Ronnie O’Sullivan lost in the second round of the World Snooker Championship
Neil Robertson has called on the World Snooker Tour (WST) to ban the controversial type of choke used by Ronnie O’Sullivan, claiming the abrasive is “hated” by most professional players because it causes a “kick” and can be “unfair to players not using it”.
O’Sullivan lost the World Snooker Championship to John Higgins on Monday, but Higgins bounced back from a 9-4 deficit to claim a 13-12 victory in the last-16 match, completing a remarkable comeback and ending his 50-year-old opponent’s hopes of winning a record-breaking eighth Crucible title.
Most tour players use the Taom choke, but O’Sullivan still uses the triangle choke. This can leave marks on the table and cause the cue ball to kick unexpectedly when hitting the object ball.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association rules currently have no restrictions on the type of chalk players can use.
After his 13-7 win over England’s Chris Wakelin on Monday, setting up a draw with Higgins in the quarter-finals, Robertson said he would rather face the Scot than O’Sullivan, referring to the latter’s choice of choke.
Neil Robertson calls for World Snooker Tour to ban O’Sullivan’s choke
Robertson told the BBC: “I want to play John because then I won’t have to argue that the choke that Ronnie uses should be banned in matches.”
“I don’t know why they’re allowed to use it. All the players hate it. It just destroys the table. It kicks, it bounces, it makes a mess.”
The 2010 world champion believes O’Sullivan is not using the triangle choke to deliberately throw his opponent away, but called the situation “chokegate” and claimed that many top pros do not allow players to use the triangle choke at individual tables.
“I know he (Mr O’Sullivan) is friends with (artist) Damien Hirst, but it’s like he uses chalk all over cloth to make art,” Robertson said. “I don’t think he’s doing it to bring anyone down. He doesn’t have that inclination at all.
“He’s pretty much the only player left on tour who uses that chalk. I hope they give him a suspension.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was beaten by John Higgins
“That’s something to bring up. It can really ruin the game and it’s unfair to players who aren’t using it.
“Sean Murphy and I would like to see it removed from the face of the earth.”
“Even snooker clubs have banned it. Why would we use it if it’s ruining the actual fabric? I’ve had people come to practice with me and they brought it to me and I said, ‘You’re not using that.’
“No professional would allow triangular chalk to be used on the table.”
Higgins delivers verdict on ‘Chalkgate’
John Higgins celebrates
At the 2021 British Open, Higgins revealed he told O’Sullivan to “get rid of that triangle choke.”
“I’ve never been a fan of this Taom choke, but it felt like everything was a kick shot to him,” Higgins said.
But Higgins, who is scheduled to face Robertson in the quarter-finals on Tuesday at 2.30pm, appears to have taken a more sympathetic view of O’Sullivan following Monday’s win.
“If you have better cue ball control than any other player, why don’t you take advantage of that? So why don’t you have that advantage?” Higgins said.
“Because if you play on a level playing field, everyone will be using the same chalk, no trace of chalk, and everything. Maybe the players will have a better chance of beating them.
“That’s what people do in any sport. They try to take advantage of small advantages. I don’t know, but obviously I’ll have to ask Ronnie how he really feels about that, about using the old chalk. Who knows?”
Six-time world champion Steve Davis has noticed chalk marks starting to form on tables and cushions, adding that chalk dust residue can make it even more difficult for players to make clean contact.
“Almost all the players took it (the Taom choke because it’s so much better),” Davis told the BBC. “There is no need to clean the cue ball. The cue ball is never placed on a cushion, it is never placed on a cloth, and the ball does not pick up chalk left on the cloth.”
O’Sullivan vows to follow the money.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is a seven-time Crucible champion.
O’Sullivan continues to choose his matches, but his future earning potential has been hit by the recent cancellation of the Saudi Masters, two years after signing a lucrative 10-year contract.
The seven-time Crucible winner, who started a snooker academy in Riyadh around the time of his original contract in 2024, said: “We all know that every tournament I play in, I have to put out the checkbook.
“If it stops, I stop. Whenever it is, whether it’s Saudi, Qatar, China, here, whatever it is, I always make sure that some charge comes, because otherwise people know I’m not coming.
“I’m not too worried because I have other options. Hopefully Saudi Arabia will still want to do something, but we’ll have to wait and see.
“I make decisions based on what happens there.”
Top players have expressed frustration over the cancellation of the second most lucrative Saudi event on the calendar, but the unranked Riyadh Seasonal Snooker Championship, with the US$1 million “Golden Ball” at stake, is expected to go on.
O’Sullivan, who is currently based in Dubai, has played in less than half of the ranking tournaments available this season and has missed all British events apart from the World Championships and British Championships.
Conversely, he will return to the Crucible for next weekend’s World Senior Championship, where he will face either Ken Doherty or Gerard Green on May 8th.
“If the sponsors agree, I’ll play, but I don’t get to go two feet like other players,” O’Sullivan added.
“I’m just grateful to be able to play and enjoy what I do. If I don’t enjoy it, I’m going to take my time, but we’ll see.”
“I’m going to go back to Ireland, relax there and come back whenever I have to play. It’s work. You have to go to work. You have to pay the bills. There’s a lot of people on the payroll.”
