Stephen Gordon Hendry is a Scottish professional snooker player who is best known for dominating the sport during the 1990s, when he became one of the most successful players in its history. After turning professional in 1985 at age 16, Hendry rose rapidly through the snooker world rankings, reaching number four in the world by the end of his third professional season. He won his first World Snooker Championship in 1990 aged 21 years and 106 days, surpassing Alex Higgins as the sport's youngest world champion, a record he still holds. From 1990 to 1999, he won seven world titles, setting a modern-era record that stood outright until Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled it in 2022. Hendry also won the Masters six times and the UK Championship five times for a career total of 18 Triple Crown tournament wins, a total exceeded only by O'Sullivan's 21. His total of 36 ranking titles is second only to O'Sullivan's 39, while his nine seasons as world number one were the most by any player under the annual ranking system used until 2010.
The German Masters is a professional ranking snooker tournament held at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany since 2011. The 2021 event was held at Milton Keynes in England because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ali Carter is the reigning champion, having won the event in 2023. An earlier ranking event, the German Open, was held in Germany from 1995 to 1997. This was followed by an invitation event, called the German Masters, in 1998.
The Scottish Open is a ranking professional snooker tournament held in the United Kingdom. The tournament had many name changes in its history, as the tournament was formerly called International Open, Matchroom Trophy and Players Championship. Apart from a hiatus in the 1990/1991 and 1991/1992 seasons, the tournament remained a ranking event until 2003/2004. In the 2012/2013 season the tournament was added back to the calendar as part of the Players Tour Championship minor-ranking series. The most recent champion is Gary Wilson.
James Wattana is a Thai former professional snooker player.
Dean Reynolds is an English former professional snooker player whose career spanned twenty years from 1981 to 2001.
The European Masters is a professional ranking snooker tournament that has been staged periodically since 1989 as the European Open. Between 2005 and 2008 it was known as the Malta Cup and was the sole ranking tournament in Europe outside the British Isles, before being discontinued. In 2016, the event was resurrected and rebranded the European Masters.
The 2010–11 snooker season was a series of snooker tournaments played between 20 May 2010 and 2 May 2011. The German Masters was the first ranking tournament in Germany since the 1997/1998 season. The Grand Prix was renamed to World Open, and the format of the tournament was changed with 32 amateurs joining the Main Tour professionals. The Players Tour Championship minor-ranking series was introduced to the calendar. These events were open to amateurs and professionals with a separate Order of Merit. The top 24 in the Order of Merit qualified for the Finals, which was a ranking event. The Premier League was for the first time part of the Main Tour. The Jiangsu Classic was renamed to the Wuxi Classic, and other events were introduced to the calendar: the new cue sport Power Snooker, the World Seniors Championship, and Snooker Shoot Out. The Scottish Professional Championship was held for the first time since 1989.
The Betfair European Tour 2012/2013 – Event 6 was a professional minor-ranking snooker tournament that took place over 26–27 November 2012 at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England with the first three rounds and 4–6 January 2013 at the Event Forum in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany from the last 32 onwards.
The 1996 European Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 25 February to 3 March 1996 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, Malta.
The 1993 Humo European Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 12 and 19 December 1993 at the Arenahal in Antwerp, Belgium.
The 1993 Humo European Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place in February 1993 at the Matchroom Schijnpoort in Antwerp, Belgium. Only the latter stages, from the last-16, were played in Antwerp.
The 1992 European Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place in March 1992 at the Tongeren Snooker Centre in Tongeren, Belgium.
The 1991 Tulip European Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place in March 1991 at the Imax Centre in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The 1990 ICI European Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place in March 1990 at the Palais des Sports in Lyon, France.
The 1989 BCE International Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place in September 1989 at Trentham Gardens in Stoke-on-Trent, England.
The sport of professional snooker has had a world ranking system in place since 1976. Certain tournaments were given "ranking" status, with the results at those events contributing to a player's world ranking. The events that made up the 1976–77 snooker season were the first to use a ranking points system. Originally, the world rankings were decided based only on results in the World Snooker Championship, but other events were later added. The system used for the 2018–19 snooker season was first used in the 2010–11 season, where players won ranking points based entirely on prize money won from these events. The rankings are based on the prior two seasons, with eleven revisions after specific tournaments throughout the season. These revisions are used as official rankings, with points awarded in the current season overwriting those from two years prior.
Marcel Eckardt is a German snooker and pool referee.
The January 2020 European Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place from 22 to 26 January 2020 in Dornbirn, Austria. Organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), it was the ninth ranking event of the 2019–20 season, following the 2019 UK Championship, and preceding the 2020 German Masters. It was the twenty-first edition of the European Masters first held in 1989. The event was sponsored by betting company BetVictor.
The 2020 German Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place from 29 January to 2 February 2020 in the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany. The tournament was the tenth ranking event of the 2019–2020 snooker season. It was the 14th edition of the German Masters, first held in 1995 as the 1995 German Open. The event featured a prize fund of £400,000 with £80,000 being given to the winner.
John Parrott (ENG)
Terry Griffiths (WAL)
