Scientist cracks the mystery of snooker’s dreaded double kiss

A SCIENTIST has cracked the mystery of snooker’s dreaded double kiss.

The phenomenon — where the cue ball hits its target twice in a safety shot — has stumped players and fans since game legend Jimmy White demonstrated it in 2020.

It occurs during a “dump shot”, when a player wants to leave the target ball at one end of the table and the white at the other.

Jimmy showed how the balls will always rebound off the cushion and collide if the shot is played straight, in line with the corner pocket.

In a match, that ruins the safety and risks gifting an opponent an easy pot.

Jimmy, 59, teamed up with theoretical astrophysics professor Simon Goodwin to explain it.

The boffin said: “If something always happens, there must be a reason for it.

“I sat down and drew lots of diagrams, calculated lots of angles, and then it clicked that the key thing is the line of the shot.

“If the shot is lined up with the corner, the two balls always end up in the same place at the same time.”

The double kiss happens whether the shot is played soft or hard.

Prof Goodwin, of Sheffield University, said that as the cue ball strikes the target, its momentum is shared unequally, with each ball moving off at a different speed.

But this balances out the different distances each one travels — so they always intersect.

Jimmy said: “I thought I knew everything there is to know about snooker. Great stuff!”