Jimmy White facts for kids
White at the 2016 Paul Hunter Classic
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| Born | 2 May 1962 Tooting, London, England |
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| Sport country |  England |
| Professional | 1980–present |
| Highest ranking | 2 (1987/88–1988/89) |
| Current ranking | 93 (as of 8 May 2018) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 10 |
James Warren White (born on May 2, 1962) is a famous English professional snooker player. He has won many important titles, including four World Seniors titles. People call him "The Whirlwind" because he plays snooker very fast and with an exciting, attacking style.
Jimmy White was the World Amateur Champion in 1980. He also won the Six-red World Championship in 2009. He holds a record for winning the World Seniors Championship four times (in 2010, 2019, 2020, and 2023). In 2019, he became the Seniors 6-Red World Champion. He also won the World Doubles Championship in 1984 with Alex Higgins.
White has won two of snooker's three biggest tournaments, known as the Triple Crown. He won the UK Championship in 1992 and the Masters in 1984. Overall, he has won ten ranking events. He is currently eleventh on the list of players with the most ranking titles. Jimmy White reached the final of the World Snooker Championship six times but never won it. His closest attempt was in 1994, when he lost in the very last frame against Stephen Hendry. He was ranked among the top 16 snooker players for 21 seasons. In team events, he won the Nations Cup and the World Cup with the England team. He is one of only a few players to have made over 300 century breaks in professional games. White was also the first left-handed player to make a maximum break at the World Championship.
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Early Life and Snooker Beginnings
Jimmy White was born in Tooting, London, England. He went to Ernest Bevin School. He didn't do very well in school because he often skipped classes from a young age. Instead, he spent a lot of time at Ted Zanoncelli's snooker hall. There, he met Tony Meo, and they often played snooker for money.
Jimmy was naturally good at snooker. He had a very successful amateur career. In 1979, he won the English Amateur Championship. A year later, at 18, he became the youngest person to win the World Amateur Snooker Championship. This record has since been broken by other players.
Professional Snooker Career
Jimmy White has won many major titles and achieved a lot in snooker. He has won ten ranking tournaments. The BBC even calls him a "legend." He plays left-handed and reached the World Professional Championship Final six times (in 1984, and from 1990 to 1994). However, he never won this most important title.
In the 2000s, his performance became less consistent. After losing in the first round of the 2006 World Championship, White dropped out of the top 32 players in the world. He continued to drop in the rankings, reaching 65th place, but then improved slightly to 56th for the 2009–10 season. Jimmy White is one of only seven players to have made a maximum break at the Crucible Theatre. He did this at the 1992 World Snooker Championship. He has made over 300 century breaks in his career.
Early Professional Years (1976–1991)
One of White's biggest achievements early on was winning the English Amateur Championships. He beat many strong players to reach the final, where he defeated Dave Martin 13–10. After this, he had some unexpected losses but quickly bounced back. He won the Wandsworth Classic and reached the final of the Pontins Spring Open, where he lost to Steve Davis.
In 1980, he won the Demmy Pro-Am tournament. He beat top players like Alex Higgins and Steve Davis in the final. White became a top professional player in 1981. He lost to Steve Davis in the first round of the 1981 World Snooker Championship. But then, he won his first professional title, the 1981 Scottish Masters, by beating Cliff Thorburn 9–4. Later that year, he also won the 1981 Northern Ireland Classic, defeating Steve Davis again.
The World Championship brought some of White's biggest disappointments. In 1982, he was leading Alex Higgins 15–14 in their semi-final. He was close to winning the next frame but missed a shot. Higgins then made a great comeback to win the frame and the deciding frame, reaching the final instead.
In 1984, White won the Masters by beating Terry Griffiths 9–5. After this, he reached his first World Championship final. He was far behind Steve Davis (4–12) but fought back to 15–16. He then made an amazing comeback to make the score 16–17 but lost the next frame, losing the match 16–18. Later that year, White and Alex Higgins won the World Doubles Championship, beating Willie Thorne and Cliff Thorburn 10–2.
In 1986, White reached his second Masters final but lost to Cliff Thorburn. However, he won the Classic and kept his Irish Masters title from 1985. He won the Classic by beating Thorburn in the final frame. Later that year, he won his first Grand Prix title by defeating Rex Williams 10–6.
