After the success of the inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker event earlier this year, a second edition of the tournament begins this week renamed as the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
Back in March, snooker became the latest sport to head over to Saudi Arabia and Ronnie O’Sullivan beat then-world champion Luca Brecel in the final with two century breaks to claim his 79th professional title and the £250,000 prize money.
The defending champion is poised to take part once again alongside nine other stars that feature in the top 10 of the official rankings list.
Here, Standard Sport offers everything you need to know about the blockbuster new addition to the snooker calendar.
Champion: Ronnie O’Sullivan won the inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker in March
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When is the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship?
The Riyadh Season Snooker Championship 2024 takes place from Wednesday, December 18 to Friday, December 20.
Where is the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship?
The event is being held at the Global Theatre in Boulevard City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Who is playing at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship?
The field in Riyadh will include the top 10 players on snooker’s official rankings list following the end of the UK Championship, which Judd Trump won by beating Barry Hawkins 10-8 at the beginning of the month.
Trump is the current reigning world No1, followed by Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Allen, Mark Williams, Luca Brecel, Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui and Zhang Anda.
Two additional wildcards completed the 12-player field competing in Riyadh, in Abdulraouf Saigh and Ahmed Aseeri.
Riyadh Season Snooker Championship fixtures and results
(all times GMT unless stated)
M1 – Ding Junhui 4-0 Abdulraouf Saigh
M2 – Zhang Anda 4-0 Ahmed Aseeri
M3 – Shaun Murphy 0-4 Ding Junhui
M4 – Luca Brecel vs Zhang Anda
M5 – Mark Selby vs Mark Allen (2pm)
M6 – Kyren Wilson vs Winner of M4 (3pm)
M7 – Judd Trump vs Mark Williams (7pm)
M8 – Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ding Junhui (8pm)
M9 – Winner of M7 vs Winner of M6
M10 – Winner of M8 vs Winner of M5
Winner of M9 vs Winner of M10 (7pm)
How to watch Riyadh Season Snooker Championship
TV channel and live stream: Fans in the UK can watch the event live on DAZN.
Riyadh Season Snooker Championship prize money
There is a huge prize pool of £785,000 set aside for the 12 players in Riyadh.
The winner of the tournament will bank a cool £250,000, with the runner-up set to win £125,000.
There is £75,000 on offer for reaching the semi-finals and £50,000 for getting to the quarters.
A mammoth of £792,000 ($1m) will be won by the first player to hit a mammoth 167 break. Organisers have doubled the initial £395,000 they offered at the inaugural tournament back in March.
Riyadh Season Snooker Championship format
All matches in Riyadh will be played in a best-of-seven-frames format.
That will increase to best-of-nine-frames for the final.
How does the golden ball work?
The controversial new element is back! The 23rd ball coloured in gold – AKA the Riyadh Season ball.
The ball is worth 20 points and can be potted by those who have completed the usual maximum 147 break – comprised of 15 reds, 15 blacks and then all six colours in a row – to take their total break up to 167.
Only once that initial 147 is sealed can the golden ball be potted and it will be taken off the table once a 147 break is no longer possible for either player in any given frame.
A four-point penalty will be applied if the golden ball is inadvertently potted earlier or struck before the object ball by the cue ball.
The golden ball will be positioned in the middle of the baulk cushion from the outset of any given frame but will also stay where it lies if it is hit without an infringement while either player is still on for a potential 147 break.
