World Championship Qualifiers

The road to The Crucible culminates with the World Snooker Championship qualifiers.

Sixteen coveted places are up for grabs in the £2.4 million main event alongside the world’s top 16 ranked players.

Qualifying will take place from April 4-13 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, a stone’s throw from The Crucible, with players required to win a selected number of matches according to their ranking position in order to secure their qualification.

The field is comprised of 112 tour players and 16 amateurs who have achieved success through the WPBSA qualifying criteria.

Players starting out in Round One include six-time world finalist Jimmy White, 12-time women’s World Champion Reanne Evans, three-time ranking event winner Marco Fu and two-time ranking event winner Michael White.

Former World Champion Ken Doherty, two-time world finalist Matthew Stevens, Thai star Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and 1995 world finalist Nigel Bond are among the notable cueists entering at the Second Round stage.

Ricky Walden is the highest ranked player in qualifying action and will start out in Round Three alongside the likes of 14-time ranking event winner Ding Junhui, 2006 World Champion Graeme Dott, two-time world finalist Ali Carter and Welsh Open winner Joe Perry.

A condensed format once again means that matches from Rounds One to Three are to be contested over the best of 11 frames in a single session.