dominated by UK players (and in the future, probably the Chinese as well). What happens to all the European and international players who find the step up from local snooker to PIOS just too high?
This, IMO is where 6-reds would come in. It would be like a third division where players from the developing nations can play at their own level, and there would be promotion/relegation between 6-reds and the 15-red PIOS/Challenge series.
Limited red formats DO have their place in the game - look at how Igor Figueredo is doing on the PIOS. Before he played in Prestatyn he'd had nothing but 10-red experience, but you wouldn't know it from his results.
For the people calling it "farcical rubbish", all I can suggest is that there are some rule changes to distinguish it from "standard" snooker, so...
From Premier League - some form of shot clock
From 9-ball - ball in hand anywhere on the table if the white is potted, not just inside the D.
From billiards - to stop the cagey play you often see with limited reds on the table, a player is limited to how many defensive/safety shots he can play. After, for example, 5 safeties, he has to play a shot the referee deems to be attacking (e.g attempted pot).
Janie, no matter where you are sitting, Jimmy is well past his best and is nowhere near being a top 16 player.
ReplyDeleteThats my opinion, even if he just knocked in a 147.
he is past it. he is still very good at snooker, but hes rubbish compared to what he was.
sorry i had to explain what i meant by "past it"
;)
what the hell are you on about shorter matches is the only way forward claptrap.
ReplyDeleteso snooker should adapt to the viewing habit of some morons that wouldnt know real entertainment if it poke them in the eye.
insent sociaty sucks and the sooner we return to proper standards of living the better.
John, I am not sure what you are talking about saying that in billiards there is a limit on the number of defensive shots. There isn't any limit on that at all. And you say there is limited reds on the table, well, there is only one red in billiards anyway.
ReplyDeleteSorry all, but i hate any 6-reds tournaments...
ReplyDeleteTo Chris - I'm not a follower of billiards, so I must have picked out the idea of a limit on defensive shots from a random article I read somewhere. Evidently, the article was crap.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I suggested some kind of limit is that with fewer reds on the table, it might encourage players to be very cagey and play a constant series of negative safety shots, which if the
idea of 6-reds is to promote the game to a new audience, won't make a very good impression.
I honestly don't understand what the debate is all about. Believe me, there's no bigger snooker fan than myself, I've been hooked all my life and I don't have a problem with 6 reds and especially a 6 red tournament which is broadcast across the world.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great little game, it's totally different to proper snooker, it requires a different tactical approach, the players enjoy it and who the hell is anyone here to say there shouldn't be a 6 red World Championships? Naturally a ranking event of the 15 red format will always be the bigger event but please everyone stop attacking a great mini version of our great game and learn to accept that it is here to stay, but it is not here to replace the main game.
" (...)but it is not here to replace the main game"
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what die-hard snooker fans fear, and looking at changes that were made in the snooker calendar I'd be worried too if I was one of those fans.
Last season there were 8 15-reds ranking tournaments and no 6-reds events sponsored by World Snooker.
This season there will be only 6 15-reds ranking tournaments and 3 6-reds events scheduled (Pro Challenge Series).
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
mig
ReplyDeleteas a die hard fan im not worried because i know how boring a concept it is.
at the moment its new but sooner rather than later it will die.
theres no challange in it at all at pro level its a game of chance not skil.
...so says wildJONESEYE who is so easy to spot and who is the sole author of more than half of all negative internet comments on 6 red snooker!
ReplyDelete(U kan tel by thee speling)
yes i am negative about 6 red snooker because its useless garbage with no skil involved in it....
ReplyDeletesooner it is confined to history and never braught up again the better it will be for snooker.
Janie,if you let six red snooker rise it could kill off the real game. Twenty Twenty is hampering a lot of test cricket, it's only the Ashes that seems to captivate any interest in test cricket. Six red snooker is not even as good as pool for me, I think it is mickey mouse. You can say it is another form but then so would 1 red snooker. How far do we prostitute the sport just to get people who are not really into snooker to watch?
ReplyDelete'6-reds snooker should not have any ranking points attached to it unless the format has its own stand-alone tour, with the possible (albeit unlikely) scenario that you'd have professional players dedicated to 6-reds and nothing else'
ReplyDeleteThat's the worst thing that could happen to snooker, which would then have to compete, commercially, with another cue sport. Snooker in Canada, once a hotbed of the game, has virtually died because it couldn't compete with the faster and more exciting (as far as Canadians are concerned) 9-ball pool. If someone like Barry Hearn turned a seperate 6-ball snooker circuit into a moneyspinner (which he probably could) it could kill off the 15-ball game as a big time sport - seriously!!!
'This, IMO is where 6-reds would come in. It would be like a third division where players from the developing nations can play at their own level, and there would be promotion/relegation between 6-reds and the 15-red PIOS/Challenge series.'
