How
"Billiards" became
"Carom Billiards", then "French Billiards"
To
understand how "Billiards" became "Carom Billiards"
and then "French Billiards", it is interesting to go back
- briefly - to the very origins of the game of Billiards (more information
in the chapter "History of Billiards and its Tables"):
In the 14th century,
an "outdoor" game, Plein Champ (=played in the
fields), consists of propelling the balls as far as possible with a
stick. Later, the game is limited to a smaller area, surrounded by "buttées"
(= stops) ("la Courte Boule") (= the Short Ball) and the rule
is to push the ball under an arch before scoring a goal by getting into
the "Tiret", a kind of pin stuck in the ground) with a stick
or a sledgehammer bearing the same name as the game: the "Billart".
Floor billiards was born.
In the 15th century,
the game is brought indoors and the 1st known billiard table is manufactured.
The rule remains the same: passing under an arch before knocking down
a pin.
In the 16th century,
"blouses" (or pockets) are introduced, the goal being for
the player to force the opponents ball into them while avoiding
falling into them himself. The arch, the pin, the mace and the stick
are still unchanged.
In the 17th century,
billiard tables enter the "Academies" and are found together
with unsavoury gambling games (Dice, Piquet, etc.) generating conflict.
The game of billiards is no exception, hence the need for precise written
rules. In 1665, the 1st known written rule of the "Nouveau jeu
de Billard tel qu'il se joue à présent" (= New Game
of Billiards as it is played now) is published. The principle remains
the same: 2 players, one ball each, an arch to pass through, a pin to
knock down, and "blouses" where the opponents ball is
to be sent but which the player has to avoid. This is the "jeu
Ordinaire" (= Common Game). Then, very quickly, the "Jeu de
la Guerre" (= War Game) appears, in which several players (up to
9 or 10) can play at the same time, each with a personalised ball at
the start to determine the order of play. The rule is slightly modified:
the pin is removed but the arch is kept and each player, in turn, tries
to push the opponents ball into a pocket to eliminate him.
In
the 18th century, the design of the game and the equipment used are
changed, but the Jeu de la Guerre continues to be played,
as shown in the engraving by Nilson (1756) below.
Around
1770, the pin, already removed, is replaced by a "neutral"
ball which belongs to nobody but that is to be touched before or after
the opponents ball to create a "Carambolage", the French
word for the action of crashing (voluntarily or not) into several objects
or obstacles. This neutral ball is tinted red to distinguish it from
the other 2, and takes the name of "Carambole", derived from
"carambolage", giving rise to the "Jeu à la Carambole"
(= Carom game). Later, some people have tried to associate the word
"carambola" with the fruit of the carambola tree, by analogy
with its round shape and red colour. The introduction of a 'neutral'
ball, no longer static like the old pin, but mobile because it changes
position at each shot, paves the way for series (quite limited at first)
of several caroms without falling into a pocket. There were already
straight cues at the beginning of the century for a more precise game,
and the arch disappears at the end of the century. There are several
variants of the "Carom" game: "partie blanche, à
écrire, Doublet à Doublet, de Lorraine, de la perte, de
commande, de la Royale and à la Bricole", all of which are
adopted by French and then European players and are played with 3 balls,
1 red and 2 white (except for "carambole à la Russe",
which requires 5 balls: 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue and 2 white).
At
the end of the 1700s, the word "carambole" can be found in the
two engravings below:
"Les
joueurs à la Mode (= The popular players) " (the rules of
the "Carambole" and of the " Poule" games are displayed
in French on the wall)
and
the " Règles (= rules) de la Carambole "
(identical
to those in the previous engraving).
1799:
The word Carambole is found in German in the title of the Austrian book
on the 'white game' (anonymous author, ed. G. Binz, Vienna) below
..
The
real revolution occurs in the 19th century:
In
1823, F. MINGAUD invents the "tip" (a small leather rounded
patch glued to the end of the cue) which makes it possible to perform
hitherto unknown shots such as the "retro". It paves the way
for surprisingly long runs.
1825,
PAYSAN (*) runs 25 points.
1827,
MINGAUD publishes his 1st book in French: "Le Noble Jeu du Billard"
(= The Noble Game of Billiards): it shows about fifteen spectacular
points scored using the "tip". It is translated into English
(by the THURSTON firm) in 1830.
1837,
CHARRIER publishes a book showing 56 shots to be made by avoiding
the pockets. Here are two of them based on a 'bricole
double
(left) and single (right).
1839,
KENTFIELD, in England, publishes a book showing about a hundred shots.
Around
1850, the pockets are removed so as not to hinder the runs.
Around
1860, VENANCE performs runs of 50 to 60 pts, quickly surpassed by BERGER.
1869,
UBASSY runs 132 pts.
1880,
VIGNAUD runs 1531 pts.
Invention
of the "American series" (= American runs) by Canadian DION,
who teaches it to VIGNAUD.
1890, 3000 pts run by SCHAEFER,
putting an end to the free game, far too monotonous for spectators at
that level. The Backline game and the 3-cushion game, both much more
spectacular, are then invented.
Carom billiards with 3 balls, born and played in France and adopted
by the majority of European countries, is naturally and logically given
the name of "French Billiards", synonymous with "3-ball
Billiards", as opposed to "English Billiards": until
the beginning of the 19th century, the British usually play 3-ball carom
billiards, but they also discover a game developed specifically in Great
Britain: larger billiard tables, a multitude of multicoloured balls
and different rules. Snooker was born. When pockets are removed in France
and Europe, the British keep them and concentrate on this particular
mode of play. Since then, Snooker has become the most popular billiard
game in the British Isles. North America adopts a game directly derived
from Snooker. Italy and Latin America are also going to develop specific
billiard games such as Five-Pins and La Boccete, a hand game much loved
by Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile on the island of Elba.
French
(or 3-ball) billiards remains the most popular billiard game in the
world thanks to the current worldwide craze for the 3-cushion game.
(*)
PAYSAN (= peasant), so named because of his 'aspect extérieur'
(= appearance) [1], invented the "run'" [2, 3] and called
himself "the billiard Napoleon" [3].
According
to a newspaper of the time, "PAYSAN made a name for himself by
his talent, now so perfected, of gathering the three balls and then,
without moving them away, having a run of carom shots that leaves the
opponent no choice but to ask for the Monitor." [1,3,4].
[1]
MARTY Jean, Billards, Ed. du Garde-Temps, Paris, France, 2002.
[2]
ALBOUKER Robert, Autour du billard. Découvertes. Gallimard N°162,
France, 1992.
[3]
TROFFAES Georges, Le billard et l'histoire. Chronique des temps passés.
Ed. Laguide, Paris, France, 1974.
[4]
ANONYMOUS, La physiologie du billard par un amateur. Ed. Ledoyen, Paris,
France, 1860.
Credit.
This page was written in co-operation with Jean-Luc Chiche.
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