The World Snooker Championships

The World Snooker Championships has been held every year, since 1977, at The Crucible in Sheffield in England. Previous to this it was held at various venues across the UK since its inception in 1927.

The World Snooker Championships is a true 5 world snooker championship 2023 test of a snooker players ability, as well as their mettle and durability, not least because the final is played until one player wins 18 frames, so it is the best of 35 frames. The Crucible can also be a very intimidating venue for a newcomer, or indeed any player who struggles with nerves in front of big audiences and the studio and TV lights. Many players over the years have gone into a good lead in a match, only to bottle it as the games progress. The nerves have to somehow be kept under control which is not an easy task.

Looking at the modern era, the best players and top performers at The World Snooker Championships have been Steven Hendry, who has won the title an incredible 7 times and been runner up twice. He is commonly regarded as the best player of all time, and although his day of domination has now passed he is still a formidable opponent.

Steve Davis and Ray Reardon are not far behind Hendry, as they have both won it 6 times each. Steve Davis is of course probably best known for the final that he did not win! This was the final of 1985 against Northern Irishman Dennis Taylor, who beat Davis on the black in the last frame of the match 18-17. This was the only time that Taylor won the Championships.

Another Northern Irishman worth noting was the outrageously gifted and flamboyant Alex `Hurricane` Higgins, who won the title twice in 1972 and 1982. Alex always played at breakneck speed and was wonderful to watch, all the more because you never really knew what was going to happen next. He was as famous for his exploits away from snooker as he was when playing.

The World Snooker Championships is going to be held at The Crucible for at least until 2015, and then we may see it going out of the UK for the first time to drum up interest in the sport in other countries.