Crucible curse
{{Short description|Phrase used in professional snooker}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
The "Crucible curse" (also known as "The curse of the Crucible") is a quip in professional snooker, referring to the fact that no first-time winner of the World Snooker Championship has retained the title since the tournament moved to Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 1977.{{refn|{{cite news|url=http://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/worldchampionships2003/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=snooker/03/04/30/SNOOKER_World_2nd_Nightlead.html|title=Crucible Curse Strikes Ebdon|newspaper=Sporting Life|access-date=21 April 2007|date=30 April 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716052004/http://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/worldchampionships2003/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=snooker%2F03%2F04%2F30%2FSNOOKER_World_2nd_Nightlead.html|archive-date=16 July 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|date=28 April 2006|url=http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/04/28/sport/sport_30002733.php|title=Cruise for Ebdon as Crucible curse strikes champ|work=The Nation|access-date=21 April 2007|first=John|last=Dee|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714093907/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/04/28/sport/sport_30002733.php|archive-date=14 July 2007|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=Australia's Neil Robertson aiming to break the curse of the Crucible|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/apr/15/neil-robertson-crucible-trump-judd|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=23 April 2011|location=London|first=Jamie|last=Jackson|date=15 April 2011|archive-date=20 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420043656/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/apr/15/neil-robertson-crucible-trump-judd|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title= Crucible Curse Strikes Again |url=https://www.wst.tv/news/2024/april/20/Crucible-Curse-Strikes-Again/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510105445/https://www.wst.tv/news/2024/april/20/Crucible-Curse-Strikes-Again/ |work=World Snooker Tour |date=20 April 2024 |archive-date=10 May 2024 |url-status=live}}}} Beginning with the 1979 champion Terry Griffiths, who lost in the second round of the 1980 event, 20 first-time world champions have failed to defend their titles, although Joe Johnson and Ken Doherty made it to the final the year after their maiden victories. Most recently, the 2024 champion Kyren Wilson lost in the first round of the 2025 World Snooker Championship. Zhao Xintong, first-time winner of the 2025 event, can attempt to break the Curse in the 2026.
Several world champions successfully defended their first title in the pre-Crucible era; the last to do so was John Pulman in 1964.
The curse
The first-time world champions listed below all experienced the "Crucible curse", as they did not successfully defend their title at the following year's World Championship.
Of the 20 players to have won their first world title at the Crucible Theatre, eight lost in their first match as defending champion: Terry Griffiths in 1980, Steve Davis in 1982, Dennis Taylor in 1986, Graeme Dott in 2007, Neil Robertson in 2011, Stuart Bingham in 2016, Luca Brecel in 2024 and Kyren Wilson in 2025. Only two of the 20 were able to reach the final as defending champions: Joe Johnson in 1987 and Ken Doherty in 1998. Johnson came closest to breaking the curse, getting within four frames of retaining his crown, while Doherty came within six.
Four players have won consecutive world titles at the Crucible (having already won the championship previously): Steve Davis (1983–1984 and 1987–1989), Stephen Hendry (1992–1996), Ronnie O'Sullivan (2012–2013), and Mark Selby (2016–2017).{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/22421611|title=Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Barry Hawkins to win fifth World title|first=Ben|last=Dirs|access-date=6 May 2013|date=6 May 2013|work=BBC Sport|archive-date=8 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508004120/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/22421611|url-status=live}}
Pre-Crucible
Out of all the first-time world snooker champions, only three retained their title at the next World Championship: Joe Davis in 1928, his brother Fred Davis in 1949, and John Pulman at his first challenge match in 1964. No player in the modern era (post-1969) has successfully defended a first world title, even before the tournament was staged at the Crucible Theatre.
John Spencer, Ray Reardon and Alex Higgins won the World Championship for the first time before the event was moved to the Crucible in 1977, and failed to retain the title the following year (although this could not be attributed to the "Crucible curse"). All three players subsequently won the championship at the Crucible for the first time, but then fell to the "curse" when they failed to successfully defend the title the following year.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; margin: auto"
!style="width: 15em; text-align:left;"|Defending champion !style="width: 15em;"|Progress !Result !style="width: 15em; text-align:left;"|Opponent !Ref | |
| style="text-align:left"; colspan=6|Defending first world title: | |
| style="text-align:left;"|1970
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|John Spencer|ENG}} | Semi-finals | 33–37 | style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|Ray Reardon|WAL}} | {{cite web|title=1970 World Championships Results|url=http://snookerdatabase.co.uk/EventResults.aspx?EventKey=42|website=Snooker Database|access-date=28 December 2010|archive-date=5 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505231021/http://www.snookerdatabase.co.uk/EventResults.aspx?EventKey=42|url-status=dead}} |
| style="text-align:left;"|1971
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|Ray Reardon|WAL}} | Semi-finals | 15–34 | style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|John Spencer|ENG}} | |
| style="text-align:left;"|1973
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|Alex Higgins|NIR}} | Semi-finals | 9–23 | style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|Eddie Charlton|AUS}} | |
| style="text-align:left"; colspan=6|Defending first world title at Crucible Theatre: | |
| style="text-align:left;"|1978
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|John Spencer|ENG}} | Last 16 | 8–13 | style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|Perrie Mans|RSA|1928}} | |
| style="text-align:left;"|1979
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|Ray Reardon|WAL}} | Quarter-finals | 8–13 | style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|Dennis Taylor|NIR}} | |
| style="text-align:left;"|1983
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|Alex Higgins|NIR}} | Semi-finals | 5–16 | style="text-align:left;"|{{flagathlete|Steve Davis|ENG}} |
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
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{{World Snooker Championship}}
{{Snooker lists}}
{{Sports-related curses}}
Category:World Snooker Championships