The 49th staging of the World Snooker Championship began on Saturday April 19 and runs through Monday May 5 at Sheffield’s iconic Crucible Theatre. After a qualifying competition featuring 16 survivors the tournament proper started with 32 players, each first round match contested across two sessions and best of 19 frames. Second round and quarter final ties stretch to 25 frames across three sessions, with semi finals expanding to 33 frames over four sessions. The final on May 4 and 5 covers 35 frames.
Prize money again totals 2395000 pounds. The champion receives 500000, the runner up 200000, semi finalists 100000 each, quarter finalists 50000 and last 16 losers 30000. A separate 15000 pound cheque rewards the highest break across both televised and qualifying stages, while televised maximums share a 40000 pot.
This year’s draw has already produced seismic shocks. Defending champion Kyren Wilson succumbed to the Crucible curse on the opening Monday, while four time king Mark Selby exited to Ben Woollaston. Conversely the Class of 92 all progressed to a rare shared quarter final appearance, a narrative that has boosted ticket resale prices according to tournament partner See Tickets.
Daily sessions commence at 1000 hours, 1430 and 1900, with BBC and Eurosport providing live coverage across multiple platforms. TalkSPORT Radio offers audio commentary for all evening starts.
Quarter finals take place April 29 and 30, with semi finals from May 1 to 3 and the final concluding on May 5 where referee Desislava Bozhilova will become the first woman to officiate all three Triple Crown finals.
For a constantly updated score grid and order of play fans can visit the World Snooker Tour website where live scoring and shot time analytics are available free of charge.
