Maximum break


The maximum break in snooker is 147 points, also known as a maximum, a 147, or orally, a one-four-seven. A player compiles a maximum break by potting all 15 with 15 for 120 points, followed by all six for a further 27 points. A maximum break is regarded as the highest possible achievement in a single frame of snooker, and is often compared to a nine-dart finish in darts or a 300 game in ten-pin bowling.
The first officially recognised maximum break was made by Joe Davis in a 1955 exhibition match in London. At the Classic in January 1982, Steve Davis achieved the first recognised maximum in professional competition, which was also the first maximum to occur during a televised match. The following year, Cliff Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum at the World Snooker Championship. At the UK Championship in December 2013, Mark Selby achieved the 100th recognised maximum break in professional competition, while David Gilbert made the 147th 147 in the Championship League in January 2019. Ronnie O'Sullivan holds the record for the [|most maximum breaks in professional competition], with 15. He also holds the [|record for the fastest competitive maximum break], at 5 minutes and 8 seconds, which he achieved at the 1997 World Championship.
Maximum breaks have gradually become more frequent in snooker. Only eight recognised maximum breaks were achieved in the 1980s, but 26 were attained in the 1990s, 35 in the 2000s, and 86 in the 2010s. In the 1980s and 1990s, some players received £147,000 for making a maximum break, but as the frequency of maximums increased, the reward for a maximum break was changed to a rolling prize pot that began at £5,000, leading to some discontent among players. In 2019, World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn replaced the rolling 147 prize with a £1 million bonus if 20 maximums were made over a single season. If triggered, the bonus would be shared among the players who attained the maximums. This change was criticized by some players, including O'Sullivan, who stated that 20 maximums in a single season was unlikely ever to happen.
In theory, breaks of up to 155 are possible if the referee awards a before any of the reds have been potted. In practice, breaks above 147 are extremely unusual, having occurred only once in professional competition, when Jamie Burnett made a break of 148 in the qualifying stages of the 2004 UK Championship.

History

compiled the first officially recognised maximum break on 22 January 1955, in a match against Willie Smith at Leicester Square Hall, London. The Billiards Association and Control Council initially refused to accept the break since the match was not played under their rules. At the time, the professional game used a rule whereby after a foul a player could compel the offender to play the next stroke. It was not until a meeting on 20 March 1957 that the break was officially recognised, and Davis was presented with a certificate to commemorate his achievement. The match between Davis and Smith was played as part of a series of events marking the closure of Leicester Square Hall; known as Thurston's Hall until 1947, the venue had hosted many important billiards and snooker matches since its opening in 1901, including twelve World Snooker Championship finals.
John Spencer compiled a maximum break in the 1979 Holsten Lager International. This did not count as an official maximum, however, as the break was made on a non-templated table used during the event. The first official maximum break in professional competition was compiled by Steve Davis in the 1982 Classic at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in Oldham, against John Spencer. This was also the first televised maximum break. Davis won a Lada car for his achievement. The following year, Cliff Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum at the World Championship in the fourth frame of his second round match against Terry Griffiths.
Before the 1994–95 season, the maximum break remained a rare feat, with only 15 official maximums compiled altogether. However, beginning in the 1994/95 season, at least one maximum break has been achieved every season thereafter; the 13 maximums scored in the 2016–17 season is the highest number to date. Mark Selby made the 100th officially recognised maximum break in professional competition on 7 December 2013 in the seventh frame of his semi-final match against Ricky Walden at the UK Championship., a further 55 maximum breaks have been officially recorded in professional competition. Englishman Ronnie O'Sullivan has compiled 15 official competitive maximum breaks, the most achieved by any professional player. Following him are Stephen Hendry with eleven, John Higgins with nine, and Ding Junhui with six. O'Sullivan also holds the record for the fastest competitive maximum break at just over five minutes, which he set at the 1997 World Championship.
At least seven players have missed the final black on a score of 140: Robin Hull, Ken Doherty, Barry Pinches, Mark Selby, Michael White, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, and Liang Wenbo in a qualifying match at the 2018 World Championship, after he had already made a maximum earlier in the same match. [|Breaks above 147] are possible when an opponent fouls and leaves a with all 15 reds still remaining on the table. A break greater than 147 has happened only once in professional competition, when Jamie Burnett made a break of 148 at the qualifying stage of the 2004 UK Championship. Jamie Cope compiled a break of 155 points, the highest possible free-ball break, during practice in 2005. Alex Higgins is said to have attained the same feat.

