Before the first shot the pyramid is broken up — open play from stroke one. Scoring, cue-ball, and foul rules as in free (Americana) pyramid.
Dynamic pyramid (Nevskaya) is a free-pyramid variant with the same scoring logic but different table setup: 15 balls are not left in a tight pyramid after break but spread on the table beforehand.
This removes long positional play after a tight break and speeds the frame — popular in club leagues, televised matches, and time-limited tournaments.
Spread is done by player who won first shot or separately by lot — per tournament regulations. Illegal spread (balls frozen, in kitchen, openness not achieved) — repeat or penalty.
Foul list matches free pyramid: miss, illegal shot, cue ball in pocket without object-ball contact, ball off table, double hit, push, etc.
Dynamic pyramid is a St. Petersburg discipline with a broken pyramid: 15 balls are not racked in a triangle but spread on the table before the first shot. Cue-ball rules, scoring, and fouls — as in free pyramid.
Dynamic pyramid (Nevskaya) was born in Leningrad and St. Petersburg clubs in the 1980s–1990s as a faster, more spectacular variant: no need to break a tight pyramid — the table is open from the first stroke.
15 object balls are placed on lines or zones per regulations (not in a triangle at the foot spot). Colored cue ball — in the kitchen. First shot — from the hand; thereafter rules match free pyramid: any ball as cue ball, carom pocketing, run until foul.
The name Nevskaya stuck thanks to TV shows and Northwest tournaments; Moscow and regions adopted it as the second standard of rating series.
Less time on break and escape from the opening position — faster frame tempo. For viewers and broadcasts the table looks alive from the first seconds.
Players with strong positional play and long runs get the same advantages as in free pyramid, but without the lottery of a tight pyramid break.
Tournaments often alternate free and dynamic in one bracket — different disciplines, one table, one player rating.
This is a short guide. The exact regulations are in the tournament description on billiard.guru or from the organizer. Official event rules take precedence.