White's third ranking win was the 1987 British Open. This helped him become World number 2 at the end of the 1986–87 season, right behind Steve Davis. White and Davis played a memorable 1987 UK Championship final that year, which Davis won 16–14.
In 1988, he reached his fourth World Championship semi-final. He played Terry Griffiths and lost a very close frame on a respotted black ball. Griffiths went on to win 16–11. White kept his number-2 world ranking. However, the 1988–89 season was less successful, and his ranking dropped. In the 1989 World Championship, he was losing to John Virgo but managed to win 13–12 after Virgo made a mistake. White then lost to John Parrott in the quarter-finals. White got his revenge later that year by beating Parrott 18–9 in the World Matchplay tournament.
In 1990, White beat Steve Davis 16–14 in the semi-finals of the World Championship. This was Davis's first loss in that event in four years. White then lost his second World Championship final 12–18 to Stephen Hendry. However, White beat Hendry 18–9 to win his World Matchplay title again later that year. He also beat Hendry 10–4 in the final of the 1991 Classic. White continued his success by winning the World Masters, defeating Tony Drago 10–6.
Steve James ended Hendry's winning streak at the 1991 World Championship. White then defeated James to reach the final. He played John Parrott and lost the first session 0–7. Although White managed to get closer (7–11), Parrott won the match 18–11. Parrott also beat White 16–13 to win the 1991 UK Championship later in 1991.
Middle Career (1992–2002)
White started 1992 well, winning his second British Open title. He beat Steve Davis in the semi-finals and James Wattana in the final. He won another ranking title, the European Open, shortly after.
In the first round of the 1992 World Championship, White played Tony Drago. White made history in the 13th frame by becoming only the second player to make a maximum break in the World Championship. He won £100,000 for this amazing achievement. After some close wins, White met Alan McManus in the semi-finals and won 16–7. He played Stephen Hendry in the final and was leading 14–8. However, White then lost three frames in a row. At 14–12, White made a mistake, and Hendry won ten frames in a row to win the match 18–14.
White recovered well from this setback at the start of the 1992–93 season. He defeated Ken Doherty 10–9 to win his second 1992 Grand Prix title. He then had an impressive victory in the 1992 UK Championship. After beating Alan McManus 9–7 in the semi-finals, White took a big 6–1 lead against John Parrott in the final and won 16–9. White has said this was one of his best matches ever.
However, White struggled for the rest of the season and at the 1993 World Championship. He managed to beat Joe Swail, Doug Mountjoy, and Dennis Taylor to reach the semi-finals. White lost the first five frames against James Wattana but then won 12 frames in a row to win 16–9. However, he lost badly to Stephen Hendry in the final, 5–18. White did end the season on a high note by beating Alan McManus to win the Matchroom League.
During a 1993 match against Ronnie O’Sullivan, White made an incredible shot. He escaped a difficult position by spinning the cue ball around the blue ball to hit the brown ball perfectly. This shot is often called the “Shot Of The Century.”
White had a quiet 1993–94 season but reached the 1994 World Championship final for the fifth year in a row. This was a rare achievement. For the fourth time in five years, his opponent in the final was Stephen Hendry. Hendry took an early lead, but White fought back to lead 13–12. He made a break of 75 to force a deciding frame. In the final frame, White was leading but missed an easy black ball. Hendry then cleared the table to win the title.
White's form continued to decline the next season, and he didn't reach any ranking finals.
At the 1995 World Championship, White played a controversial first-round match against Peter Francisco. White won easily, 10–2. Later, it was found that a lot of money had been bet on White winning by that exact score. An investigation found Francisco guilty of bad behavior and banned him. However, no evidence was found against White, and he was cleared.
White put this behind him and reached his tenth World Championship semi-final. In his match with Stephen Hendry, Hendry made a 147 break. White fought back but Hendry was too strong and won 16–12.
White's ranking dropped from 7th to 13th at the end of the 1995–96 season. He lost in the second round of the 1996 World Championship. White also faced personal difficulties in 1996 when his brother and mother passed away. His mother's death caused him to withdraw from a pool competition.