Official list

DatePlayerAgeOpponentEventVideo
111 January 1982ClassicTV
223 April 1983World ChampionshipTV
328 January 1984MastersTV
417 November 1987UK Championship
520 February 1988Matchroom League
624 September 1988European Open
718 February 1989Scottish Professional Championship
88 March 1989 Matchroom League
916 January 1991World Masters
105 June 1991Strachan Open
1125 February 1992 British OpenTV
1222 April 1992World ChampionshipTV
139 May 1992Matchroom League
1424 May 1992Matchroom League
1514 November 1992 UK Championship
167 September 1994British Open
1727 April 1995 World ChampionshipTV
1825 November 1995 UK ChampionshipTV
195 January 1997 Charity ChallengeTV
2021 April 1997World ChampionshipTV
2118 September 1997 China International
2216 May 1998 Premier LeagueTV
2310 August 1998Thailand Masters
2413 August 1998China International
2513 January 1999British Open
2629 January 1999 Welsh OpenTV
274 February 1999UK Tour – Event 3
2822 March 1999UK Tour – Event 4
296 April 1999British OpenTV
3019 September 1999 British OpenTV
3121 September 1999Welsh Open
3213 October 1999 Grand PrixTV
334 November 1999Benson & Hedges Championship
3422 November 1999 UK ChampionshipTV
3521 January 2000Nations CupTV
3624 March 2000 Irish MastersTV
3728 March 2000Scottish Open
385 April 2000 Scottish OpenTV
3925 October 2000Scottish MastersTV
407 November 2000Benson & Hedges Championship
4119 November 2000 UK Championship
4225 February 2001 Malta Grand PrixTV
4317 October 2001 LG CupTV
4412 November 2001Benson & Hedges Championship
4528 October 2002Benson & Hedges Championship
4622 April 2003 World ChampionshipTV
4712 October 2003 LG CupTV
4812 November 2003 British OpenTV
494 October 2004 Grand PrixTV
5017 November 2004UK Championship
5120 April 2005World ChampionshipTV
5222 November 2005 Masters Qualifying Event
5314 March 2006World Championship
5423 October 2006Grand Prix
5514 January 2007MastersTV
5615 February 2007Welsh OpenTV
5719 September 2007Grand Prix
5814 October 2007Grand Prix
598 November 2007 Northern Ireland TrophyTV
6015 December 2007 UK ChampionshipTV
6129 March 2008 China OpenTV
6228 April 2008 World ChampionshipTV
6329 April 2008World ChampionshipTV
642 October 2008 Shanghai MastersTV
6529 October 2008Bahrain Championship
668 November 2008Bahrain ChampionshipTV
6716 December 2008 UK ChampionshipTV
6828 April 2009 World ChampionshipTV
695 June 2009Jiangsu ClassicTV
701 April 2010China OpenTV
7125 June 2010Players Tour Championship – Event 1
726 August 2010
73 World OpenTV
7422 October 2010Rhein–Main Masters
7523 October 2010 Rhein–Main Masters
7619 November 2010Prague Classic
77 Welsh OpenTV
78 Paul Hunter ClassicTV
79German Masters
80
81Players Tour Championship – Event 10
82FFB Snooker Open
83 FFB Snooker Open
84 Players Tour Championship – Event 11TV
85 Players Tour Championship – Event 11
8614 January 2012 World Open
8711 April 2012 World Championship
8821 April 2012 World ChampionshipTV
891 July 2012 Wuxi ClassicTV
9024 August 2012Paul Hunter Classic
9123 September 2012 Shanghai MastersTV
9216 November 2012 Bulgarian OpenTV
9321 November 2012UK Championship
9422 November 2012UK Championship
955 December 2012 UK ChampionshipTV
9614 December 2012 Scottish Open
9716 March 2013 Players Tour Championship – FinalsTV
9828 May 2013 Wuxi Classic
9915 November 2013Antwerp Open
1007 December 2013 UK ChampionshipTV
10111 December 2013German Masters
10212 December 2013German Masters
1038 January 2014 Championship League
1049 February 2014 Gdynia Open
1052 March 2014 Welsh OpenTV
10622 August 2014Paul Hunter Classic
10723 October 2014Haining Open
10823 November 2014 Ruhr OpenTV
1094 December 2014 UK ChampionshipTV
11012 December 2014Lisbon Open
1115 January 2015 Championship League
11211 January 2015 MastersTV
1136 February 2015 German Masters
11410 February 2015Championship League
1156 December 2015 UK ChampionshipTV
11611 December 2015 Gibraltar Open
11719 February 2016 Welsh OpenTV
11825 February 2016Championship League
11927 August 2016Paul Hunter ClassicTV
12020 September 2016 Shanghai Masters
12128 September 2016 European Masters
12211 October 2016English Open
12316 November 2016 Northern Ireland OpenTV
12427 November 2016UK Championship
1258 December 2016 German Masters
1268 December 2016German Masters
12710 January 2017Championship League
1281 February 2017 German MastersTV
1292 March 2017 Championship League
13030 March 2017 China OpenTV
1316 April 2017 World Championship
13218 October 2017 English OpenTV
13331 October 2017International Championship
13412 December 2017Scottish Open
13526 January 2018Championship League
13626 March 2018Championship League
1373 April 2018 China OpenTV
1384 April 2018 China Open
13912 April 2018 World Championship
14024 August 2018Paul Hunter Classic
14124 August 2018Paul Hunter Classic
14216 October 2018 English Open
14317 October 2018 English OpenTV
1448 November 2018 Champion of ChampionsTV
14512 December 2018 Scottish OpenTV
14621 December 2018 German Masters
14722 January 2019 Championship League
14812 February 2019 Welsh OpenTV
14914 February 2019Welsh OpenTV
15028 February 2019Indian Open
1513 April 2019 China OpenTV
15217 June 2019 International Championship
15317 October 2019 English Open
15412 November 2019 Northern Ireland Open
15527 November 2019 UK Championship
15611 February 2020 Welsh Open

