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Snooker (pronountit UK /ˈsnuːkə/, US /ˈsnʊkər/) i a cue sport tha originatit among Breetish Armie officer stationed i Indie i the second hauf o the 19th century. It is played on a rectangular table covered wi a green cloth (or "baize"), wi pockets at each o the four corners an i the middle o each lang side. Usin a cue stick an 21 coloured bawls, players must strike the white bawl (or "cue bawl") tae pot or pocket tha remainin bawls i the correct sequence, accumulatin points fur each pot. An individual game (or frame), is won bi the player scorin the maist points. A match i won whan a player wins a predetermined batch o frames.
Snooker gained identity in 1884 whan armie officer Sir Neville Chamberlain, stationed in Ooty, Tamil Nadu, devised a set o rules that combined pyramid an black puil. The word snooker wis a long-uised military term fur inexperienced or first-year personnel. The geme grew i popularity i the United Kingdom, an the Billiards Association an Control Club wis formed i 1919. It i noo governed by the Warld Professional Billiards an Snooker Association (WPBSA).
The Warld Snooker Championship haes taken place since 1927. Joe Davis, a key figure i the early growth o the sport, won the championship 15 straight times between 1927 an 1946. The "modern era" began in 1969 efter the broadcaster BBC commissioned the snooker televeesion shaw Pot Black an later began tae air the Warld Championship i 1978. Key figures i the game were Ray Reardon i the 1970s, Steve Davis i the 1980s, an Stephen Hendry i the 1990s, each winnin six or more Warld championships. Since 2000, Ronnie O'Sullivan haes won the maist warld titles, wi five. Top professional players noo compete regularly aroond the warld an earn millions o pounds on the Warld Snooker Tour, which features players frae across the warld.