What is "maximum break"

n. (context snooker English) The highest score possible in one visit to the table in a frame of snooker, by potting all fifteen reds with fifteen blacks and the six colors in order.

Joe Davis compiled the first officially recognised maximum in a 1955 exhibition match in London. In 1982 Steve Davis achieved the first official maximum in professional competition, which was also the first televised one. The following year, Cliff Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum in the World Championship. In total, only 59 snooker players have achieved maximums in professional competitions, totaling 118 such breaks. Ronnie O'Sullivan holds the record of thirteen competitive maximum breaks and he also has the record for the fastest competitive maximum break at 5 minutes 20 seconds, set at the 1997 World Championship.

Maximum breaks have gradually become more commonplace in professional snooker. Only 8 maximums were achieved in the 1980s, but 26 were attained in the 1990s and 35 in the 2000s. Thus far in the 2010s, 49 maximums have been achieved. The landmark 100th official maximum break in professional competition was achieved by Mark Selby at the UK Championship on 7 December 2013.

Breaks greater than 147 are possible in a situation. This has been achieved only once in professional competition, when Jamie Burnett made a 148 break in the qualifying stages of the 2004 UK Championship.