American Baulkline Billiards
The Belgian billiard champion (Horemans, now on his Way back to Antwerp), notwithstanding his impressive list of achievements in America, where he has twice passed the quarter of a century record of 140 of Frank Ives at 18.1 baulkline billiards, was beaten in matches in New York with each of the two players (Schaefer and Cochran) shown in the picture on this page. How Schaefer (the nearer player) can play a great game with his cue arm turned out in the manner represented is difficult to understand, but that he does so would seem to be none the less a fact.
As American baulkline billiards may not be understood by some in this country, the following brief description of the game has been especially written for The Billiard Player, and will doubtless be read with interest by many.
The American standard table is 10 by 5 and has no pockets, but a line is drawn all round, 14 or 18 inches from the cushion. Between the cushion and this line (termed a baulkline) it is permissible to make one cannon only when all throe balls are between the cushion and the line, otherwise one of the three balls must be driven outside the line.
The original American game was played on a table without a line of any kind drawn around it. But runs of cannons along the cushions, termed the "rail-nurse," became monotonous. Hence the introduction of the baulklines. For several years the 14-inch remained the standard game of America, but for the really expert cueist this became too simple, so an extension to 18 inches was resolved upon.
Both are standardized—14-inch and 18-inch—and there are championship events in each type. Willie Hoppe, who met Inman in an international mixed contest in America in 1914-15, has been undisputed champion of each type for many years, and is generally regarded as the greatest artist on a 10 by 5 pocketless table the world has ever seen. But the two American youths—Joey Schaefer and Walker Cochran (shown in action on this page)—are expected shortly to challenge Hoppe's supremacy. Even under the 18-inch restriction, with only one cannon allowed between the cushion and the line "blocks" of 100 and more cannons are frequently ticked off, and with the handicap reduced to two cannons within the forbidden area the runs are more extensive. The American game lacks the variety of our type, but the Americans prefer their style. Hoppe and the American "cracks" do some amazing things with cues varying from 19 to 21 ounces in weight and with balls 2¼ inches or so in diameter. Their masse effects are wonderful, and led Inman to declare that we in England knew comparatively nothing about the masse stroke.
Another type of American billiards is the three-cushion cannon game. The title explains itself; each cannon having to be made by striking three cushions before contact is made with the second object. This is a much slower game than the baulkline, but demands an expert knowledge of angles. It is played on the same size of board, 10 by 5, and a double-figure sequence is an exceptional occurrence.
Although pocketless billiards is the national game of America, they are not unmindful of the claims of pocket billiards, which they call pool, and play on a table 9 by 4½ with six pockets. Their pool game is a cross between our pyramids and snooker, and with wide gaping pockets so very near to any stroke it does not require any great amount of skill to be successful.