Carom billiards
A pocketless cue sport family originating in 18th-century France.
Carom billiards, also known as French billiards or carambole billiards, is a family of cue sports played on a pocketless table. Its origins are thought to trace to 18th-century France, and it remains popular in Europe and parts of Asia. The game involves scoring by striking one's own cue ball to contact both opponent's cue ball and a red object ball in a single shot.
Quick Facts
- Union
- Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB)
- First
- 18th century France
- Team
- Single opponents, doubles or teams
- Category
- Indoor
- table
- cue sport
- Equipment
- Billiard ball
- billiard table
- cue stick
- Venue
- Billiard hall or home billiard room
Facts from the source article.
Etymology
The term carom, meaning any strike and rebound, was used in billiards by at least 1779, sometimes spelled carrom. Its origin is disputed; it may be a shortening of the Spanish and Portuguese carambola or the French carambole, both referring to the red object ball. Some etymologists suggest carambola derived from a tropical Asian fruit, also called star fruit, but this is considered folk etymology with no direct evidence. In modern French, carambolage means successive collision, used for billiard shots and multiple-vehicle crashes.
Equipment
Carom billiard tables are pocketless, typically 10 by 5 feet, with a slate bed often heated to about 5 °C above room temperature to keep moisture out of the cloth and ensure consistent ball roll. Electrically heated tables are required under international tournament rules, though temperatures are not specified, and are especially important for three-cushion and artistic billiards. Queen Victoria had a table heated with zinc tubes to prevent ivory balls from warping; the first electric heating was used in an 18.2 balkline tournament in December 1927. The cloth is 100% worsted wool baize with no nap, providing a fast surface. Standard ball sets include a white cue ball, a yellow cue ball, and a red object ball; historically the second cue ball was white with red or black spots. Balls are 61 to 61.5 mm in diameter and weigh 205 to 220 g, typically 7.5 oz.
History of games
Straight rail, thought to date to the 18th century, awards one count each time a player's cue ball contacts both object balls on a single shot, with a win at an agreed number of counts. Initially no restrictions existed, but after the crotching technique allowed high counts, an 1862 rule limited counts before driving a ball away. The development of nurse techniques, especially the rail nurse, further increased scoring. Straight rail remains popular in Europe as a practice game and is featured in pentathlon competitions alongside 47.1 balkline, cushion caroms, 71.2 balkline, and three-cushion billiards. It was played professionally in the United States from 1873 to 1879 but is now uncommon there. In 1879, the champion's game or limited-rail was introduced to counter the rail nurse, using diagonal lines at table corners to restrict counts, but it ultimately only expanded the balk space and did not stop nursing.
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