The1986 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the1986 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professionalsnooker tournament that took place between 19 April and 5 May 1986 at theCrucible Theatre inSheffield, England. It was the sixth and finalranking event of the1985–86 snooker season and the 1986 edition of theWorld Snooker Championship, first held in1927. The total prize fund was £350,000 with £70,000 awarded to the winner and was sponsored by cigarette manufacturerEmbassy.

The defending champion wasDennis Taylor, who had defeatedSteve Davis 18–17 in the1985 World Snooker Championship final to win his first world title. In defence of his title, Taylor lost in the first round of the event 6–10 toMike Hallett.Joe Johnson the world number 16 defeated Davis 18–12 in the final to win his sole ranking event. Prior to the competition, the bookmakers' odds for a Johnson victory were 150/1. There were 20century breaks compiled in total during the tournament, the highest of which was a 134 made by Davis in the opening frame of his quarter-final win. (Full article...)

The2020 Masters (officially the2020 Dafabet Masters) was a professional non-rankingsnooker tournament that took place atAlexandra Palace in London, England, from 12 to 19 January 2020. It was the 46th staging ofthe Masters tournament, which was first held in1975, and the second of threeTriple Crown events in the2019–20 season, following the2019 UK Championship and preceding the2020 World Snooker Championship. The event invites the top sixteen players from thesnooker world rankings in aknockout tournament. It was organised by theWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and was broadcast by theBBC andEurosport in Europe.

Judd Trump was the defending champion, having defeatedRonnie O'Sullivan 10–4 in the final of theprevious year's event. Trump lost toShaun Murphy 3–6 in the first round. O'Sullivan was eligible to compete, but chose not to participate, so his entry was given toAli Carter, next on the world ranking list. Carter reached the final, where he playedStuart Bingham; recovering from 5–7 behind, Bingham won the final 10–8 to claim his first Masters title. He became the oldest Masters champion at the age of 43 years and 243 days, beating the previous record set byRay Reardon in1976; Bingham remained the tournament's oldest winner until2024, when O'Sullivan won the title aged 48 years and 40 days. (Full article...)

The2019 WPA World Ten-ball Championship was a professionalpool tournament for the discipline often-ball organised by theWorld Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) andCueSports International. It was the fifthWPA World Ten-ball Championship; theprevious championship was held in 2015. After plans for an event in both 2016 and 2018 to be held inManila fell through, it was agreed to hold a 2019 event at theRio All-Suite Hotel & Casino inLas Vegas as part of a three-year deal for the event to be played in the United States. The tournament ran concurrently with theBilliard Congress of America's National Ten-ball event from July 22 to 26. The event was sponsored by cue manufacturer Predator Group.

The competition featured 64 participants, selected according to world and continental pool rankings as well as qualifying events. The tournament was played as adouble-elimination bracket until 16 players remained, at which point it changed to asingle-elimination format.Ko Ping-chung, representing Chinese Taipei, won the event, defeating German playerJoshua Filler 10–7 in the final. Ko's brotherKo Pin-yi, who was the defending champion, lost to Filler 10–8 in the semi-final. The event featured a prize fund of $132,000, the winner receiving $30,000. (Full article...)

The1984 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the1984 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purpose of sponsorship) was aranking professionalsnooker tournament that took place between 21 April and 7 May 1984 at theCrucible Theatre inSheffield, England. The event was organised by theWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, and was the eighth consecutiveWorld Snooker Championship to be held at the Crucible since the1977 event. The event featured 94 participants, of which 78 players competed in a qualifying event held at the Redwood Lodge inBristol from 1 to 13 April. Of these, 16 players qualified for the main stage in Sheffield, where they met 16 invitedseeds. The total prize fund for the event was £200,000, the highest total pool for any snooker tournament at that time; the winner received £44,000.

The defending champion was English playerSteve Davis, who had won the title twice previously. He met fellow-countrymanJimmy White in the final, which was played as a best-of-35-frames match. Davis took a significant lead of 12–4 after the first two sessions; although White battled back into the match, Davis eventually won 18–16, becoming the first player to retain the title at the Crucible.Rex Williams secured the championship's highestbreak, scoring a 138 in the 12th frame of his first-round loss to White. Eightcentury breaks were made during the competition, the fewest since the1978 event. The tournament was sponsored by cigarette manufacturerEmbassy, and broadcast byBBC. (Full article...)

The2021 World Snooker Championship (officially the2021 Betfred World Snooker Championship) was a professionalsnooker tournament that took place from 17 April to 3 May 2021 at theCrucible Theatre inSheffield, England. It was the 45th consecutive year theWorld Snooker Championship was held at the Crucible Theatre and the 15th and final ranking event of the2020–21 snooker season. It was organised by theWorld Snooker Tour. The event was sponsored by sports betting companyBetfred and broadcast by theBBC,Eurosport andMatchroom Sport. It featured a total prize fund of£2,395,000 of which the winner received £500,000.

Qualifying for the tournament took place between 5 and 14 April 2021 at theEnglish Institute of Sport in Sheffield. There were 128 participants in the qualifying rounds, consisting of a mix of professional and invited amateur players. The main stage of the tournament featured 32 players: the top 16 players from thesnooker world rankings and an additional 16 players from the qualifying rounds.Ronnie O'Sullivan was the defending champion, having won his sixth world title at theprevious year's event, where he defeatedKyren Wilson 18–8 in the final. O'Sullivan lost in the second round toAnthony McGill 12–13.Mark Selby defeatedShaun Murphy 18–15 in the final to win his fourth world title and the 20th ranking title of his career. There were a record 108century breaks made at the Crucible, with an additional 106 made in qualifying rounds. The tournament's highest break was 144 by Murphy in the second round. (Full article...)

The2020 World Snooker Championship (officially the2020 Betfred World Snooker Championship) was a professionalsnooker tournament that took place from 31 July to 16 August 2020 at theCrucible Theatre inSheffield, England. It was the 44th consecutive year that theWorld Snooker Championship was held at the Crucible. The finalranking event of the2019–20 snooker season, the tournament was originally scheduled to take place from 18 April to 4 May 2020, but both the qualifying stage and the main rounds were postponed as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic. The event was one of the first to allow live audiences since the onset of the pandemic, but on the first day, it was announced that the event would be playedbehind closed doors for subsequent days. A limited number of spectators were allowed in for the final two days of the championship.

The tournament was organised by theWorld Snooker Tour, a subsidiary of theWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, and was broadcast by theBBC,Eurosport andMatchroom Sport. The event had a total prize fund of £2,395,000, with the winner receiving £500,000. Qualifying for the tournament was due to be held between 8 and 15 April 2020, but instead took place from 21 to 28 July at theEnglish Institute of Sport, Sheffield. There were 128 participants in the qualifying rounds, with a mix of professional and invited amateur players, 16 of whom reached the main stage of the tournament, where they played the top 16 players in the snooker world rankings. The event was sponsored by sports betting companyBetfred. (Full article...)

The1989 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as theEmbassy World Snooker Championship for sponsorship reasons) was a professionalsnooker tournament that took place from 15 April to 1 May 1989 at theCrucible Theatre inSheffield, England. Organised by theWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, it was the eighth and finalranking event of the1988–89 snooker season and the thirteenth consecutiveWorld Snooker Championship to be held at the Crucible, the first tournament at this location having taken place in1977. There were 142 entrants to the competition.

The defending champion wasSteve Davis, who had previously won the World Championship five times. He metJohn Parrott in the final, which was a best-of-35-frames match. Davis won the match 18–3, which remains the biggest winning margin in the sport's modern era, and meant that the final, scheduled for foursessions, finished with asession to spare. This was Davis's sixth and last world title, and his last appearance in a World Championship final.Stephen Hendry scored the championship's highestbreak, a 141, in his quarter-final match. There were 19century breaks compiled during the championship. (Full article...)

The1983 World Snooker Championship (also known as the1983 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professionalsnooker tournament that took place between 16 April and 2 May 1983 at theCrucible Theatre inSheffield, England. This was the third and finalworld ranking event of the1982–83 snooker season following the1982 Professional Players Tournament. Sixteen seeded players qualified directly for the event, with an additional sixteen players progressing through a two-round qualification round held at the Romiley Forum inStockport, and Redwood Lodge inBristol. The winner of the event received £30,000, and the tournament was sponsored by cigarette companyEmbassy.

Alex Higgins was the defending champion, having won the1982 championship, but he lost 5–16 toSteve Davis in the semi-finals. Davis, the 1981 champion, won the event for the second time, defeatingCliff Thorburn 18–6 in the final. A total of 18century breaks were made during the tournament. The highest was made by Thorburn in the fourthframe of his second round match againstTerry Griffiths, where he compiled amaximum break of 147 points, becoming the first player to make such a break in a World Championship match. (Full article...)

The2020 Tour Championship (officially the2020 Coral Tour Championship) was a professionalsnooker tournament that took place from 20 to 26 June 2020, at theMarshall Arena inMilton Keynes, England. Organised by theWorld Snooker Tour, it was the second edition of theTour Championship and the third and final event of the second season of theCoral Cup. It was the 16th and penultimateranking event of the2019–20 snooker season following theGibraltar Open and preceding theWorld Championship. The tournament was originally scheduled for 17 to 22 March 2020, but on the morning of 17 March the event was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Following advice from the UK government, it had been decided that no spectators would be permitted at the event.

The draw for the Tour Championship comprised the top eight players based on the single year ranking list. The event was contested as asingle-elimination tournament, with each match played over a minimum of two sessions and the final being a best-of-19-frames match. The winner of the tournament won £150,000 out of a total prize fund of £380,000. The event was sponsored by betting companyCoral. (Full article...)

The2014 World Snooker Championship (officially the2014 Dafabet World Snooker Championship) was a professionalsnooker tournament that took place from 19 April to 5 May 2014 at theCrucible Theatre inSheffield, England. It was the 38th consecutive year that theWorld Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible. The tournament was also the lastranking event of the2013–14 snooker season. The event was sponsored byDafabet for the first time. A qualifying tournament was held from 8 to 16 April 2014 at thePonds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield for 16 players, who met 16seeded participants at the main championships.

Ronnie O'Sullivan was the defending champion, having won theprevious year's event by defeatingBarry Hawkins in the final.Mark Selby won the 2014 event to capture his first world title by defeating O'Sullivan 18–14 in the final. This was Selby's fourth ranking title, also completing theTriple Crown of World Championship,UK Championship, andMasters titles.Neil Robertson compiled the highestbreak of the tournament, a 140, and scored his 100thcentury break of the season in his quarter-final win overJudd Trump. The event featured a prize fund of £1,214,000, the winner receiving £300,000. (Full article...)

Shane Van Boening (/ˌvænˈboʊnɪŋ/; born July 14, 1983) is an American professionalpool player fromRapid City,South Dakota. Van Boening is considered one of the best players of all time. Van Boening has won theWPA World Nine-ball Championship and has won theUS Open Nine-ball Championship on 5 occasions, along with over 100 other professional titles.

Van Boening has a hearing impairment and uses a hearing aid, but it does not affect his pool ability. He has received praise for his attitude towards the sport, particularly for his behavior during matches, and for avoiding alcohol. (Full article...)

Rudolf Walter Wanderone (néRudolf Walter Wanderon Jr.; January 19, 1913 – January 15, 1996), commonly known asMinnesota Fats, was an American professionalpool player. Although he never won a major pool tournament as "Fats", he was at one time perhaps the most publicly recognized pool player in the United States—not only as a player, but also as an entertainer. Wanderone was inducted in 1984 into theBilliard Congress of America Hall of Fame for his decades-long public promotion of pool.

Wanderone began playing at a young age in New York City. As a teenager, he became a travelingpool hustler. Later, in his thirties, he moved toDu Quoin, Illinois, where he met and married his first wife, Evelyn. She was a waitress at a steakhouse, The Perfection Club. They married two months after they met. During World War II, he hustled servicemen inNorfolk, Virginia. With the end of the war, Wanderone returned to Illinois and entered semi-retirement.

Wanderone, who was sometimes known by the nickname "New York Fats" in his role as a pool player, adopted the name "Minnesota Fats" from the character of that name in the 1961 filmThe Hustler, claiming that the character, played byJackie Gleason, was based upon him. (Full article...)

Hossein Vafaei (Persian:حسین وفایی; born 15 October 1994) is an Iranian professionalsnooker player. He is the first professional player fromIran. He won his first ranking title at the2022 Snooker Shoot Out, beatingMark Williams 1–0 (71–0) in the final.

Vafaei made his Crucible debut at the2022 World Snooker Championship, where he lost 4–10 toJudd Trump in the first round. He made hisMasters debut at the2023 event, replacingZhao Xintong in the draw after the sport's governing body suspended Zhao amid a match-fixing investigation. Vafaei defeatedMark Selby 6–2 in the first round, but lost 4–6 toJack Lisowski in the quarter-finals, despite equalling the tournament's highest break of 143 in the match. (Full article...)

Karen Corr (born 10 November 1969) is aNorthern Irish professionalpool and formersnooker andEnglish billiards player. She began entering women's snooker tournaments at age 15 and went on to win theWorld Women's Snooker Championship three times and theWorld Women's Billiards Championship twice. In 1998, she moved to the United States to play pool professionally. She has won numerous tournaments and has been ranked number one on theWPBA Tour. She was inducted into theBCA Hall of Fame in 2012. (Full article...)

Booches is abar,restaurant, andpool hall on 9th Street in downtownColumbia, Missouri. Established in 1884, it is the oldest pool hall in Columbia. It is located near theUniversity of Missouri and has traditionally been frequented by college students. In 2016, Booches was inducted into the Boone County Hall of Fame by theBoone County Historical Society.

Thehamburgers that the restaurant produced were listed inUSA Today as one of the best in the country in 2000. They were also praised by the publication again in 2005 and bySports Illustrated in 2019. (Full article...)

European Pool Championship (also calledDynamic European Championships) is apool competition organized by theEuropean Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of smaller events known as theEuro Tour, also run by the EPBF.

Current disciplines include8-ball,9-Ball,10-Ball,Straight pool, and team events), and for different age and ability ranges, with events for men, women, juniors and wheelchair players. (Full article...)

Jose Parica (born April 18, 1949) is a Filipino professionalpool player fromManila, nicknamed "Amang" (English: "Father") and "the Giant Killer." As aFilipino Hall of Famer, he pioneered the "Filipino invasion" in the United States in the late 70s, especially in the game ofNine-ball. Also known as "the King" in the Philippines, Parica is regarded as one of the best pool players and money players in history. In 1997, Parica became the only player since to perform a perfectTPA score of .1000 in a race to 11 racks, making not a single mistake the entire match. (Full article...)

Graeme Dott (born 12 May 1977) is a Scottish professionalsnooker player and snooker coach fromLarkhall. He turned professional in 1994 and first entered the top 16 in 2001. He has won two ranking titles, the2006 World Snooker Championship and the2007 China Open, and was runner-up in the World Championships of2004 and2010. He reached number 2 in the world rankings in 2007, but a subsequent episode of clinical depression seriously affected his form, causing him to drop to number 28 for the2009–10 season. He then recovered his form, regained his top-16 ranking, and reached a third World Championship final. In 2011, he published his autobiography,Frame of Mind: The Autobiography of the World Snooker Champion.

In 2025, Dott was charged with sexually abusing two children. Prosecutors alleged that he abused a girl between 1993 and 1996, beginning when she was around 10 years old, and a boy between 2006 and 2010, beginning when he was around 7 years old. On 9 April, two days before he was scheduled to compete in the2025 World Snooker Championship qualifying rounds, theWPBSA announced that it had suspended him from competition. Dott has pleaded not guilty to the charges and will stand trial at Scotland'sHigh Court of Justiciary in August 2026. Although released on bail, he remains suspended from competitive snooker pending the outcome. (Full article...)

TheWorld Pool Association (WPA) is the internationalgoverning body forpool (pocket billiards). It was formed in 1987, and was initially headed by a provisionalboard of directors consisting of representatives fromAustralia, theAmericas,Africa, andEurope. As of 2023, the WPA president is Ishaun Singh ofSouth Africa. It is an associate of theWorld Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), the international umbrella organization that encompasses the majorcue sports. WPA is headquartered inGauteng, South Africa. (Full article...)

Michael Massey (born April 9, 1947), professionally known asMike Massey, is an American professionalpool player. From 1989 to 1991 he served as a contributing editor ofThe Snap Magazine. Massey was born inLoudon, Tennessee, and for several years lived inChattanooga, Tennessee, where he owned a pool hall. He has thenickname of "TennesseeTarzan", but he now lives inMidway, Utah.

Massey was inducted into theHall of Fame of theBilliard Congress of America on April 7, 2005. For 2007 he was ranked as #8 inPool & Billiard Magazine's poll of the "Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players". (Full article...)

