It is now believed that the game of snooker(斯诺克) was invented by Sir Neville Francis Fitzgerald Chamberlain in 1875 in Jubbulpore, India.
The rules of world snooker have been improved to a fine degree. There are six pockets in the table. Two in each corner of one end, known as the top pockets, and two in each corner of the other end, known as the bottom pockets, and the final two in the middle of the longer sides, known as the center pockets. Different “spots”(地点) are signed on the table for the different colored balls. The values(分值) of the balls are red-1, yellow-2, green-3, brown-4, blue-5, pink-6, and black-7. The cue(球杆) must be no less than 914mm long. Snooker may be played by two or more players, either independently or as sides.
Snooker is a big sport in China. There are 300 million snooker players there, which is more than the rest of the world put together. So it's no surprise that some of the world's best players come from China. They have been showing off their talent at the World Snooker Championship, which takes place every year in the UK at the Crucible Theatre in the northern English city of Sheffield. And it is the most important event in professional snooker. This year four of the contenders(冠军争夺者) for World Snooker Champion were Chinese – Marco Fu, Liu Chuang, Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo. Liu Chuang and Liang Wenbo were making their debut(首次亮相) in Sheffield this year, in fact. And they did quite well in the game.
