Notable moments

• Joe Johnson
  Joe Johnson (snooker player)
  Joe Johnson is an English former professional snooker player. He is best known as the surprise winner of the 1986 World Championship.- Career :...
  
   was a 150–1 outsider at the start of the championship. He beat Dave Martin in the first round, Mike Hallett
  Mike Hallett
  Mike Hallett is an English professional snooker player and television sports commentator.-Career:Hallett was a consistently solid snooker player, but never achieved the very top ranks...
  
  , who had beaten defending 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...
  
   in the first round in the second, 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...
  
   in a classic 13–12 victory during the quarter-finals, Tony Knowles
  Tony Knowles (snooker player)
  Anthony Knowles is an English professional snooker player. He was a three times semi-finalist in the World Professional Snooker Championship in the 1980s.-Career:...
  
   – who made his third semi-final in four years – in the semis and the world No 1 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...
  
   in the final to win the world title.

• Future world champion and world no 1 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...
  
   made his debut losing 8–10 to 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...
  
  . It also made him the youngest player in the championship's history at the age of 17 years and 3 months. After the match, Hendry said in a press conference that he would wait five years to win the title. He won his first within 4 years. Another debutant in 1986 was Danny Fowler who lost 2–10 to Terry Griffiths.

• John Spencer
  John Spencer (snooker player)
  John Spencer was an English professional snooker player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition...
  
   made his last appearance at the Crucible losing 7–10 to 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...
  
  . The first Crucible champion then went on to lose in qualifying stages until his retirement in 1991.

• There were 20 centuries in the 1986 World Snooker Championship
  World Snooker Championship
  The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
  
  , a record which stood until 1991. The highest breaks were 134 made by 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 141 made by 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...
  
   in the main event and in the qualifying event respectively.

Prize money

• Winner: £70,000
• Runner-up: £42,000
• Semi-finals: £21,000
• Quarter-finals: £10,500
• Last 16: £5,250
• Last 32: £2,953
• Last 48: £1,203

• Highest Break: £7,000

• Total: £350,000

Main draw

Qualifying

Round 5 (Best of 19 frames)
Mike Hallett Mike Hallett Mike Hallett is an English professional snooker player and television sports commentator.-Career:Hallett was a consistently solid snooker player, but never achieved the very top ranks...	10–7	Jim Wych Jim Wych Jim Wych is a sports announcer and former Canadian professional snooker and pocket billiards player. He reached the quarter-final of the Embassy World Professional Snooker Championship in his debut year of 1980, a "first" for any overseas player and duplicated this feat again in 1992...
Dave Martin	10–5	Nigel Gilbert
John Spencer John Spencer (snooker player) John Spencer was an English professional snooker player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition...	10–7	Steve Newbury Steve Newbury Steve Newbury is a former Welsh professional snooker player from Neath.After a strong amateur record he turned professional in 1984. His best runs in professional ranking tournaments were a few quarter-final appearances as well as a semi-final run. He reached a highest ranking of 19 in...
Danny Fowler Danny Fowler Danny Fowler born in Pudsey, West Yorkshire is an English former professional snooker player. In the 1993 World Championship, Fowler played the defending two-time World Champion Stephen Hendry in the first round but lost 1–10....	10–6	Murdo MacLeod
Dean Reynolds Dean Reynolds Dean Reynolds is an English professional snooker player.-Career:Before turning professional, Reynolds won the first-ever Junior Pot Black in 1981, beating Dene O'Kane, another future professional, with a 2- aggregate score of 151–79.He twice reached a ranking tournament final, but lost both times,...	10–7	Warren King Warren King (snooker player) Warren King is a former professional Australian snooker player. His best run in a ranking event was to the final of the Mercantile Credit Classic in 1990, where he lost 10-6 to Steve James. He never managed to get into the top 32, his highest ranking being 35...
Cliff Wilson Cliff Wilson Cliff Wilson was a Welsh professional snooker player. He managed to get to into the world's top 16 in 1988 at the age of 55; a remarkable feat for someone with very poor eyesight and a number of other ailments.- Amateur years :...	10–6	Paul Medati
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...	10–3	Marcel Gauvreau
Neal Foulds Neal Foulds Neal Foulds is a former English professional snooker player and is now a commentator on the sport.-Career:Foulds quickly climbed the rankings after turning professional in 1983, reaching no. 3 within four years. He won his first ranking tournament in 1986, the BCE International, beating Cliff...	10–9	Peter Francisco
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"...	10–8	Barry West
Eugene Hughes Eugene Hughes Eugene Hughes is an Irish snooker player. He reached his highest professional World Ranking of 20 in 1986. In 1985 and the following years 1986 & 1987 he won his only professional titles, as a member of the successful all-Irish team in the World Team Championships, alongside Alex Higgins and...	10–7	Tommy Murphy
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...	10–9	Dene O'Kane Dene O'Kane Dene O'Kane is a professional snooker player from New Zealand. He reached the quarter-finals of the World Championships in 1987 and 1992. He made his World Championship debut in 1985, losing to David Taylor in the first round. He appeared in the world championships six times, but never in...
John Campbell John Campbell (snooker player) John Campbell is a former Australian professional snooker player, who was over 6 feet tall, who consistently reached the last 16 of many ranking tournaments, peaking at number 18 in the world rankings in 1986...	10–6	Jimmy Van Rensberg
John Virgo John Virgo John Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...	10–8	Steve Longworth
John Parrott John Parrott John Parrott MBE is an English professional snooker player and TV personality.He won the World Snooker Championship in 1991, defeating Jimmy White in the final. Two years earlier he had lost 3–18 to Steve Davis, the heaviest final defeat in modern times...	10–6	Robby Foldvari
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:...	10–7	Les Dodd
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:...	10–9	Mark Wildman Mark Wildman Mark Wildman is an English snooker and pool commentator, and a retired professional player of snooker and English billiards...