The game of kings

In the office.
And on the beach

The web magazine for top managers - who's promoted, who came, who left? And what to do when you're not in the office.

The luxury pool table that will persist your magnificent billiard skills is waiting for your if you visit Tresserra Company.

There are several theories about origin of the billiard. Generally, historians agree that billiard pull its roots from the end of 14th and beginning of 15th century from a game which was played on a grass. Which nation is meritorious for developing table game historians can't agree on, but one is for sure, in its beginnings that was the game for aristocracy only.

In his book "The History of Billiards" in 1470, pool historicist William Hendricks wrote about a game which was played in closed space. French king Louis XI's saved bills testify about buying "billiard balls and billiard table for kings pleasure". His stone billiard table was covered with a green cover (to suggest a grass) with a hole in the middle. Balls and stick were wooden. Except French nobility, Englishmen and Italians also loved this game. Some documents testify that even Scottish queen Mary had billiard in her prison cell while she was waiting her decapitation on charge of murder attempt on queen Elizabeth I, 1588. It seems that 16ht century law still had some humanity or black sense for humour, what ever suits you more, or people just were victims of the "fashion". It is less likely that today's prisoner get some brand new Play Station or some "wild" TV while waiting at death penalty. But, we don't have a reason to suspect historical data, we just hope that queen Mary was in the mood to decapitate at least one billiard ball before she lost his own - head.

French kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV were great admirers of billiard game. Last one equipped billiard room with two massive billiard tables, 16 silver chandeliers and 26 crystal lustres. 17th century brings some changes. Ivory balls replaced wooden balls, curved sticks replaced flat sticks used by then, tables had rounded arch and wooden central target called "king". Table arch disappeared in 18th century, and game was played with two white and one red ball. Englishmen play on tables with 6 holes, Frenchmen play carambol games, Italians play on 10 holes. In 18th century America met billiard.

Francois Mingaud, captain of Napoleon army was the first who put a rubber on the edges of a billiard table and stick a piece of that on the end of billiard stick. His book "Noble jeu de Billard", 1827, described billiard game and explain the rules.

American president George Washington wrote a diary and thanks to that we can trace that his biggest win on billiard was 1,75 dollars. He, like any American president in the future, didn't like to gamble too much and his biggest dated loss was 2,2 dollars. Year 1868 was very important for billiard. Chemist John Wesley Hyatt discovered celluloid what made possible to replace heavy ivory balls used by then with celluloid.

Further billiard history is easy to follow. But, times has changed and some other sports draw billiard in past. Television noted billiard potential and wiped dust off from it. Robert Rossen's film "The Hustler", filmed in 1961 with Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason is a poetic homage to pocket billiards game. And while film lovers will glorify Rossen's directing we will still talk about billiard. Plot of the film is more or less predictable, billiard skills pay our attention more. All billiard moves are played by Newman and Gleason itself, except one. Legendary masse hit (white ball pull 2 proclaimed balls in the same hole) is a work of one of the best players in the history of the game, famous Willie Mosconi. And that was the game, indeed. Lately pictured "The color of money" directed by Martin Scorsese is delightful, but pale. Even his directing skills didn't help him to repeat charming Rossen's "The Hustler".

If we managed to heat your fingers we have one more information. The table that will persist your magnificent game skills is waiting for your if you visit Tresserra Company and look their offer of pool table. The next shot is yours.

April 7, 2008

Post to: