UK Snooker Championship 2024: Prize money, format, odds, schedule and how to watch
The world’s best snooker players in York for one of the biggest tournaments of the year - and there has already been a big upset.
First held in 1977, this year’s UK Championship is the 47th time the finest players in the world have competed for the title.
It’s the first of the so-called ‘Triple Crown’ events of the season, with the World Championships and the Masters the other big two tournaments.
Last year’s championship saw Ronnie O’Sullivan defeat Ding Junhui 10-7 in the final - the second final defeat in a row for the Chinese star.
But O’Sullivan was knocked out 6-4 by Barry Hawkins in the first match of the entire tournament - with Mark Selby another early casualty.
Meanwhile a whitewash defeat for Stephen Maguire means that John Higgins is now the only Scot left in the draw - and he’s made the secind round after a 6-0 drubbing of He Guoqiang.
Here’s everything else you need to know about this year's event.
When is the UK Championship 2023?
The UK Championship 2024 runs from Saturday, November 23, to Sunday, December 1.
Where is the UK Championship being held?
The tournament is being held at the York Barbican, which has hosted since 2011.
What is the prize money?
The event features a total prize fund of £1,205,000.
The winner receives £250,000, with the runner-up landing £100,000 and semi-finalists £50,000.
Quarter-finalists get £25,000, followed by £15,000 for the last 16, £10,000 for the last 32, £7,500 for the last 48, £5,00 for the last 80, and £2,500 for those knocked out in the first round.
The player who gets the highest break in the tournament gets an additional £15,000.
Who is favourite to win?
The bookies reckon Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson are the most likely players to lift the trophy, with odds of 4/1, followed by Mark Allen (9/1), Ding Junhui (9/1), and Jack Lisowski (11/1). Scotland’s John Higgins is a 25/1 outsider for the title.
What is the format?
The 16 highest-ranked players in the world join 16 successful qualifiers for the tournament, which is played as a knock-out competition.
All matches before the final are the best of 11 frames (first to six), while the final is the best of 19 frames (first to 10).
Who has made the last 16 so far?
The second round matches thusfar are:
- Barry Hawkinsv David Gilbert
- Shaun Murphy v Ding Junhui
- Jack Lisowski v Ali Carter
- Wu Yize v Mark Allen
- Kyren Wilson v Chris Wakelin
- John Higgins v either Judd Trump v Neil Robertson
- Jak Jones v Michael Holt
The other first round matches still to be played are as follows:
- Mark Williams v Stuart Bingham
- Zhang Anda v Lei Peifan
How can I watch the UK Championship snooker on television?
The BBC will be broadcasting all matches live on BBC1, BBC2 and the BBC iPlayer.
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