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Five-pin billiards

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by SMcCandlish (talk | contribs) at 18:53, 1 February 2007 (Major overhaul; I hope these rules are correct (my Italian a sub-rudimentary, and Google/Babelfish really make a mess of these It. sources when machine translating them!). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Five-pins (Italian cinque birilli), also known as five-pin billiards or Italian billiards (It. biliardo all'italiana),[1] is a carom billiards cue sport, popular in Italy, Switzerland, Spain and parts of Latin America, with international, televised professional tournaments.

History

Until 1980, the game (with some rules differences) was a form of skittle pool played on a pocket billiards table, but professional and regulated amateur play today exclusively uses pockless tables. Also, in former periods, it was common for the object ball to be smaller than the cue balls.[citation needed] Professional competition began in 1965.

Equipment and setup

Five-pins table, showing the location of the pins.

The game is played on a pocketless billiards table, with standardized dimensions of 2.84 m (approximately 9-1/3 ft.) by 1.42 m (approx. 4-2/3 ft.) Like most other carom games, it requires three billiard balls of equal diameter, a red object ball, a plain white cue ball for the first player or team, and a yellow or spotted-white cue ball for the second player or team.[1] The balls are initially placed as shown in the diagram to the right. The white (or plain white) cue ball is placed directly in front of the Diamond at the center of the head rail, one ball-width away from the cushion. The object ball is placed at the center of the head string. The yellow (or spotted white) cue ball is placed between the second and third diamonds from the foot rail, one ball-width toward the foot rail from the imaginary line between the third diamonds on both long rails, and two ball widths from the left-side (as seen from the head rail) long rail cushion.[citation needed]

As the name implies, the game makes use of five upright pins or birilli (singular birillo), which are like very small bowling pins. There are four white pins, and one red.[1] The red pin is placed on the center spot (the exact middle of the table both lengthwise and widthwise), and the four white pins are placed equidistant from the red in a square diamond pattern around it. Two whites are aligned with the center, head and foot spots, as well as the rail diamonds in the center of the head and foot rails, and with the white cue ball and object ball, and red pin. Meanwhile the other two whites are placed on the center string, aligned with the diamonds in the center of the long rails, and again with the red pin. The whites are spaced just far enough away from the red that a cue ball can pass between the pins without touching any of them.[citation needed] The final pattern looks like an "+", as shown in the diagram to the right. This arrangement of pins on the table is referred to as the "castle". Tables may have the precise castle positions for the pins permanently marked, as they must be placed back into position before every shot if any have been kocked over or moved.

Each player uses a cue stick to shoot the appropriate cue ball; average cue length is 140 cm (about 55 in.)[1]

Rules

Though there are variants in Central and South America, the Italian five-pins rules are the best codified. Because the Italian-rules championships are international, televised events, and often hosted outside of Italy, these rules are the global de facto standard..

Object

To earn the required number of points, before one's opponent does, by using one's cue ball to cause the opponent's cue ball to knock over pins or (and to not do so with one's own cue ball), and by contacting the object ball with either cue ball, after one's own cue ball has contact that of the opponent.

Play

The game is played by two players or by two teams (a pair of doubles partners most commonly, but also larger teams). Each player or team is assigned one of the two cue balls; this is the only cue ball they may hit with the cue stick. Determining who goes first can be done by any means (lag usually, but also coin toss, tournament stipulations about player order, etc.) The first player or team always uses the white cue ball. Unlike in many games, shots are always taken in rotation - the same player or team never shoots twice in a row even if they have scored (other than if the opponent fouled before actually shooting when their turn came up, such as by moving one of the balls accidentally). Play continues until one player or team wins by being the first to earn specific number of points (usually 50 or 60), either agreed upon beforehand by the players, or set by tournament organizers.[1]

The incoming player strokes his/her own cue ball (sometimes called the "clapper") to carom off of the opponent's cue ball (sometimes called the "receiver") — usually directly, but off a cushion is permitted — with the goal of secondarily having the opponent's cue ball, directly or by way of rebounding of a cushion, next hit the red object ball (sometimes called the "bullet") and/or the pins (also known as "skittles").[1]

Unlike in straight-rail and three-cushion billiards, there is no requirement to hit one or more cushions at any time.[citation needed]

Scoring

Knocking over pins, in the above manner earns cumulative points as follows:[1]

  • Each white pin is worth 2 points.
  • The red pin is worth 4 points, if white pins were also knocked over.
  • The red pin is worth 8 points, if it is the only pin knocked down (by the cue ball going between the set of pins narrowly missing all of the whites).
  • Knocking over pins with the object ball or one's own cue ball does not earn the shooter any points, and with the latter is a foul that awards points to the opponent.

