The snooker world ranking system is an official list that ranks players by their recent performance. It is administered by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA). This listing is updated after every event in the ranking series. A current snooker ranking is required in order to be eligible to participate on the World Snooker Tour. The seeding of players is based on how they perform in certain tournaments and their ranking.
For the first 2 years, the snooker rankings were based only on the results from the three World Championships: UK Championship, World Open and Professional Players Tournament. Each of these events gave one seed to the winner, while the runners-ups received two. Each season from 1976 to 1982 the World Championship was the only ranking event, but in 1982 the International Open became the fourth ranking tournament. As competition grew, so did the number of tournaments.
The World Championship saw the return of the knockout format. This was considered the start of modern snooker. Today, most records are based on the period starting from 1969. There are currently a total of 31 titles on the snooker world ranking list.
In the 1970s Ray Reardon was the undisputed king of the snooker world. He was the World Champion and won six Welsh amateur titles. He won the 1974 World Championship. This was his first ranking event. He held the record for highest number of ranking titles until Steve Davis took it away in 1998. But he retired from snooker.
Stephen Hendry was one among the most dominant players of the 1990s. He held the number 1 ranking for eight years straight and won seven world titles. He is currently tied with Ronnie O'Sullivan on the all time ranking titles list. After the 2012 championships, he will be retiring from snooker.
Judd Trump is the current world ranking snooker winner. His other accomplishments include being named the snooker players of the Year. However, he hasn't yet broken the top spot. He was just one point ahead of Mark Williams at the beginning 2019 Both players will be competing in the finals for the 2020 UK Championship as well as the Cazoo Master's.
Kyren Wilson, another top player in this rankings, is also a big one. He is a professional and specializes in the Premier League. A sports tipster, he enjoys playing in the NBA and MLB. He also enjoys playing in the NFL, MLB, and NBA. He has been a winner of four ranking finals in his two previous seasons. There have been two losses.
Mark Selby is a four-time World Champion. He has been knocked out in the World Championship quarter-finals. His career has been filled with high-profile disappointments.
From September 12-16, the fourth Indian Open World Ranking Snooker Tournament in Visakhapatnam will be held. Several celebrities will be there to watch the action. You are welcome to attend the event for free.