Statistics

Below is a list of maximum breaks by player, and by sporting country.

Total maximum breaks

No.PlayerNumberMost recent 147
1152018
2112012
392018
462016
462019
652016
652019
842015
842018
842019
1131997
1132011
1132016
1132018
1132018
1132019
1721989
1721992
1722000
1722010
1722011
1722012
1722012
1722016
1722017
1722017
1722018
1722019
1722020

Match-winning maximum breaks

Tournament games are won when one of the players manages to win more than half of the scheduled frames. For example, if a match is scheduled to have a maximum of seven frames, a player wins the game when winning a fourth frame, regardless of how many frames the other player has.
No.PlayerTournamentYearRound
1Charity Challenge1997FinalTV
2World Championship2005Last 32TV
3UK Championship2007Semi-finalTV
4World Championship2008Last 16TV
5Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 32010Last 32
6World Open2010Last 64TV
7Players Tour Championship 2011/2012 – Event 122011Last 128
8Players Tour Championship 2011/2012 – Event 112011Last 128TV
9UK Championship2012Last 80
10European Tour 2013/2014 – Event 82014Last 16
11Welsh Open2014FinalTV
12Asian Tour 2014/2015 – Event 22014Last 32
13UK Championship2014Last 16TV
14Northern Ireland Open2016Last 64TV
15Championship League2017Group Final
16Championship League2017Winners' Group
17Championship League2018Group 6
18Championship League2018Group 7
19English Open2018Last 64TV
20International Championship 2019Last 128
21English Open2019Last 16

