Last year's International Championship final was an intense match between Zhang Anda and Tom Ford, with Zhang ultimately taking the win. This year, the tournament is starting on Sunday and all the top snooker players from around the world are making their way to a new venue for the event.
Since its inception in 2012, the tournament has been held in different cities such as Chengdu, Daqing, and Tianjin. This year, it will be held in Nanjing at the South New City National Fitness Center. With the Champion of Champions tournament scheduled right after this one and the UK Championship coming up in York, it's a busy time for players. But the International Championship is a prestigious competition in itself, offering a whopping top prize of £175,000. And with one spot left to fill in the Champion of Champions, it's an added bonus for any non-qualified player who manages to lift the trophy.
Last season's final was a surprise as Zhang Anda beat Tom Ford, but this year, there are many familiar names in the mix, making it a more recognizable and competitive event. The legendary Ronnie O'Sullivan will be back in action after missing recent tournaments, while the stars of the season so far, Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson, are looking to add yet another trophy to their already impressive collection.
The event kicks off in the early hours of Sunday for those in the UK, so fans will have to stay up late to catch the action. Ronnie O'Sullivan, who is still searching for his first title of the season, will be among the first to hit the table. The draw and schedule for the tournament are as follows:
Sunday, November 03
1:30am
Haydon Pinhey vs Lyu Haotian
Stan Moody vs Xi Si
Ryan Day vs Daniel Womersley
Zhang Anda vs Ishpreet Singh Chadha
David Grace vs Wildcard TBC
Si Jiahui vs Andrew Pagett
Hossein Vafaei vs Wildcard TBC
6:00am
Simon Blackwell vs Matthew Stevens
Zak Surety vs Chris Wakelin
Jiang Jun vs Amir Sarkosh
Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Mink Nutcharut
Ali Carter vs Wildcard TBC
Noppon Saengkham vs Wildcard TBC
Kyren Wilson vs Mitchell Mann
Women's world number one, Mink Nutcharut, will take on the legendary Ronnie O'Sullivan in her first match.
11:30am
John Higgins vs Ben Woollaston
Pang Junxu vs Elliot Slessor
Ricky Walden vs Xiao Guodong
Robbie Williams vs Stuart Carrington
Dean Young vs Gary Wilson
Jamie Clarke vs Mark Selby
Ding Junhui vs Reanne Evans
Monday, November 04
1:30am
Zhang/Chadha vs Grace/Wildcard
Anthony Hamilton vs Shaun Murphy
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Stuart Bingham
Judd Trump vs Sanderson Lam
6:30am
Mark Davis vs Mark Williams
O'Sullivan/Mink vs He Guoqiang
Gong Chenzhi vs Jack Lisowski
Ben Mertens vs Si/Pagett
Jimmy Robertson vs Saengkham/Wildcard
Joe Perry vs Barry Hawkins
Andrew Higginson vs Wu Yize
Liu Hongyu vs K Wilson/Mann
11:30am
Carter/Wildcard vs Ross Muir
David Gilbert vs Jackson Page
Aaron Hill vs Mark Allen
Joe O'Connor vs Anthony McGill
Michael Holt vs Yuan Sijun
Ding/Evans vs Martin O'Donnell
Vafaei/Wildcard vs Dylan Emery
Fan Zhengyi vs Neil Robertson
The tournament will run from November 3rd to 10th in Nanjing, and fans can catch all the action on Eurosport and Discovery+ in the UK.
With a top prize of £175,000, the International Championship offers one of the biggest payouts in snooker. The runner-up will take home £75,000, while the semi-finalists will earn £33,000 each. The prize money for each round is as follows:
Winner: £175,000
Runner-up: £75,000
Semi-final: £33,000
Quarter-final: £22,000
Last 16: £14,000
Last 32: £9,000
Last 64: £5,000
Highest break: £5,000
The International Championship has seen some impressive champions over the years, with the previous winners being:
2023 - Zhang Anda
2019 - Judd Trump
2018 - Mark Allen
2017 - Mark Selby
2016 - Mark Selby
2015 - John Higgins
2014 - Ricky Walden
2013 - Ding Junhui
2012 - Judd Trump
Among the favorites to win this year's championship are Judd Trump, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Kyren Wilson, and Mark Selby. However, with such a talented pool of players, it's anyone's game. The full list of odds, courtesy of Betfair, are as follows:
Judd Trump 5/2
Ronnie O'Sullivan 5/1
Kyren Wilson 15/2
Mark Selby 15/2
Neil Robertson 8/1
Mark Allen 11/1
Ding Junhui 12/1
Shaun Murphy 12/1
John Higgins 14/1
Mark Williams 14/1
Si Jiahui 16/1
Zhang Anda 25/1
Ali Carter 25/1
Jack Lisowski 25/1
Stuart Bingham 25/1
Barry Hawkins 25/1
David Gilbert 30/1
Wu Yize 40/1
Chris Wakelin 40/1
Xiao Guodong 40/1
Pang Junxu 40/1
Hossein Vafaei 40/1
Gary Wilson 40/1
Anthony McGill 50/1
Yuan Sijun 70/1
Elliot Slessor 70/1
Noppon Saengkham 70/1
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 70/1
Ryan Day 75/1
Jimmy Robertson 75/1
Ben Woollaston 75/1
The odds are subject to change and the full list is available on Betfair's website.
As we gear up for another thrilling International Championship, let's not forget that this year's tournament will be held in Nanjing from November 3rd to 10th. Fans can catch all the action on Eurosport and Discovery+ in the UK. Let the games begin!
