At first glance, the only similarity between snooker and chess is that they are both ancient and much loved games all over the world. While one is played with balls, clubs, and backgammon, the other requires boards and pieces that resemble medieval European structures.
However, when looking deeper, mathematics and physics are present in both activities in matters of strategies, angles, speed, calculations and a lot of observation.
Snooker and physics
Snooker is the Brazilian way of a version of billiards — sports whose activities use cues and balls and are played on tables, according to the Brazilian Billiards Federation and Seneca.
Therefore, despite the similarities, snooker differs from snooker and billiards, both of which were created in the United Kingdom and are very popular in European countries, although the former is regarded with more prestige, since there are many important world championships.
The objective of Brazilian Billiards is to pocket all the colored balls in ascending order. All seven balls in the game have different points:
● Red: 1
● Yellow: 2
● Green: 3
● Brown: 4
● blue: 5
● Pink: 6
● Black: 7
At the beginning of the game, the objective is to hit the red ball without having to pocket it. The player has three chances. If he fails, he loses his turn and seven points.
After that, the shots are focused on the ball at that time, that is, the one with the lowest score. When the player hits, he earns the points corresponding to the ball and can play again, without having to follow the order and not be penalized if he is unsuccessful. When you miss, you lose seven points.
The good or bad results of these plays depend on several factors, such as Cue pool modeAnd the force of the shot and the angle of the ball and the friction of the fabric of the table. All these factors are seen in science, more precisely, in physics classes.
One good example – among the many involved in the sport – is elastic collision, which is characterized when the velocity of particles changes direction after collision, but the relative velocity between the two bodies is the same. In practice, this is observed when two snooker balls hit each other, because there is no deformation of the bodies.
Because of the friction of the tablecloth, the way the shot is played, and even the chalk on the racket, there are different interactions, such as the ball spinning, the two balls running in opposite directions after impact, or one ball standing still while the other moves at the same speed as it was hit.
Chess and mathematics
While billiards was created in Europe sometime between the 15th and 14th centuries, chess is much older, with its origins dating back to the 5th century in Persia (now Iran).
The rise of the Islamic Empire spread the game to Europe, with the formations taking on traces of the medieval era of what is known today—king, queen, bishop, rook, knight and pawn pieces.
With 32 pieces (16 black and 16 white) that must be moved around the fields on the board in order to beat the opponent’s king, chess is one of the most complex games in history due to the variety of moves.
There are over 170 combinations of different ways to play the game’s first ten moves. After four moves, the number of combinations drops to 315 billion “one” possibilities.
In this way, the relationship between mathematics and chess is clear, starting with the board of eight rows and eight columns which yields 64. In a mathematical problem, this would be represented by 8² (8 squared).
Houses receive names made up of a combination of letters and numbers (A through H for columns and 1 through 8 for rows), something very common in mathematics. This label, known as algebraic notation, serves to designate the location of a piece on the board. This is, in essence, the Cartesian plane.
The most common scoring rule for tiles is:
● Pawn: 1
● Horse: 3
● Bishop: 3
● Rook: 5
● Queen / Queen: 9
● King: Unlimited (cannot be captured or traded during the game; conquering a King is above any consideration)
Calculating the value of the pieces does not necessarily determine the winner, but it gives an idea of the state of the game, because the game has countless variations. A well-placed piece may be worth much more than it actually is, while a high-scoring piece may not be of much value depending on its placement.
Thus, the game of chess requires a lot of logical thinking, strategies and mathematical calculations from its players in order for the required checkmate to be achieved.
Similarities between snooker and chess
Anthony McGill, a professional Scottish billiards player, calls snooker “chess with balls” because there are so many choices and tactics to consider in both games.
Although there are clear differences between the two activities, such as the game of snooker which requires some physical effort, unlike chess, and the use of a table that does not have restrictions such as the 64 squares on the board, for example, the sport has similarities.
Because they are strategic games, the games require plans and techniques from their players, as well as systems that are more complex than they might seem, such as physics (in the concrete case of snooker) and mathematics (in relation to the multiple chess odds).
Another similar aspect is that players of both sports must pay close attention to their opponents’ moves, as they each have a different way of playing.
Thus, a snooker champion or a chess champion will have some difficulty playing with someone he does not know, precisely because unpredictability is a great tool for both games.
Depending on the situation, an expert may lose to a competitor with less experience precisely because a lack of knowledge, combined with the endless possibilities of snooker and chess, makes strategy formation, and therefore decision-making, more difficult to implement. executed.
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