The object ball is also worth points:[1]

  • If struck by the opponent's cue ball (after the shooter strikes the opponent's cue ball with his/her own), it is worth 3 points.
  • If struck by the shooter's cue ball (after the shooter strikes the opponent's cue ball with his/her own), it is worth 4 points (this is considered a true billiard/carom or carambola in this game's nomenclature.)
  • If struck correctly by both, the points are added, to 7 points

Fouls

The game has some foul fouls unique to its ruleset, as well as more common ones. All fouls end the shooter's turn at the table and award the opponent free points (which vary depending on the type of foul).[1]

  • Knocking over pins with the shooter's own cueball, after having hit the opponent's cue ball — this foul awards the point values of those pins to the opponent. (In player jargon this is referred to as "drinking" ones points, as they are lost like the contents of an empty glass); opponent does not receive ball-in-hand. (Note: Knocking over pins with the object ball on an otherwise legal shot is not a foul,[citation needed] and has no effect on the score.)
  • Failure to hit the opponent's cue ball at with the shooter's own — opponent receives ball-in-hand plus 2 points.
  • Hitting the pins directly with the shooter's cue ball before any contact with the opponent's cue ball; opponent receives ball-in-hand plus 2 points.
  • Hitting the object ball directly with the shooter's cue ball before any contact with the opponent's cue ball; opponent receives ball-in-hand plus 2 points.
  • Knocking any ball off of the table; opponent receives ball-in-hand plus 2 points (the ball is spotted in its starting position, or as close to this position as possible, unless it was the now-incoming opponent's cue ball, which as noted is in-hand).
  • Standard billiards-wide fouls also apply and yield ball-in-hand plus 2 points (moving balls accidentally, double-hitting the cue ball, push shots, etc. Because of the particularity of first foul, players watch the game carefully, and tournaments have referrees.

Any points earned by the shooter on a foul shot are awarded to the opponent. An extra 2 points go to opponent if the object ball was (correctly) hit on a foul stroke (in addition to being awarded the 3 or 4 points the object ball was worth).[citation needed] Ball-in-hand on fouls is not entirely free; the incoming shooter after a ball-in-hand foul can only place his/her cue ball on the opposite half of the table from the other cue ball, and must shoot from the end (short part) not side of the table.[1]

World Five-pins Championship

Organized by the Italian Federation of Billiard Sport (FIBiS), and inaugurated in 1965, the World Five-pins Championship (Albo d'Oro Campionato del Mondo "5 Birilli") is an international event, hosted to date in various places in Italy, Argentina, Uruguay, and Switzerland and Spain. It is semi-annual; many years since its inception have not featured such a tournament. As of early 2007, there have been nineteen such tournaments. There are various divisions, including youth, women, men, teams, and a one-on-one open championship.[2]

World Champions

Winners of the overall one-on-one tournament. By year, city, country — winner (nationality):[2]

Five-pins Pro World Cup

Also organized by FIBiS, the Five-pins Pro World Cup (Albo d’Oro World Cup Pro “5 Birilli”), was a semi-annual event begun in 1993, and discontinued in 1997. In only one year 1993 were both the Pro World Cup and the World Championships held. The event was a one-on-one invitational championship, without other divisions.[2]

Pro World Cup Champions

By year, city, country — winner (nationality)[2]

Five-pins is a major plot-point of the Italian-produced, English-language drama/romance film Bye Bye Baby, which stars Brigitte Nielsen as a professional player.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Biliardo all'italiana manual at Wikibooks, accessed February 1, 2007. Template:It
  2. ^ a b c d Sezione Stecca: Organigramma della Sezione - Attività agonistica - Calendari - Regolamento Tecnico Sportivo, 2004-2005, Federazione Italiana Biliardo Sportivo, 2004, Italy. Template:It

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