The UK Championship is one of the great tournaments in the history of snooker and it gets underway this weekend with the qualifying stages in Leicester.
The top 16 players in the world head straight to the main stages at The Barbican in York, which are held from 25 November-3 December.
Before then, 16 players must emerge from the tiered qualifying system, with the lowest-ranked players facing the prospect of needing to win four matches to get to York, while the ones closer to the top 16 must only win two games.
There are some big names having to head to qualifying after falling out of the top 16, including Ding Junhui, Stephen Maguire, Anthony McGill and Hossein Vafaei.
Mark Allen is the defending champion after he downed Ding in last year’s final to claim the huge £250,000 top prize.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is due to compete as he looks to extend his record of most UK Championship titles, lifting the trophy seven times, ahead of Steve Davis on six and Stephen Hendry with five.
All matches this year will be best-of-11 frames apart from the final which is played over a best-of-19.
How to watch the UK Championship qualifiers
Nov 18 & 19: Discovery+ & Eurosport app
Nov 20 & 21: Discovery+ & Eurosport app & WST Facebook or YouTube
Nov 22 & 23: Discovery+ & Eurosport app & WST Facebook or YouTube
UK Championship qualifying draw and schedule
Saturday 18 November
Round One
09.30
Daniel Wells vs Mostafa Dorgham
Jenson Kendrick vs Oliver Briffett-Payne
Adam Duffy vs Mink Nutcharut
Stuart Carrington vs M Phetmalaikul
Mohamed Ibrahim vs Victor Sarkis
Marco Fu vs Michael Holt
Anton Kazakov vs Ryan Davies
Xing Zihao vs Jimmy White
14.30
Ross Muir vs Andrew Pagett
Stan Moody vs Filips Kalnins
Peng Yisong vs Umut Dikme
Alfie Burden vs Oliver Sykes
Ma Hailong vs Sydney Wilson
Fergal O’Brien vs Robbie McGuigan
Jiang Jun vs Rebecca Kenna
Allan Taylor vs Liam Davies
19.30
Rod Lawler vs Liam Graham
Ryan Thomerson vs Reanne Evans
Long Zehuang vs Haydon Pinhey
Oliver Brown vs Dean Young
Andrew Higginson vs Alexander Ursenbacher
Muhammad Asif vs Duane Jones
Sean O’Sullivan vs Baipat Siripaporn
Louis Heathcote vs Ahmed Aly Elsayed
Sunday 19 November
09.30
Andy Lee vs Joel Connolly
Liam Pullen vs Iulian Boiko
Hammad Miah vs Bulcsu Revesz
Ian Burns vs Amaan Iqbal
Ishpreet Singh Chadha vs Gao Yang
Andres Petrov vs Craig Steadman
Rory Thor vs Riley Powell
Martin O’Donnell vs Jack Borwick
Round Two
14.30
Ashley Carty vs Wells/Dorgham
Robbie Williams vs Kendrick/Briffett-Payne
Michael White vs Duffy/Mink
Martin Gould vs Carrington/Phetmalaikul
Andy Hicks vs Ibrahim/Sarkis
Ben Mertens vs Fu/Holt
David Grace vs Kazakov/R Davies
James Cahill vs Xing/J White
19.30
Hq Guoqiang vs Muir/Pagett
Dominic Dale vs Moody/Kalnins
Julien Leclercq vs Peng/Dikme
Jamie Clarke vs Burden/Sykes
Xu Si vs Ma/S Wilson
Dylan Emery vs O’Brien/McGuigan
Jackson Page vs Jiang/Kenna
Zak Surety vs Taylor/L Davies
Monday 20 November
09.30
Lukas Kleckers vs Lawler/Graham
Ben Woollaston vs Thomerson/Evans
Sanderson Lam vs Lee/Connolly
Mark Joyce vs Pullen/Boiko
Oliver Lines vs Long/Pinhey
Ashley Hugill vs O Brown/Young
Tian Pengfei vs Higginson/Ursenbacher
Liu Hongyu vs O’Donnell/Borwick
14.30
Ken Doherty vs Asif/D Jones
David Lilley vs S O’Sullivan/Baipat
Elliot Slessor vs Heathcote/Elsayed
John Astley vs Miah/Revesz
Liam Highfield vs Burns/Iqbal
Mark Davis vs Chadha/Gao
Aaron Hill vs Petrov/Steadman
Scott Donaldson vs Thor/Powell
Round Three
19.30
Ding Junhui vs Carty/Wells/Dorgham
Matthew Stevens vs R Williams/Kendrick/Briffett-Payne
Si Jiahui vs M White/Duffy/Mink
Fan Zhengyi vs Gould/Carrington/Phetmalaikul
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Hicks/Ibrahim/Sarkis
Ricky Walden vs Mertens/Fu/Holt
Wu Yize vs Grace/Kazakov/R Davies
Noppon Saengkham vs Cahill/Xing/J White
Tuesday 21 November
09.30
Anthony McGill vs He/Muir/Pagett
Anthony Hamilton vs Dale/Moody/Kalnins
David Gilbert vs Leclercq/Peng/Dikme
Jordan Brown vs Clarke/Burden/Sykes
Lyu Haotian vs Xu/Ma/S Wilson
Matt Selt vs Emery/O’Brien/McGuigan
Jamie Jones vs Page/Jiang/Kenna
Gary Wilson vs Surety/Taylor/L Davies
14.30
Ryan Day vs Kleckers/Lawler/Graham
Cao Yupeng vs Woollaston/Thomerson/Evans
Joe Perry vs Lam/Lee/Connolly
Xiao Guodong vs Joyce/Pullen/Boiko
Joe O’Connor vs Lines/Long/Pinhey
Stephen Maguire vs Hugill/O Brown/Young
Yuan Sijun vs Tian/Higginson/Ursenbacher
Chris Wakelin vs Doherty/Asif/D Jones
19.30
Stuart Bingham vs Lilley/S O’Sullivan/Baipat
Graeme Dott vs Slessor/Heathcote/Elsayed
Zhou Yuelong vs Astley/Miah/Revesz
Jak Jones vs Highfield/Burns/Iqbal
Pang Junxu vs Davis/Chadha/Gao
Jimmy Robertson vs Hill/Petrov/Steadman
Sam Craigie vs Donaldson/Thor/Powell
Hossein Vafaei vs Liu/O’Donnell/Borwick
Judgement Days
Wednesday 22 November
1pm
Ding/Carty/Wells/Dorgham vs Stevens/R Williams/Kendrick/Briffett-Payne
Si/M White/Duffy/Mink vs Fan/Gould/Carrington/Phetmalaikul
Thepchaiya/Hicks/Ibrahim/Sarkis vs Walden/Mertens/Fu/Holt
Wu Yize/Grace/Kazakov/R Davies vs Noppon/Cahill/Xing/J White
7pm
McGill/He/Muir/Pagett vs Hamilton/Dale/Moody/Kalnins
Gilbert/Leclercq/Peng/Dikme vs Brown/Clarke/Burden/Sykes
Lyu/Xu/Ma/S Wilson vs Selt/Emery/O’Brien/McGuigan
J Jones/Page/Jiang/Kenna vs G Wilson/Surety/Taylor/L Davies
Thursday 23 November
1pm
Day/Kleckers/Lawler/Graham vs Cao/Woollaston/Thomerson/Evans
Perry/Lam/Lee/Connolly vs Xiao/Joyce/Pullen/Boiko
O’Connor/Lines/Long/Pinhey vs Maguire/Hugill/O Brown/Young
Yuan/Tian/Higginson/Ursenbacher vs Wakelin/Doherty/Asif/D Jones
7pm
Bingham/Lilley/S O’Sullivan/Baipat vs Dott/Slessor/Heathcote/Elsayed
Zhou/Astley/Miah/Revesz vs J Jones/Highfield/Burns/Iqbal
Pang/Davis/Chadha/Gao vs J Robertson/Hill/Petrov/Steadman
Craigie/Donaldson/Thor/Powell vs Vafaei/Liu/O’Donnell/Borwick
UK Championship main stages schedule
Saturday 25 November
1pm
Mark Allen vs qualifier
Mark Williams vs qualifier
7pm
Kyren Wilson vs qualifier
Tom Ford vs qualifier
Sunday 26 November
1pm
Luca Brecel vs qualifier
Zhang Anda vs qualifier
7pm
Shaun Murphy vs qualifier
Ali Carter vs qualifier
Monday 27 November
1pm
Judd Trump vs qualifier
Barry Hawkins vs qualifier
7pm
Mark Selby vs qualifier
Jack Lisowski vs qualifier
Tuesday 28 November
1pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs qualifier
John Higgins vs qualifier
7pm
Neil Robertson vs qualifier
Robert Milkins vs qualifier
UK Championship prize money
Winner: £250,000
Runner-up: £100,000
Semi-final: £50,000
Quarter-final: £25,000
Last 16: £15,000
Last 32: £10,000
Last 48: £7,500
Last 80: £5,000
Last 112: £2,500
Highest break: £15,000
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