The World Snooker Championship kicks off in the Crucible on Saturday. According to experts, Ronnie O’Sullivan is the reigning champion and a big favorite to win the competition. Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Sean Murphy and John Higgins await and anything is possible at the world’s biggest snooker event.

World Snooker Championship 2023 – Ronnie O’Sullivan, heavy favourite

• Date of the competition: April 15 – May 1

• City: Sheffield

• The total prize pool is £2,395,000

• Big winner’s cheque: £500,000

• Champion title: Ronnie O’Sullivan

• Telecast in Romania: Eurosport

How will the money of the 2023 WC of snooker be distributed

Winner: £500,000

Second place: £200,000

Semi-Final: £100,000

Quarters: £50,000

Second round: £30,000

First round: £20,000

World Snooker Championship, schedule of first round matches

Ronnie O’Sullivan (1) – Mr. Junxiu

Ding Junhui (16) – Hossein Wafaei

Luca Bresel (9) — Ricky Walden

Mark Williams (8) – Jimmy Robertson

Judd Trump (5) – Anthony McGill

Jack Lisowski (12) – Noppon Saengkham

Robert Milkins (13) – Joe Perry

Sean Murphy (4) – Yi Jiahui

Mark Allen (3) – Fan Zhenyi

Stuart Bingham (14) – David Gilbert

Ali Carter (11) is Jack Jones

Neil Robertson (6) – Wu Yzeh

Kyren Wilson (7) v Ryan Day

John Higgins (10) is David Grace

Gary Wilson (15) – Elliot Slessor

Mark Selby (2) – Matthew Selt

How will it be played at the World Cup

• First round matches will be played on a best of 19 frames basis. The second round will be best of 25 frames, the same as the quarters.

• In the semi-finals, the winner will be determined by the “best of 33 shots” system. Finally, in the grand final, the winner will be decided after the “best of 35 frames”.

How it will be in the final

• There will be 8 frames in the first session of the final. The second session will consist of 9 frames, the third will consist of 8 frames. Finally, the final session will have a maximum of 10 frames (may or may not all be played, depending on the score on the table).

From the history of the World Snooker Championship

• Between 1941 and 1945, the World Snooker Championship was not held due to World War II. In addition, the competition was not held between 1958 and 1963 due to declining interest in the World Cup.

• The first World Cup was held in 1927, and since 1977 the tournament has been held at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield.

• The first maximum breakthrough (147 points) was achieved by Cliff Thorburn in 1983.

• The modern era of competition (something like the “Open Era” of tennis) began in 1969.

• The record for titles (not in the modern era) is held by Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan (7 each).

• The 2008 World Championship was the first in which two maximum breaks were made at the final stage. In these circumstances, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter should have shared the award.

• The youngest world champion is Stephen Hendry, who won the 1990 final at the age of 21.

• In the entire history of the World Cup, only four champions were not from the Kingdom of Great Britain: Horace Lindrum (Australia, 1952), Cliff Thorburn (Canada, 1980), Ken Doherty (Ireland, 1997) and Neil Robertson (Australia, 2010).

• Since the tournament moved to the Crucible, the only champions to successfully defend their title are Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby.

List of all Crucible champions

2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan

2021 – Mark Selby

2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan

2019 – Judd Trump

2018 – Mark Williams

2017 – Mark Selby

2016 – Mark Selby

2015 – Stuart Bingham

2014 – Mark Selby

2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan

2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan

2011 – John Higgins

2010 – Neil Robertson

2009 – John Higgins

2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan

2007 – John Higgins

2006 – Graham Dott

2005 – Sean Murphy

2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan

2003 – Mark Williams

2002 – Peter Ebdon

2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan

2000 – Mark Williams

1999 – Stephen Hendy

1998 – John Higgins

1997 – Ken Doherty

1996 – Stephen Hendry

1995 – Stephen Hendry

1994 – Stephen Hendry

1993 – Stephen Hendry

1992 – Stephen Hendry

1991 – John Parrott

1990 – Stephen Hendry

1989 – Steve Davis

1988 – Steve Davis

1987 – Steve Davis

1986 – Joe Johnson

1985 – Dennis Taylor

1984 – Steve Davis

1983 – Steve Davis

1982 – Alex Higgins

1981 – Steve Davis

1980 – Cliff Thorburn

1979 – Terry Griffiths

1987 – Ray Reardon

1977 – John Spencer.

The Crucible Theater is a place where dreams come true

• The Crucible Theater was located in the center of Sheffield (South Yorkshire) and was built in 1971.

• Architect: “RHWL ​​Architects” (1961-2015). Since 1977, hosts the World Snooker Championship every year.

• Address: 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield. It is designed for 980 seats. He appeared at the “Playhouse of the Repertory Theater”. In addition to snooker, competitions were also played here table tennis and squash.

• It underwent renovations between 2007 and 2009 and was officially re-opened on February 18, 2010. The total cost of the renovation was 15 million pounds.

About Sheffield

Sheffield is a city in the north of England, in the county of South Yorkshire. It covers an area of ​​367.94 km2 and takes its name from the Shif River, a river that flows through the city.

The metropolitan area of ​​Sheffield has a population of almost 1.69 million inhabitants (the city itself has about 575 thousand inhabitants).

It is one of the greenest cities in Europe with its 250 parks, forests and gardens. There are an estimated 4.5 million trees in Sheffield. The city became famous in the 19th century for its steel production.