Moscow pyramid

The appearance of billiards in Russia is associated with the name of Peter I. He got acquainted with the billiard game, as well as with many other things he brought, abroad and upon his return ordered to make billiards for his entertainment. Following his example, wealthy nobles started billiards for themselves not only in St. Petersburg, but also in all their estates.

Having learned billiards, the Russians modernized it according to their mentality - they gave their preference to strict billiard tables, which you can score balls on only with a very sure hit. Guided by the wishes of the best billiard players of that time, the famous St. Petersburg manufacturer and player A. Freiberg in 1850 began to produce billiard tables of a new type, the so-called Freiberg billiards, the main features of which have survived to this day.

The classic "Russian Pyramid" in its modern version has historically appeared the first of modern Russian sports billiard games in the 80s of the 19th century. The “Russian Pyramid” is particularly affected by the presence of numerous dead zones, so it has a leisurely and delicate positional game with numerous wagering and tricks.

The American Championship in Moscow was held before the war , so you should not call it a new variety. The Moscow Pyramid (or Sibirka) is a more recent invention, appearing in the 60s. According to some reports, its author was the Krasnoyarsk Alexander Filippovich Levdansky.

The Moscow pyramid is a type of Russian billiards. It is also called “Siberian,” or “combined.” The "Moscow" has several distinctive rules from other types of pyramid.

The goal of the game is to score eight balls first. In total, 16 balls participate in the game, one of which is a cue ball, which differs from sighting by color or special marking. As in any other form of billiards, the first hit is made cue from the "house". The difference is that an order is not required and any aiming ball or cue ball from aiming balls can play. And with the right hit, any number of balls falling into the pockets counts. In this case, instead of a hammered cue ball, any of the aiming balls that the opponent points to is removed (according to the new rules, the player who scored the "brother-in-law" takes the ball), and the player plays the cue ball from the "house".

All balls that are incorrectly hammered and jumped overboard are set after the end of the strike and before the start of the next one. A single ball is set to the back mark. If several balls are set, then they are set in random order on the line of setting the balls from the rear mark to the rear side as close as possible, but not close to each other. If any balls located near or directly on the line of placing the balls interfere with the process of setting, then the balls to be placed are placed on the line of setting the balls as close as possible to the back mark and as close as possible, but not close to the interfering balls.

In case of violation of the rules, the opponent of the offender has the right, after removing the penalty ball from the table to the shelf, to take the next blow himself or give it to the offender.

The penalty is charged:

a) at any touch by the player playing any ball with his hand, clothes, etc., before, after, or when performing a blow;

b) when hitting the cue ball with the horizontal bar or the side of the cue;

c) upon impact during an incomplete movement of balls from a previous impact;

d) during a miss, when “his” did not touch any of the balls:

e) when flying overboard “your” ball;

e) when both legs are torn off the floor during an impact. If one or several balls were played in violation of paragraphs a), e) and e), the latter shall not be counted, removed from the pockets and set at the short side in the region of the third point.

g) if the cue ball after hitting an aiming ball does not make two or more sides, then the ball is removed for this.

At the same time, there are special positions for which a fine is not assigned, and the game continues:

a) if the cue ball jumped overboard and, having hit someone, returned to the pool table, and the ball played fell into the pocket, then it does not count, the blow goes to the partner.

b) the cue ball or any ball popped up and stopped on board. In this case, the ball is placed tightly on board near the place where it stopped on board. The blow goes to the partner, but if the ball was put, then it counts.

c) one of the strangers or a partner accidentally interfered with the blow: pushed, hit, etc. At the request of the victim, the position of the balls can be restored. The blow is replayed.

d) if the ball stopped in the pouch solution, but fell in the interval between the start of aiming of the other partner and the moment the cue ball approaches the stuck ball, resulting in a miss. The blow is saved for the overshot. The fallen ball is set to point 3 or to the shortest board nearest to it. The cue ball is rearranged into the "house" and the blow is carried out from there on a common basis.

Playing the "Moscow Pyramid" in several ways you can give odds :

a) the partners agree on how many balls to play for each (for example, the giver scores 8 balls, and the receiver - 6);

b) it is possible to agree this way (especially if one likes to play "American", and the other - to "Moscow"): one plays "Moscow" according to the American rules, without hammering a striped one, it is allowed to beat him; another plays “Moscow”, but up to 2–4 clogged balls;

c) one plays up to 8 balls in any pockets, the other up to 4, but he does not have the right to score balls in one pocket chosen by the opponent. If he still puts the ball in the pocket, then the ball is put on the partner’s shelf.

• Pyramid (billiards)
• American (billiards)

• The basic rules of the game