In the 1996–97 season, White struggled to win matches. A first-round loss at the 1997 World Championship meant he dropped out of the top 16 world rankings.
A good run to the semi-finals of the 1997 Grand Prix helped him. White then played very well at the 1998 World Championship. He beat Stephen Hendry 10–4, becoming the first player to beat Hendry twice at the World Championship. White then beat Darren Morgan 13–3, including a break of 144. In his quarter-final against Ronnie O'Sullivan, White played his usual attacking style but lost the first session badly. Although he fought back, he lost 7–13.
After getting back into the top 16 in the 1999–2000 season, White reached the semi-finals of the Welsh Open. He then reached the quarter-finals of the Masters and the World Championship. In both cases, he lost to Matthew Stevens. Because of his poor form in the 1998–99 season, White lost his top 16 spot again. He fought back the next season, reaching the final of the 2000 British Open and the semi-finals of the 2000 Grand Prix. However, he failed to qualify for the 2001 World Championship.
Ranked 11th at the start of the 2001–02 season, White played steadily but didn't reach any semi-finals in ranking events. In the 2002 Masters, he beat Matthew Stevens and came back from behind to defeat O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals. He also came back from behind in his semi-final with Mark Williams but lost 5–6. He lost 3–13 in his second-round match with Matthew Stevens at the 2002 World Championship.
Later Career (2003–Present)
White won only two ranking event matches in the 2002–03 season but stayed in the top 16. He came back from 1–5 down to beat World Champion Peter Ebdon 6–5 at the 2003 Masters.
In the 2003–04 season, White had his most consistent season in over ten years. He reached the semi-finals of the 2003 UK Championship and the 2004 Masters, where he lost a close match to Ronnie O'Sullivan. White then reached the final of the European Open but lost to Stephen Maguire. His last ranking victory came in April 2004, when he won the Players Championship in Glasgow. This was his first ranking title in over 11 years. If he had won the 2004 World Championship, he could have become the world number one, but he lost to Barry Pinches.
White's consistency dropped in the 2004–05 season. His ranking went up to number 8, but he didn't reach any quarter-finals in ranking events. However, he made two more memorable comebacks at the 2005 Masters. He came back from 2–5 down to beat Matthew Stevens 6–5 and then beat Mark Williams by the same score. But White lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals.
White fell out of the top 32 at the end of the 2005–06 season and hasn't returned since. He lost in the first round of the 2006 World Championship. However, he did beat Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui, and World Champion Graeme Dott to reach the final of the 2006 Premier League.
In the 2006–07 season, he only qualified for one ranking event, the 2007 China Open. After this season, he fell out of the top 48.
In the 2007–08 season, he won 7 of his 16 qualifying matches. He fell out of the top 64 after this season but stayed on the tour.
He started the 2008–09 season by qualifying for the main draw of two events but lost in the first round. He won some more qualifying matches and reached the main stage of the 2009 Welsh Open, but lost in the first round. He lost in the second qualifying round of the 2009 World Championship.
White showed a surprising return to form at the start of the 2009–10 season. He reached the final of the Champion of Champions Challenge, losing to Shaun Murphy. He then won the Sangsom 6-red World Grand Prix in Bangkok, Thailand. This ended his long wait for a title since 2004. He beat Shaun Murphy, Ricky Walden, Mark King, Mark Williams, and Barry Hawkins to win. A month later, he reached another final at the Paul Hunter Classic but lost to Shaun Murphy. Two months later, he won his second title of the season at the World Series of Snooker in Prague, beating Graeme Dott.
At the Wembley Masters, White lost in the wild card round. He was at risk of losing his spot on the main tour for the next season. However, he secured his place with a win at the World Championship Qualifiers. He then lost to Ken Doherty.
White started the 2010–11 season by playing in the Players Tour Championship, reaching the quarter-finals twice. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Six-red World Championship. He qualified for the main stages of the World Open but lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan.
White won the World Seniors Championship, defeating Steve Davis 4–1 in the final. At the 2010 UK Championship, White lost a close match to Stephen Hendry in the first round. He also played in other qualifying events but lost. White had to withdraw from the China Open due to visa problems. He lost his first qualifying match for the World Championship.
