The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker

Snooker

Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...

 tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points

Snooker world rankings

The snooker world rankings are the official system of ranking professional snooker players to determine automatic qualification and seeding for tournaments on the World Snooker Tour. They are maintained by the sport's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association...

. The first championship was held in 1927

1927 World Snooker Championship

The 1927 World Snooker Championship snooker tournament was held at the Camkin's Hall, Birmingham, England. This was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was organised by the Joe Davis, who also won the title and went on to dominate this event until after the Second World War...

; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre

Crucible Theatre

The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....

, Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. In the modern era, the best record is that of Stephen Hendry

Stephen Hendry

Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...

, who has won the title seven times, while Steve Davis

Steve Davis

Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...

 and Ray Reardon

Ray Reardon

Ray Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...

 have both won six times. The current champion is John Higgins.
The first championship was held in 1927

1927 World Snooker Championship

The 1927 World Snooker Championship snooker tournament was held at the Camkin's Hall, Birmingham, England. This was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was organised by the Joe Davis, who also won the title and went on to dominate this event until after the Second World War...

 and Joe Davis

Joe Davis

Joe Davis, OBE was a British professional player of snooker and English billiards....

 helped to organise the event.