Notable moments

• Terry Griffiths
  Terry Griffiths
  Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
  
   won the title. He started off by beating Bernard Bennett
  Bernard Bennett
  Bernard Bennett was an English professional player of snooker and English billiards, who competed in the late 1960s and 1970s, and was a professional player for nearly 30 years, although he spent most of his latter playing years in relative obscurity well down the rankings.He entered the 1969...
  
   and Jim Meadowcroft
  Jim Meadowcroft
  Jim Meadowcroft is a retired English professional snooker player who has latterly been a coach and a commentator on the game....
  
   in the qualifying rounds. At the Crucible, he beat Perrie Mans
  Perrie Mans
  Pierre "Perrie" Mans is a retired professional snooker player from South Africa, who first won the South African professional championship in 1965, and went on to win it 19 times in total.-Career:...
  
   in the first round, followed by a classic 13–12 victory over Alex Higgins
  Alex Higgins
  Alexander Gordon "Alex" Higgins , also known by his nickname of Hurricane Higgins, was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who was twice World Champion and twice runner-up. Higgins earned the nickname The Hurricane because of his speed of play...
  
   in the quarter-final. In the semi-final, he was losing 16–17 to Eddie Charlton
  Eddie Charlton
  Edward Francis Charlton AM was an Australian professional snooker and English billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title...
  
   before winning 19–17 at 1.40am, the latest finish of any match at the time, the final session taking 5 hours and 25 minutes. Griffiths then beat future champion Dennis Taylor
  Dennis Taylor
  Dennis Taylor is a retired snooker player, and current BBC snooker commentator. Winner of two ranking events, he is best known for winning the 1985 World Championship, beating World number one Steve Davis on the final black in one of the sport's most memorable finals...
  
   24–16 in the final to win the world title at the first attempt. He was also the first qualifier to win the title at the Crucible. Other than Griffiths, only Joe Davis, John Spencer and Alex Higgins have won the title at the first attempt.

• Future 6 times champion 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...
  
   made his debut, losing 11–13 to Dennis Taylor in the first round, as well as Kirk Stevens
  Kirk Stevens
  Kirk Stevens is a Canadian professional snooker player.Stevens started playing young, achieving his first aged just 12. He turned professional aged 20, and reached the semi-finals of the World Championship aged 21...
  
   who lost 8–13 to Fred Davis.

• Fred Davis meanwhile became the oldest player to win a match at the Crucible at the age of 65 years and 8 months.

• Bill Werbeniuk
  Bill Werbeniuk
  William Alexander "Bill" Werbeniuk was a Canadian professional snooker and pool player. Recognisable for his girth, he was nicknamed "Big Bill"...
  
   made the highest break of the championship with a 142 against John Virgo
  John Virgo
  John Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...
  
   in the quarter-finals, sharing the championship record along with Rex Williams
  Rex Williams
  Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...
  
   in 1965
  World Snooker Championship 1964-68
  With the agreement of the Billiards Association and Control Council the World Snooker Championship was revived by Rex Williams on a challenge basis after a six year absence in 1964...
  
  , when the championship was played in challenge matches.

Prize money

• Winner: £10,000
• Runner-up: £5,000
• Third place: £3,000
• Fourth place: £2,000
• Quarter-finalists: £1,250
• First round losers: £1,000

• Total: £35,500

Main draw

Qualification

Round 1 (Best of 17 frames)
Doug Mountjoy Doug Mountjoy Doug Mountjoy is a retired Welsh snooker player. Although he only won two ranking titles, he did so in successive tournaments in 1988/1989 – and while in his mid 40s. In more recent years he was the coach to the United Arab Emirates snooker association between 1997 and 1999.- Early life...	9–1	Derek Mienie
Terry Griffiths Terry Griffiths Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...	9–2	Bernard Bennett Bernard Bennett Bernard Bennett was an English professional player of snooker and English billiards, who competed in the late 1960s and 1970s, and was a professional player for nearly 30 years, although he spent most of his latter playing years in relative obscurity well down the rankings.He entered the 1969...
Pat Houlihan Pat Houlihan Patrick "Pat" Houlihan was an English snooker player. He was born in Deptford, London.He turned professional in 1971 at the age of 42 after many years as an amateur including beating future world champion John Spencer 11-3 at Blackpool Tower during the 1965 World Amateur Championship...	9–5	John Barrie
Willie Thorne Willie Thorne William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...	9–3	Jim Charlton
John Virgo John Virgo John Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...	9–0	Maurice Parkin
John Dunning	9–5	Jack Rea
Rex Williams Rex Williams Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...	9–2	David Greaves
Jim Meadowcroft Jim Meadowcroft Jim Meadowcroft is a retired English professional snooker player who has latterly been a coach and a commentator on the game....	9–7	Jimmy Van Rensberg
Roy Andrewartha	9–8	Ray Edmonds Ray Edmonds Ray Edmonds is a former English professional player of English billiards and snooker. He twice won the World Amateur Snooker title, and won the World Professional Billiards Championship in 1985.-Playing career:...
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...	9–1	Ian Anderson
Kirk Stevens Kirk Stevens Kirk Stevens is a Canadian professional snooker player.Stevens started playing young, achieving his first aged just 12. He turned professional aged 20, and reached the semi-finals of the World Championship aged 21...	9–1	Roy Amdor
Round 2 (Best of 17 frames)
John Virgo John Virgo John Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...	9–8	Willie Thorne Willie Thorne William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...
Bill Werbeniuk Bill Werbeniuk William Alexander "Bill" Werbeniuk was a Canadian professional snooker and pool player. Recognisable for his girth, he was nicknamed "Big Bill"...	9–2	Roy Andrewartha
David Taylor David Taylor (snooker player) David Taylor is a semi-retired English professional snooker player. He won the World and English Amateur Championships in 1968, before the success of those wins encouraged him to turn professional. Although an excellent player, Taylor never quite reached the very top of the game...	9–8	John Dunning
Doug Mountjoy Doug Mountjoy Doug Mountjoy is a retired Welsh snooker player. Although he only won two ranking titles, he did so in successive tournaments in 1988/1989 – and while in his mid 40s. In more recent years he was the coach to the United Arab Emirates snooker association between 1997 and 1999.- Early life...	9–6	Pat Houlihan Pat Houlihan Patrick "Pat" Houlihan was an English snooker player. He was born in Deptford, London.He turned professional in 1971 at the age of 42 after many years as an amateur including beating future world champion John Spencer 11-3 at Blackpool Tower during the 1965 World Amateur Championship...
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...	9–2	Patsy Fagan Patsy Fagan Patsy Fagan is a retired Irish professional snooker player.A talented snooker player who won the first UK championship in 1977 , Fagan seemed destined for a long and successful professional career in the game, but he became affected by a reluctance, possibly psychological, to play shots with the...
Terry Griffiths Terry Griffiths Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...	9–6	Jim Meadowcroft Jim Meadowcroft Jim Meadowcroft is a retired English professional snooker player who has latterly been a coach and a commentator on the game....
Kirk Stevens Kirk Stevens Kirk Stevens is a Canadian professional snooker player.Stevens started playing young, achieving his first aged just 12. He turned professional aged 20, and reached the semi-finals of the World Championship aged 21...	9–0	John Pulman John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....
Graham Miles Graham Miles Graham Miles is a retired English snooker player.Miles turned professional in 1969. He first gained recognition in 1974, when he reached the final of the World Championship. Although he lost 22–12 to Ray Reardon, this turned out to be the highlight of his career...	9–5	Rex Williams Rex Williams Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...