White began the 2011–12 season ranked 55th. At a Legends Tour event in June 2011, White made a maximum break. He failed to qualify for the first two ranking events of the season. White also lost in the semi-finals of the World Seniors Championship. He failed to qualify for other ranking events, losing close matches.
At the 2013 World Seniors Championship, White lost to Stephen Hendry in the quarter-final.
He finished the 2013–14 season ranked 64th, almost losing his professional spot. White stayed on the tour, but fellow veteran Steve Davis lost his place.
White started the 2014–15 season with some early losses. He had better results in some European and Asian tour events, reaching the last 16. He also qualified for the International Championship but lost to Barry Hawkins.
White's season ended after a loss in the second qualifying round for the 2014 World Championship. The 2015/16 season ended in disappointment when White lost a deciding frame in a World Championship Qualifier.
Recent Years (2016–2022)
White reached the quarter-final of a ranking event at the Paul Hunter Classic in Germany. This was his first quarter-final in over ten years. Despite some good performances, he finished outside the top 64 and lost his professional tour card after 37 years. However, World Snooker gave White and Ken Doherty a special two-year invitational tour card.
In White's first ranking event of the season, he reached the last 16. He then lost in early rounds of other tournaments.
White won his first professional title in seven years by winning the UK Seniors Championship. He beat Ken Doherty 4–2 in the final. White later played in the qualifiers for the 2018 World Snooker Championship but lost.
In the first qualifying round of the 2019 World Snooker Championship, White beat Ross Bulman 10–5. He then played Ali Carter in the second round. White was leading but then lost the match 4–10.
White won the World Seniors Championship in August 2019. This qualified him for the 2019 Champion of Champions tournament, where he narrowly lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan. White didn't win any ranking events until the 2020 European Masters qualifiers, where he won a close match. He then lost to Mark Selby. In the 2020 World Seniors Championship, Jimmy White made a great comeback from 0–4 down to beat Ken Doherty 5–4 and win the title again.
In March 2021, White reached the fourth round of the Gibraltar Open, after defeating the 2015 world champion, Stuart Bingham.
In May 2021, at the World Seniors Championship, he reached the final but lost to David Lilley.
White lost in the semi-finals of the 2022 UK Seniors Championship to David Lilley.
In May 2022, at the World Seniors Championship, White reached the semi-finals for the fourth year in a row.
Personal Life and Interests
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Jimmy White has five children. He lives in Epsom, Surrey.
In the late 1990s, White's dog, Splinter, a Bull Terrier, was stolen and held for money. Splinter became the first dog to have a color poster on the front page of The Times newspaper. White paid the money, and Splinter was returned safely.
White also enjoys playing pool and poker. He was part of Europe's winning Mosconi Cup pool team in 1995. He also won the second Poker Million tournament in 2003.
White works as a snooker commentator for Eurosport-UK. He is a supporter of Chelsea F.C. football club since 1972.
Jimmy White in Media
White had a small acting role as himself (the World Billiards Champion) in the 1990 kung fu and billiards comedy film, Legend of the Dragon.
On the BBC game show Big Break, White was the first player to clear the table with three red balls remaining in the final challenge. This won the top prize for the contestant he was playing for. He was also the first and only winner of the ITV show Tenball, which combined pool and snooker.
In the film Jack Said, White played the part of Vic Lee, a snooker club owner. This was his first major film role in British cinema.
White appeared in the 9th series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2009. He finished in third place.
White has supported four computer games: Jimmy White's 'Whirlwind' Snooker, Jimmy White's 2: Cueball, Jimmy White's Cueball World, and Pool Paradise. These games were released on various platforms.
White was played by James Bailey in the BBC film The Rack Pack. This film was about the rivalry between Alex Higgins and Steve Davis in the 1980s.
Images for kids
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White at the 2016 Paul Hunter Classic
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White at the 2011 Paul Hunter Classic
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White at the 2016 Paul Hunter Classic
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Neal Foulds and Jimmy White (left) interviewing Shaun Murphy at the 2015 German Masters
See also
In Spanish: Jimmy White para niños