The2019 Riga Masters (also known as the2019 Kaspersky Riga Masters due to sponsorship) was a professionalranking snooker tournament held from 26 to 28 July 2019 at theArēna Rīga inRiga,Latvia. It was the sixthRiga Masters event, with the first being held in 2013, and the first ranking event of the2019/2020 snooker season. The defending champion,Neil Robertson, previously defeatedJack Lisowski in the2018 final. However, Robertson and several other players were forced to withdraw from qualifying round matches due to flight cancellations, and therefore could not compete in the event.

Yan Bingtao defeatedMark Joyce 5–2 in the final, winning the event and earning his first career ranking title. Yan became the first teenager to win a ranking event in 13 years sinceDing Junhui won the2006 Northern Ireland Trophy aged 19. No players from the top 20 in the world reached the quarter-finals. Lisowski scored the highest break of the tournament, a 145. The event had a total prize fund of£278,000 with the winner receiving £50,000. Qualifying for the event was held between 10 and 13 June 2019 at thePonds Forge International Sports Centre inSheffield, England. (Full article...)

Raymond Reardon (8 October 1932 – 19 July 2024) was a Welsh professionalsnooker player who dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning theWorld Snooker Championship six times and claiming more than a dozen other professional titles. Due to his darkwidow's peak and prominenteye teeth, he was nicknamed "Dracula".

Until his mid-thirties, Reardon worked as a coal miner and then as a police officer while pursuing snooker at an amateur level. His titles during this era included six consecutiveWelsh Amateur Championships from 1950 to 1955 and theEnglish Amateur Championship in 1964. He turned professional in 1967 and became World Champion in1970,1973,1974,1975,1976, and1978; he was also runner-up in1982. His other major tournament wins included the inauguralPot Black tournament in1969, the1976 Masters, and the1982 Professional Players Tournament. Thefirst player to be ranked "world number one" when world rankings were introduced during the1976–77 season, he held the position for the next five years. He regained the top ranking position in1982, after which his form declined; he dropped out of the elite top-16 ranked players after the1986–87 season. (Full article...)

The2019 Paul Hunter Classic was a professional non-ranking invitationalsnooker tournament. The event took place between 24 and 25 August 2019 at theStadthalle inFürth, Germany. The tournament was the 2019 edition of thePaul Hunter Classic first held in2004 as the Grand Prix Fürth. The tournament is named in honour of snooker professional,Paul Hunter who won the 2004 event and died in 2006. The event featured a 16-player bracket with a qualification tournament that was held inNuremberg, Germany. As the tournament was dropped as a ranking event, independent promotersDragonstars Event Management promoted the event providing prize money for the tournament.

Kyren Wilson was the defending champion, having defeatedPeter Ebdon 4–2 in the2018 final.Barry Hawkins won the title 4–3 defeating Wilson in the final. Wison lead 3–2 and required one frame to win the title, he was one ball from winning but lost the frame 64–65 and incredibly Hawkins won the decider to win the title. The event also featured an exhibitionSpeed Snooker Cup tournament which ran concurrently with the main event, which was won byGary Wilson.Barry Hawkins scored the highestbreak of the event, a 120 in the third round of the final. (Full article...)

James William Moore (September 14, 1910 – November 17, 1999), known as"Cowboy Jimmy Moore", was a world-class Americanpocket billiards (pool) player originally fromTroup County, Georgia, and for most of his life a resident ofAlbuquerque, New Mexico, best known for his mastery in the game ofstraight pool (14.1 continuous).

An excellent athlete at various sports, Moore's achievements in pocket billiards include winning the Michigan State Championship four times and placing second at theWorld Straight Pool Championship on four occasions. Throughout Moore's career he competed against the best in the world such asWillie Mosconi,Irving Crane andLuther Lassiter, winning the National Pocket Billiards Championship in 1958, the National Pocket Billiards Championship in 1965 and the Legends of Pocket Billiards Tournament in 1984. (Full article...)

The2019 China Championship (officially the2019 Evergrande China Championship) was a professionalsnooker tournament that took place from 23 to 29 September 2019. The event was held at the Guangzhou Tianhe Sports Centre inGuangzhou, China. Qualifying for the event took place from 15 to 18 August 2019 at theBarnsley Metrodome inBarnsley, England. The tournament was the fourth edition of theChina Championship and the thirdranking event of the2019/2020 season.

