Ronnie O’Sullivan has been using old chalk at the 2025 World Snooker Championship, and former rival Stephen Hendry has explained why it is causing problems for his opponents
Snooker legend Stephen Hendry has pointed out a clever ploy used by Ronnie O’Sullivan that seems to have thrown his opponents off balance during the World Snooker Championship.
During the quarter-final match against China’s Si Jiahui, Hendry noticed The Rocket opting for an older type of chalk, following Si’s request to have white marks cleaned from the table.
While most top snooker players have switched to a newer chalk variant, some, including O’Sullivan and Luca Brecel, have stuck with the traditional kind. This older chalk can leave marks that lead to ‘kicks’ – imperfect contacts between the cue ball and object balls, often due to chalk dust on the balls.
“I know it’s an irritation all other players that Ronnie continues to use the old chalk. That does give bad contacts and bounces off the cushion,” Hendry said.
“Luca Brecel, on the other table [versus Judd Trump] is the other player that still uses it. I know from speaking to other players, it does get very annoying because the table starts to play a bit heavier, kicks become a factor, cushions become unpredictable.”
Despite the introduction of Taom chalk, which significantly reduces ‘kicks’, O’Sullivan and Brecel have remained loyal to the classic triangle chalk familiar to snooker halls across the UK, reports the Express.
John Higgins also expressed frustration with O’Sullivan and Brecel’s choice of chalk, suggesting it almost cost him his quarter-final spot. Higgins narrowly secured his place by beating Xiao Guodong 13-12 in a nail-biting decider.
During the match Higgins encountered a stroke of bad luck in a crucial penultimate frame as a kick led to a missed shot, which then allowed Xiao back to the table, consequently stretching the match to a deciding frame.
Higgins said afterwards: “Do you know why I got a kick? Because Luca was on previously. Luca doesn’t use the (Taom chalk).”
John Parrott then expressed his astonishment asking, “Have they not brushed the table?” Higgins, however, clarified the situation, stating: “They brushed, but it’s still really messy.
“So it’s difficult when you play guys like Ronnie and Luca and they’re using the triangle chalk. It’s a bit of a nightmare.”
Although Higgins was ousted from the quarter-finals by Mark Williams, O’Sullivan finds himself in a challenging position, having suffered a severe setback on Friday morning against Zhao Xintong — trailing 12-4 after a session that ended 8-0.
O’Sullivan now faces a steep uphill struggle going into the evening session at 7pm, with the first to 17 frames clinching victory.