UK Championship facts for kids
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| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Barbican |
| Location | York |
| Country | England |
| Established | 1977 |
| Organisation(s) | World Snooker Tour |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £1,205,000 |
| Recent edition | 2023 |
| Current champion(s) |  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
The UK Championship is a big professional snooker tournament. It's one of the most important events in snooker, part of the special Triple Crown series. The other two events are the World Championship and the Masters. This tournament usually takes place at the Barbican in York, England.
A famous player named Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the UK Championship a record eight times! Steve Davis is next with six wins, and Stephen Hendry has five. Ronnie O'Sullivan is the current champion, winning his eighth title in 2023.
Contents
History of the UK Championship
The UK Championship first started in 1977. It was held in Blackpool at the Tower Circus. Back then, it was called the United Kingdom Professional Snooker Championship. Only players from Britain could enter. Patsy Fagan won the very first tournament. He beat Doug Mountjoy and took home £2000. The next year, the event moved to Preston, where it stayed for many years until 1997.
How the Rules Changed
In 1984, the rules were updated. The tournament became a "ranking event." This meant that all professional snooker players could join. Winning this event also gave players points towards their world ranking. For a long time, it gave more ranking points than any other tournament except the World Championship.
Exciting Matches and Big Wins
The UK Championship has seen many amazing finals. In 1977, Patsy Fagan won his first and only major tournament. John Virgo also got his only big win in 1979.
Steve Davis won the tournament in 1980 and 1981. His match against Terry Griffiths in 1981 was a classic. Griffiths then won in 1982, and Alex Higgins won in 1983. Higgins beat Davis 16-15 in a very close final. Steve Davis then won four more times in a row from 1984 to 1987.
In 1988, Doug Mountjoy became the oldest winner at 46 years old. He surprised everyone by beating the rising star Stephen Hendry. Mountjoy then won another big tournament the next month.
The Rise of New Stars
Stephen Hendry's win in 1989 showed he was going to be a dominant player. He beat Steve Davis in that final. Hendry won again in 1990, again against Davis, in a very close 16-15 match. His win in 1994 against Ken Doherty is considered one of his best games. He made seven "century breaks" (scoring 100 points or more in one turn) in that match.
In 1993, the final match was shortened. It went from the best of 31 frames to the best of 19 frames. This is still the format today. That year, Ronnie O'Sullivan became the youngest winner ever. He was only 17 years old! From 1994 to 1996, Stephen Hendry won three times in a row. Then, from 1997 to 2002, players from the "Class of '92" (O'Sullivan, John Higgins, and Mark Williams) won the title twice each.
Recent Champions and Records
In 2005, 18-year-old Ding Junhui from China won the tournament. He became the first winner who wasn't from Britain or Ireland. He was also the second youngest winner after O'Sullivan. The next year, Peter Ebdon won the title.
Ronnie O'Sullivan won his fourth title in 2007. He also made a perfect "maximum break" (147 points) in the semi-final that year. The 2010 final was very exciting. John Higgins was losing 5-9 to Mark Williams but came back to win 10-9. It was a truly dramatic finish!
In 2011, the event returned to York. The matches were shortened to the best of 11 frames. In 2013, 128 players started in the first round. The format changed again in 2014, with all rounds up to the semi-finals being best of 11 frames. This format is still used today. In 2014, Ronnie O'Sullivan won his fifth title in another close 10-9 final against Judd Trump.
Between 2012 and 2018, the winners were usually Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, or Ronnie O'Sullivan. In 2015, the final was between two players from outside the UK for the first time: Neil Robertson (Australia) and Liang Wenbo (China). This happened again in 2021 with Zhao Xintong (China) and Luca Brecel (Belgium). Ronnie O'Sullivan won in 2017 and 2018, becoming the first player since Stephen Hendry to win two years in a row. O'Sullivan now holds the record with eight UK titles, winning his latest in 2023.
Many different companies have sponsored the UK Championship over the years. The BBC television channel has shown the event since it started in 1977.
Past Champions
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final score | Season | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Championship (non-ranking, 1977–1983) | ||||||
| 1977 |  Patsy Fagan (IRL) |
 Doug Mountjoy (WAL) |
12–9 | 1977–78 | Tower Circus in Blackpool | |
| 1978 | Doug Mountjoy (WAL) |
David Taylor (ENG) |
15–9 | 1978–79 | Preston Guild Hall in Preston | |
| 1979 | John Virgo (ENG) |
Terry Griffiths (WAL) |
14–13 | 1979–80 | ||
| 1980 | Steve Davis (ENG) |
 Alex Higgins (NIR) |
16–6 | 1980–81 | ||
| 1981 | Steve Davis (ENG) |
Terry Griffiths (WAL) |
16–3 | 1981–82 | ||
| 1982 | Terry Griffiths (WAL) |
Alex Higgins (NIR) |
16–15 | 1982–83 | ||
| 1983 | Alex Higgins (NIR) |
Steve Davis (ENG) |
16–15 | 1983–84 | ||
| UK Championship (ranking, 1984–present) | ||||||
| 1984 | Steve Davis (ENG) |
Alex Higgins (NIR) |
16–8 | 1984–85 | Preston Guild Hall in Preston | |
| 1985 | Steve Davis (ENG) |
Willie Thorne (ENG) |
16–14 | 1985–86 | ||
| 1986 | Steve Davis (ENG) |
Neal Foulds (ENG) |
16–7 | 1986–87 | ||
| 1987 | Steve Davis (ENG) |
Jimmy White (ENG) |
16–14 | 1987–88 | ||
| 1988 | Doug Mountjoy (WAL) |
 Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
16–12 | 1988–89 | ||
| 1989 | Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
Steve Davis (ENG) |
16–12 | 1989–90 | ||
| 1990 | Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
Steve Davis (ENG) |
16–15 | 1990–91 | ||
| 1991 | John Parrott (ENG) |
Jimmy White (ENG) |
16–13 | 1991–92 | ||
| 1992 | Jimmy White (ENG) |
John Parrott (ENG) |
16–9 | 1992–93 | ||
| 1993 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
10–6 | 1993–94 | ||
| 1994 | Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
Ken Doherty (IRL) |
10–5 | 1994–95 | ||
| 1995 | Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
Peter Ebdon (ENG) |
10–3 | 1995–96 | ||
| 1996 | Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
John Higgins (SCO) |
10–9 | 1996–97 | ||
| 1997 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
10–6 | 1997–98 | ||
| 1998 | John Higgins (SCO) |
Matthew Stevens (WAL) |
10–6 | 1998–99 | Bournemouth International Centre in Bournemouth |
|
| 1999 | Mark Williams (WAL) |
Matthew Stevens (WAL) |
10–8 | 1999–00 | ||
| 2000 | John Higgins (SCO) |
Mark Williams (WAL) |
10–4 | 2000–01 | ||
| 2001 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Ken Doherty (IRL) |
10–1 | 2001–02 | Barbican Centre in York | |
| 2002 | Mark Williams (WAL) |
Ken Doherty (IRL) |
10–9 | 2002–03 | ||
| 2003 | Matthew Stevens (WAL) |
Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
10–8 | 2003–04 | ||
| 2004 | Stephen Maguire (SCO) |
David Gray (ENG) |
10–1 | 2004–05 | ||
| 2005 |  Ding Junhui (CHN) |
Steve Davis (ENG) |
10–6 | 2005–06 | ||
| 2006 | Peter Ebdon (ENG) |
Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
10–6 | 2006–07 | ||
| 2007 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Stephen Maguire (SCO) |
10–2 | 2007–08 | Telford International Centre in Telford |
|
| 2008 | Shaun Murphy (ENG) |
 Marco Fu (HKG) |
10–9 | 2008–09 | ||
| 2009 | Ding Junhui (CHN) |
John Higgins (SCO) |
10–8 | 2009–10 | ||
| 2010 | John Higgins (SCO) |
Mark Williams (WAL) |
10–9 | 2010–11 | ||
| 2011 | Judd Trump (ENG) |
Mark Allen (NIR) |
10–8 | 2011–12 | Barbican Centre in York | |
| 2012 | Mark Selby (ENG) |
Shaun Murphy (ENG) |
10–6 | 2012–13 | ||
| 2013 |  Neil Robertson (AUS) |
Mark Selby (ENG) |
10–7 | 2013–14 | ||
| 2014 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Judd Trump (ENG) |
10–9 | 2014–15 | ||
| 2015 | Neil Robertson (AUS) |
Liang Wenbo (CHN) |
10–5 | 2015–16 | ||
| 2016 | Mark Selby (ENG) |
Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
10–7 | 2016–17 | ||
| 2017 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Shaun Murphy (ENG) |
10–5 | 2017–18 | ||
| 2018 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Mark Allen (NIR) |
10–6 | 2018–19 | ||
| 2019 | Ding Junhui (CHN) |
Stephen Maguire (SCO) |
10–6 | 2019–20 | ||
| 2020 | Neil Robertson (AUS) |
Judd Trump (ENG) |
10–9 | 2020–21 | Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes | |
| 2021 | Zhao Xintong (CHN) |
 Luca Brecel (BEL) |
10–5 | 2021–22 | Barbican Centre in York | |
| 2022 | Mark Allen (NIR) |
Ding Junhui (CHN) |
10–7 | 2022–23 | ||
| 2023 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Ding Junhui (CHN) |
10–7 | 2023–24 | ||
Top Players in the Finals
| Name | Nationality | Winner | Runner-up | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | England |
8 | 1 | 9 |
| Steve Davis | England |
6 | 4 | 10 |
| Stephen Hendry | Scotland |
5 | 5 | 10 |
| John Higgins | Scotland |
3 | 2 | 5 |
| Ding Junhui | China |
3 | 2 | 5 |
| Neil Robertson | Australia |
3 | 0 | 3 |
| Mark Williams | Wales |
2 | 2 | 4 |
| Doug Mountjoy | Wales |
2 | 1 | 3 |
| Mark Selby | England |
2 | 1 | 3 |
| Alex Higgins | Northern Ireland |
1 | 3 | 4 |
| Terry Griffiths | Wales |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Jimmy White | England |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Matthew Stevens | Wales |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Shaun Murphy | England |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Stephen Maguire | Scotland |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Judd Trump | England |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Mark Allen | Northern Ireland |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| John Parrott | England |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Peter Ebdon | England |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Patsy Fagan | Ireland |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| John Virgo | England |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Zhao Xintong | China |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ken Doherty | Ireland |
0 | 3 | 3 |
| David Taylor | England |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Willie Thorne | England |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Neal Foulds | England |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| David Gray | England |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Marco Fu | Hong Kong |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Liang Wenbo | China |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Luca Brecel | Belgium |
0 | 1 | 1 |
- Players who are still actively playing are shown in bold.
Watching the Games
The BBC is the main TV channel that shows the UK Championship. They have broadcast the event since it first started in 1977. You can also watch it on Eurosport. The tournament usually happens at the end of each year.
See also
In Spanish: Campeonato del Reino Unido (snooker) para niños