Mark Selby was the defending champion, having defeatedJohn Higgins in theprevious year's final 10–9. Selby reached the semi-finals, before losing 6–3 toShaun Murphy. Murphy reached his third consecutive final, having done so at the two prior eventsShanghai Masters and theInternational Championship. Murphy playedMark Williams in the final, winning his 8th ranking title with a 10–9 in the final. The highestbreak of the event was a 145 made byMark Allen in the first round win overAnthony Hamilton. (Full article...)

Nick van den Berg (born 24 May 1980) is a Dutch professionalpool player. He was the runner up at the 2005WPA World Eight-ball Championship, where he lost toWu Chia-ching 11–5 in the final. He is a multiple time winner of events on theEuro Tour, winning 10 tournaments between 2002 and 2017, thefourth highest in the history of the tour. A six-time winner of theEuropean Pool Championships, Van den Berg has represented Europe at theMosconi Cup on eight occasions, winning the event on six occasions as well as tying the event in 2006. (Full article...)

TheTour Championship is a professionalsnooker tournament first held in2019. The event features the 12 (previously eight) highest ranked players on the one-year ranking list, which reflects prize money won atranking events since the beginning of the season.

The Tour Championship is the third and final tournament in thePlayers Series, following theWorld Grand Prix and thePlayers Championship. The event features a prize fund of £380,000, with the winner receiving £150,000. The tournament is broadcast byITV Sport in the United Kingdom andEurosport across the rest of Europe. The reigning champion isJohn Higgins, who won the2025 Tour Championship with a 10–8 win overMark Selby in the final. (Full article...)

The2004 Masters was a professional non-rankingsnookertournament held in February 2004. It was the 30th staging of theMasters tournament, one of threeTriple Crown events on the Snooker Tour, the eighth of fifteenWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) events in the2003/2004 season, and was held at theWembley Conference Centre inLondon, United Kingdom from 1 to 8 February 2004. The tournament was broadcast in the United Kingdom by theBBC.

Paul Hunter won the tournament, defeating1995 winner andworld number threeRonnie O'Sullivan 10–9, claiming the third Masters title of his career in four years. Hunter joinedCliff Thorburn,Stephen Hendry andSteve Davis as the fourth player to win the Masters three or more times. In the semi-finals, Hunter defeatedJohn Higgins 6–3 and O'Sullivan beatJimmy White 6–4. O'Sullivan compiled a 138 break, the highest of the tournament, in the second frame of his semi-final match against White. (Full article...)

The1980 World Snooker Championship, officially known as the1980 Embassy World Snooker Championship for sponsorship reasons, was aranking professionalsnooker tournament that took place from 22 April to 5 May 1980 at theCrucible Theatre inSheffield, England. The tournament was the 1980 edition of theWorld Snooker Championship and was the fourth consecutive world championship to take place at the Crucible Theatre since1977. It was authorised by theWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. The total prize fund for the tournament was £60,000, of which £15,000 went to the winner.

There were 53 entrants to the competition, although four later withdrew. Qualifying rounds for the tournament took place at Romiley Forum,Stockport, from 5 to 18 April 1980; at the Redwood Lodge Country Club,Bristol, from 11 to 16 April; and at Sheffield Snooker Centre from 12 to 17 April. The main stage of the tournament featured 24 players: the top 16 players from the snooker world rankings and another eight players from the qualifying rounds.Ray Edmonds,Jim Meadowcroft,Tony Meo,Cliff Wilson andJim Wych made their Crucible debuts. The defending champion and topseed in the tournament wasTerry Griffiths, who had defeatedDennis Taylor 24–16 in the1979 final. (Full article...)

The2019 Shanghai Masters was a professional non-rankingsnooker tournament that took place at the Regal International East Asia Hotel inShanghai, China from 9 to 15 September 2019. The 13th edition of theShanghai Masters, first held in2007, it was the second edition since the tournament became an invitational event in2018. The event was broadcast by Great Sports Channel,Superstars Online,Youku and Zhibo.tv in China, byNowTV in Hong Kong, and byEurosport in Europe. The winner received £200,000 from a total prize fund of £751,000.

The defending champion wasRonnie O'Sullivan, who had defeatedBarry Hawkins 11–9 in the2018 final. O'Sullivan won his fourth Shanghai Masters title, and his third consecutively, by defeatingShaun Murphy 11–9 in the final. (Full article...)