Encyclopedia of Sport: Every sport from around the world
Topend Sports Logo

Russian Pyramid

Russian pyramid, often called Russian billiards, is a cue sport played on a snooker table. The sport, though it looks similar to Western billiards has a lot of variations. The game is mostly played in the former Soviet Union countries.



A total of sixteen balls are used to play Russian pyramid. Fifteen of the balls are white object balls which are numbered, and one red cue ball is used. The balls are larger and heavier than those used for Western billiards. The four corner pockets are narrower, about 4–5 mm wider than the ball's diameter, and the central pockets are a little wider, about 14–18 mm wider than the ball's diameter.

The objective of the game is the same as any other form of billiards, which is to pocket the object balls. There are several types of Russian pyramid, each with minor variations in game play. The three most common variations among them are Free pyramid, Dynamic pyramid, and Combined pyramid. In all variations the player who pockets eight object balls first is the winner of the frame.

The Russian Pyramid World Championships is the highest level international competition conducted for the sport, and it has been held every year since 2000.



Similar Sports

Related Pages

send us a comment Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.

Sport Extra

Check out the 800+ sports in the Encyclopedia of Every Sport. Well not every sport, as there is a list of unusual sports, extinct sports and newly created sports. How to get on these lists? See What is a sport? We also have sports winners lists, and about major sports events and a summary of every year.

 → How to Cite