But this isn't addressing the fundamental point that 'first division' snooker is now too slow and boring to attract a mass audience on a regular basis. Although the game is faster than it was 20 years ago, it's still not fast enough for today's affluent young consumers, who spend a fortune watching football, that snooker needs to attract. There will always be an audience for the World Final (though it would be an even bigger TV audience if it was played in 1 day), but, frankly, there's very little demand for a first round match, in a bog-standard ranking event, on a Tuesday afternoon, between Peter Ebdon and Nigel Bond, for example (no offence to either), particularly if spectators can't make any noise, or consume refreshments!
I say keep a few major events as 15-ballers (though no match should last more than 2 sessions - and preferably 1), whilst making regular ranking events 6-ball. Plus, encourage spectators to make some noise (within reason), and allow them to consume refreshments (including alcohol), and, like darts, have all the big matches at night. Make going to the snooker a great night out, instead of the equivalent of a dreary afternoon in the library!
And, at the same time, get rid of the stupid qualifying structure, and have more open events like the Paul Hunter (with ranking points), so that up-and-coming players can break through faster, and all players can play on a proper snooker TOUR, instead of playing every flipping match in Prestatyn!
you know what is the real worry.
ReplyDeletethe powers that be are neglecting whats wrong with the sport(marketing and promotion etc just look at their website)and chasing this six red thing but the problems will still be there and not addressed properly.
Quote: How far do we prostitute the sport just to get people who are not really into snooker to watch?
ReplyDeleteAmended Quote: How far do we prostitute the sport just to get people who are not really into Billiards or Pyramids to watch?
Answer: We invent snooker...
Things change for the better or worse all the time, snooker will always be there but unless some of the professionals start realising that they are there to entertain and that they are there to sell a product (snooker) then snooker is in danger.
The Killarney tournament organiser was in furth at the weekend and got verbal guarentee's from all but a couple of the pro's there regarding entry to Killarney.
ReplyDeleteAs well as that numerous top international players have contacted us from as far away as Dubai and India to secure entry.
Any top internationals or regular pios players are welcome to e-mail the organisers at info@6redworldchampionships.com to express their interest and we can then keep them up to date regarding entry.
to 10.23am...
ReplyDeleteis there an official website coming for this event?
Yes , we just need to finalize something with it and it should then be live by the end of the week.
ReplyDeleteIt will be at www.6redworldchampionships.com
I cant believe all the negativity here. Why are so many people afraid of change? Some like to stay in their own comfort zome and refuse to embrace change.
ReplyDeleteI was at the 6 red tourney in Bangkok last month and truthfully, it was like a breath of fresh air. The players loved it, but more importantly, the spectators loved it.
Sure, we can say that about the 15 red historical game, buts lets be honest. I own a snooker club for 11 years now. I have never seen the tacles as quiet as they have been for the last couple of years. There are no, (I repeat, NO) under 16's playing snooker in my club, and its not because I havent tried everything to get them in. I have. Its simply because in this fast moving/changing world, snooker no longer hold any attraction for them.
So, instead of mr annonamous coming on and saying its farcical, can never work, it'll ruin the game of snooker etc etc etc, why dont you tell us whats gonna fix it, because it is in a state of ruin as it is (example: professional players have 6, yes SIX ranking tourneys to play in for the 2009/2010 season). How many of them will make a living from that? Theres litterally nobody going into the local snooker clubs to pass a few hours and they are closing faster than usain bolt runs. Where does it all stop? Would ye rather it be run into the ground rather than trying to modernise the game a bit.
Nobody's saying that 6 red snooker is the answer, but thats because nobody really knows. But surely its worth a trial run?
Ive been to one of the 6 red tourneys like I said before, and any of the players i spoke to there loved the format. What has mr annonamous got to back his arguement up?
i am not being negative.
ReplyDeletei am giving my honest opinion.
i do not like 6 red matches.
i see no future in 6 red matches in the big picture of snooker.
thats my opinion, for which i, like you, am entitled.
i make no apology for not liking the same things everyone else does. its what makes us us.
:)
For me the important thing is the matches. I've seen some of it on Eurosport and these mini-frames just don't excite me. Break, 30-something points and it's over.
ReplyDeleteSure you CAN have an interesting frame but there is just NO comparison with real snooker. It's fast but there's no meat on the bone. 15 reds please...
6 reds is a farce and reduces snooker to pool (which I'm not knocking as my club, Queen's University Belfast, are British Unis 8ball champions!)
ReplyDeleteBut snooker is in need of a boost and 10 reds is a reasonable compromise, retaining snooker's distinctiveness while shortening the format and lessening the likelihood of boring play.
Patrick McWilliams