Records

First maximums

The first known maximum break in practice was made by Murt O'Donoghue at Griffith, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, on 26 September 1934. Joe Davis compiled the first official 147 against Willie Smith in an exhibition match on 22 January 1955 at Leicester Square Hall, London. Rex Williams made the first maximum break in a competitive match against Manuel Francisco, Professionals v. Amateurs, on 23 December 1965 in Cape Town.
John Spencer made the first maximum compiled in professional competition on 13 January 1979 at the Holsten Lager Tournament against Cliff Thorburn, but it was not officially ratified due to oversized pockets. The break was not caught on video as the television-crew were away on a tea-break. The first official maximum break in professional competition was made by Steve Davis in the 1982 Lada Classic against Spencer. This was also the first televised 147. Cliff Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum break at the World Snooker Championship, a feat that has since been repeated by Jimmy White, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and Ali Carter.
In March 1989, Cliff Thorburn also became the first player to make two competitive maximum breaks. In November 1995 Stephen Hendry became the first player to make two televised maximum breaks. Thai female snooker player Nutcharut Wongharuthai made a 147 break during a practice match in March 2019, which is believed to be the first maximum break achieved by a woman in any match.

Multiple maximums

More than one official maximum break has been compiled in the same event on [|twenty occasions]. The 2008 World Snooker Championship was the first event where two maximum breaks were televised. Two maximum breaks were also televised at the 2019 Welsh Open. Three official maximums at the same WPBSA event have been achieved twice: at the 2012 UK Championship, when Andy Hicks and Jack Lisowski both compiled one each in qualifying and John Higgins compiled one at the last 16 of the televised stages. Similarly, at the 2017 German Masters, Ali Carter and Ross Muir both compiled one each during qualifying and Tom Ford during the televised stages.
Mark Davis became the only player to make two official maximum breaks in professional competition at the same event when he compiled two 147s at the 2017 Championship League. The 2012 FFB Snooker Open, 2017 German Masters and 2018 Paul Hunter Classic are the only WPBSA events where two maximums were made on the same day. Three maximum breaks were compiled on 8 February 1998 during the Buckley's Bitter Challenge, an unofficial event, by Matthew Stevens, Ryan Day and Tony Chappel. There have been at least five non-tournament matches where more than one maximum was compiled. Peter Ebdon compiled two maximum breaks during an 11-frame exhibition match at Eastbourne Police Club on 15 April 1996. In 2003 he also compiled two consecutive maximum breaks against Steve Davis in an exhibition match. In 2009 Jimmy White and Ronnie O'Sullivan compiled consecutive maximum breaks at an exhibition match in Ireland.
The only player known to compile more than two maximum breaks on a single occasion is Adrian Gunnell, who compiled three maximums in four frames at a club in Telford in 2003 while practising against Ian Duffy. Higgins and O'Sullivan are the only players to record maximum breaks in consecutive ranking events. Higgins made one during his defeat by Mark Williams in the LG Cup final, and then one in his second round match at the 2003 British Open. O'Sullivan made one at the Northern Ireland Trophy and another at the UK Championship in 2007.

Final frames and matches

Hendry, Mark Williams, O'Sullivan, Barry Hawkins, Matthew Stevens, Ding Junhui, Andy Hicks, Shaun Murphy, Ryan Day, John Higgins, Mark Davis, Martin Gould, Luca Brecel and Tom Ford have all made [|maximums to win matches]. Only six of these have come in final-frame deciders, however: Hendry's at the 1997 Charity Challenge, O'Sullivan's at the 2007 UK Championship, both of Davis' at the 2017 Championship League, Gould's at the 2018 Championship League and Ford's at the 2019 English Open.
Only Hendry, John Higgins, Stuart Bingham, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson have made maximums in finals of tournaments. Hendry has made three: the first at the 1997 Charity Challenge, the second at the 1999 British Open and the third at the 2001 Malta Grand Prix. Higgins has made two, at the 2003 LG Cup, and the second at the 2012 Shanghai Masters. Bingham at the 2012 Wuxi Classic. O'Sullivan in the final frame of the 2014 Welsh Open; Murphy at the 2014 Ruhr Open and Robertson at the 2015 UK Championship. Robertson's maximum is the only one to be compiled in the final of a Triple Crown event.

