Alex Higgins impossible 69 break against Jimmy White in the 1982 Embassy Snooker World Championship semi-final.
The unorthodox play of Higgins was seen in his break of 69, made under unusual pressure, against Jimmy White in the penultimate frame of their World Professional Snooker Championship semi-final in 1982.
Higgins was 0–59 down in that frame, but managed to compile an extremely challenging clearance during which he was scarcely in position until the colors.
In particular, former world champion Dennis Taylor considers a three-quarter-ball pot on a blue into the green pocket especially memorable, not only for its extreme degree of difficulty but for enabling Higgins to continue the break and keep White off the table and unable to clinch victory at that moment.
In potting the blue, Higgins screwed the cue-ball on to the side cushion to bring it back towards the black/pink area with extreme left-hand side-spin, a shot Taylor believes could be played 100 times without coming close to the position Higgins reached with cue-ball. Alex went a little too far for ideal position on his next red but the match-saving break was still alive.
Former World Champion John Spencer described it as “the pressure break of the century”.
