A three-cushion point needs two object-ball contacts, at least three cue-ball cushion contacts before the second object ball, and no other invalidating foul. The minimum is three contacts, not three different cushions.
What makes a three-cushion point legal?
Cushion contacts before or after the first object ball may count. The same cushion may be contacted more than once; three different cushions are not required.
Audit the order, not the drawing
Let A and B be the object balls in the order encountered and C a cue-ball cushion contact. A → C → C → C → B and C → A → C → C → B can satisfy the count. A → C → C → B → C cannot: the last cushion is too late. Repeated contacts with the same cushion may count. These logical examples do not guarantee that a particular layout produces that path.
Start and continue correctly
The lag winner chooses who begins; use the prescribed spots, not an improvised head-string position. On the opening stroke the red must be attacked directly first. The assigned cue balls remain with their players. Each valid point continues the inning from the resulting position; a miss or foul ends it. A match total is not the same thing as average, which divides points by innings.
Fouls and exceptional positions
Playing the wrong ball, moving balls improperly, striking before all balls stop, double contact of the tip and cue ball, or a ball leaving the table can invalidate the shot. A plain missed carom is not a successful shot followed by a negative point. Touching balls and balls leaving the table have specific referee procedures; do not apply pool ball-in-hand rules or automatically reset all three balls. Consult UMB Articles 27–28 and 41 for those cases.
Know the finish before playing
The target, sets, shot clock, equalizing inning and tie-break belong to the competition format. UMB Article 29 explicitly makes equal innings a competition decision; “first to the target always wins immediately” is not universal. Check the current event sheet before the first shot. Our contact examples explain the common playing rule; the linked individual championship and World Cup documents govern their particular events, not every club match.
Continue with: One-cushion carom: scoring order and a controlled practice session →