Fastest

O'Sullivan's first 147 break against Mick Price in their second round tie at the 1997 World Snooker Championship set the record for the fastest maximum in the history of the game. Guinness World Records recorded the time of the break at 5 minutes and 20 seconds. However, an investigation undertaken by Deadspin in 2017 revealed that the time recorded by Guinness is incorrect because the timer was started too early on the BBC footage. Breaks are not officially timed in snooker and the official rules of snooker do not specify how they should be timed, instead leaving the timing to the discretion of the broadcaster. The only timing methodology World Snooker sanctions in its events is the one employed in shot clock events where timing for a player's shot begins when the balls have come to rest from his opponent's previous shot. Under this convention the break would have been timed at 5 minutes and 15 seconds. However, World Snooker has since suggested that a break starts when the player strikes the cueball for the first time in a break which would result in a time of 5 minutes and 8 seconds, and this is the time that World Snooker now officially acknowledges.

Youngest and oldest

is the youngest player to make a maximum break in competition, which he achieved at the LiteTask Pro-Am series, in Leeds, UK, on 9 July 2017, at the age of 15 years and 90 days. O'Sullivan previously held the record as the youngest player to achieve a maximum break in any recognised competition, a feat he achieved at the 1991 English Amateur Championship when he was 15 years and 98 days old. However, despite being the official world record-holder, Maddocks may not actually be the youngest player to have made one; Judd Trump is on record as having compiled a 147 at the Potters Under-16 Tournament in 2004 at the age of 14 years and 206 days, but not recognised by Guinness World Records.
The youngest player to make an official 147 in professional competition is Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon at the 2010 Rhein–Main Masters at the age of 16 years and 312 days. The youngest player to have made a televised 147 is Ding Junhui at the age of 19 years and 9 months in the 2007 Masters. The oldest player to make an official maximum in professional competition is Mark Davis, who compiled one in the 2017 Championship League at the age of 44.

Prize money

In professional tournaments there was usually a substantial prize awarded to any player achieving a 147 break. For example, Ronnie O'Sullivan's maximum at the 1997 World Championship earned him £165,000. Of this, £147,000 was for making the 147 break and £18,000 was for achieving the highest break of the tournament.
In the 2011–12 season World Snooker introduced a roll-over system for the maximum break prize money, the "rolling 147 prize". A maximum break is worth £5,000 in the televised stages and £500 in qualifying stages of major ranking events. There is a £500 prize in the Players Tour Championship events from the last 128 onwards. If a maximum is not made then the prize rolls over to the next event until somebody wins it.
At the 2016 Welsh Open, Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Barry Pinches 4–1 in the first round. In the fifth frame of the match, O'Sullivan declined the opportunity to make a maximum break, potting the pink off the penultimate red and completing a break of 146. He stated afterwards that the prize money of £10,000 was not worthy of a 147. World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn called the decision "unacceptable" and "disrespectful". Individual prizes for a maximum break were phased out at the beginning of the 2019–20 snooker season, with a £1 million bonus on offer for the season if 20 or more were made during the season. The prize would be split between players who made a qualifying break.

Breaks exceeding 147

A break higher than 147 can be achieved when an opponent before any reds are potted, and leaves the incoming player on all 15 reds. The player can nominate one of the other as a red, known as a, which carries the same value as a red for just that shot. If the free ball is potted, the referee places this coloured ball back on its original location, de facto creating a setup as if there were 16 reds in total, thus creating a potential maximum break of 155 if a player starts from a free ball position.
In October 2004, during qualifying for the UK Championship, Jamie Burnett became the only player to record a break of more than 147 in tournament play, when he scored 148 against Leo Fernandez. He took the brown as the free ball, then potted the brown again followed by the 15 reds with 12 blacks, two pinks and a blue, then the six colours.
Some breaks exceeding 147 have been reported in non-tournament settings: