Lengthening the World Championship format

There seems to be some debate around shortening the format of the World Championships by those with an agenda to get it talked about at every god given opportunity. Those who start them are obviously not true snooker fans or snooker people so why are they getting heard and what's it got to do with them anyway?

What the game really needs is for a LONGER format event to make sure the best of the best are separated out naturally so we know the best player is crowned World Champion at the end of the tournament. How often do we see best of 25 frame matches finish 13-12 because the players are so evenly matched they simply run out of frames to find the natural winner so the first to find himself on 13 when the music stops progresses to the next round?

Round 1 at the Crucible contains best of 19 frame matches or first to 10 frames across 2 sessions (9 frames and 10 frames). These sessions are scheduled at the same times as those later in the tournament when most sessions are 8 frames and finish with a possible 9 frames (best of 25: 8,8,9 best of 33: 8,8,8,9). This is short changing the snooker public because we know from round 1 it is possible to play more frames in a day comfortably. If some of those 13-12’s were turned into 14-12’s or 15-12’s then we can say the right man has definitely won more than is the case in a best of 25 at 12-12 with the first player to pot a long red and scoring heavily winning.

So what really needs to be considered is the following:
First round: best of 19 (9,10)
Second round and quarter-final: best of 31 (10, 10, 11)
Semi-final and final: best of 41 (10,10,10,11)

All packed into the same 17 day package.

Who is it who keeps starting these shortening format debates anyway?

Gotta disagree with u here.
Infact is this a wind up?

I don't see that we need changes except to get the semis back to 31, as it was in the early 90th, avoid the evening session on the last day of the semis by rescheduling, start the Final last session one hour earlier and shift everything by one day so that the non UK viewers can actually watch it.

As it is the players are completely shattered at the end of the 17 days already and I can't see the benefits of having them playing even more dead on their feet. This is snooker, it's a game of skills, it's not boxing. I don't think a "knock-out" is the right criteria to judge who is the best player.

As long as you would make it you will always have some matches getting close. But the longer the format, the likelier it is that you will get some totally one sided affairs without any tension or real battle, plus the risk to have the match finishing with a session to spare which is never good for anyone, audience at the venue, television, sponsors etc...

Best of 31 meant a short-changed final session of just 7 frames.

One sided affairs = right man wins. He wins big, he conserves energy. Tiredness is all a part of it, if you want to be the World Champion you need to demonstrate all facets of your game and that includes playing when you're dead on your feet.

Witz78 wrote:Gotta disagree with u here.
Infact is this a wind up?

You could say the same about the calls to shorten the worlds, I am merely countering that trend. People in snooker are far too paranoid. You don't see other sports with such paranoia and people trying to change the rules and shorten the formats in order to be "accepted".

Enough is enough. Snooker is a great game, the World Championships need to be a stern test and need to be long format. 8 frames in a session is too short and the variations of 4-4, 5-3, 6-2, "you look at each as a mini-session which you try to win 3-1" add to the staleness factor. We need one player to be in the lead, we need more frames per session so the crowd are getting their moneys worth. I make no apologies for starting the counter arguement to the "Worlds need shortening" bull I keep reading about.

The darts World Championship is under way already, it doesn't finish until 2nd January! Every year it gets longer and longer.

Well they need a lot of rest days in the middle cos it's such a physically demanding sport ...

Sonny wrote: Tiredness is all a part of it, if you want to be the World Champion you need to demonstrate all facets of your game and that includes playing when you're dead on your feet.

could not agree more with that i love to see half asleep players having to pull it up from within to be crowned the ultimate snooker champion.....people who think standard of play or breaks is what snookers about are missing the point Standard of play and breaks are bonuses we get from Snooker and NOT Snooker.

The argument that a 13-12 means the format should be longer is nonsense tbh. Its about as valid as a counter argument that the matches at the world open that finished 3-0 are justification for shortening that format to make games more competitive.
Where we gonna fit this extra snooker into the 17 days? If anything i want a few tweaks, namely 19-19-25-25-35 to allow the final to end on Sunday afternoon.
As for the darts, thats a myth, it aint any longer than the last few years. Its just the way xmas falls at a wknd this year makes it seem that way cos its starting when weve still got a full week at work b4 the hols. Fact is therell be a 3-4 day break over xmas, hogmanay off etc, so its really just 14 days of action as per last few years.

Bourne wrote:Well they need a lot of rest days in the middle cos it's such a physically demanding sport ...

Rafa would be the snooker GOAT in that case....someone buy him a cue!

WELL its nonsence that it should be shortened aswell.....it is what it is the No 1 Success Story of each Regime even when all else was Failing at the WSA the World Championship was Constant it has a life of it own and there shouldnt even be talk of shortening it.

Witz78 wrote:The argument that a 13-12 means the format should be longer is nonsense tbh. Its about as valid as a counter argument that the matches at the world open that finished 3-0 are justification for shortening that format to make games more competitive.
Where we gonna fit this extra snooker into the 17 days? If anything i want a few tweaks, namely 19-19-25-25-35 to allow the final to end on Sunday afternoon.
As for the darts, thats a myth, it aint any longer than the last few years. Its just the way xmas falls at a wknd this year makes it seem that way cos its starting when weve still got a full week at work b4 the hols. Fact is therell be a 3-4 day break over xmas, hogmanay off etc, so its really just 14 days of action as per last few years.

You sir are not playing ball

Sonny wrote:Best of 31 meant a short-changed final session of just 7 frames.

One sided affairs = right man wins. He wins big, he conserves energy. Tiredness is all a part of it, if you want to be the World Champion you need to demonstrate all facets of your game and that includes playing when you're dead on your feet.

They already are dead on their feet with the current format, there is no need to add to it.
As for conserving energy it does not work that way. Most one sided long formats I've seen ended up with the loser struggling to no ends and the winner flat because he couldn't get adrenalin flowing by want of any real challenge ... hardly enthralling.

If you don't like the World Championships as they are, don't watch it.

Forget changing the format, instead add the rest day !!!

Sonny wrote:If you don't like the World Championships as they are, don't watch it.

There is no need for such remarks. I like it and I watch it but like everyone, I'm more enthralled by some matches than others. I just don't see any benefit to lengthening the matches, within the same time frame, in a tournament that is already extremely demanding, mentally and emotionally. The challenge is more than strong enough to have the better player emerging unless other factors come into play (think 2009) and then lengthening the match will not make them go away.

As for the "31", you could put the 7 frames session as first session: there is always some media build-up at the start of the semis - it takes time - and in addition it would ensure that no session ends on a draw. Can only add to the tension building.

Bourne wrote:Forget changing the format, instead add the rest day !!!

Hendon on Twitter had a Good Idea Start on the Friday then on The Saturday and Sunday theres a feast of Matches Coming to an End then you could Get in a Rest Day.

Persanally i dont give a dam they dead on their feet you dont see Runners after a marathon starting dancing at the finish line they are knackered with a capital K....that what should be the case at the World Championship.

Wild wrote:

Bourne wrote:Forget changing the format, instead add the rest day !!!

Hendon on Twitter had a Good Idea Start on the Friday then on The Saturday and Sunday theres a feast of Matches Coming to an End then you could Get in a Rest Day.

Persanally i dont give a dam they dead on their feet you dont see Runners after a marathon starting dancing at the finish line they are knackered with a capital K....that what should be the case at the World Championship.

Eh you think snooker should be like running a marathon ? Don't agree with that, let's keep skill at the forefront of this beautiful sport and don't let it get taken over by musclemen bunnies, like tennis

Bourne wrote:

Wild wrote:

Bourne wrote:Forget changing the format, instead add the rest day !!!

Hendon on Twitter had a Good Idea Start on the Friday then on The Saturday and Sunday theres a feast of Matches Coming to an End then you could Get in a Rest Day.

Persanally i dont give a dam they dead on their feet you dont see Runners after a marathon starting dancing at the finish line they are knackered with a capital K....that what should be the case at the World Championship.

Eh you think snooker should be like running a marathon ? Don't agree with that, let's keep skill at the forefront of this beautiful sport and don't let it get taken over by musclemen bunnies, like tennis

na dont need that only a nice bonus if they play well and should never be what snooker is about its a game of mind over matter....

quality of snooker should be on display first and foremost

its a test to find the best snooker player, not a test to find the fittest who can last the pace

If anything the longer formats even things up a bit id actually almost say

And Sonnys argument, if the top players cant beat donkeys in best of 25s then stuff them

It's when top player meets top player and they get to 12-12 and run out of frames that I'm on about. The whole thing would be better if it was a 2 clear frames once you get past 12 frames or something but that's not workable.

Sonny wrote:It's when top player meets top player and they get to 12-12 and run out of frames that I'm on about. The whole thing would be better if it was a 2 clear frames once you get past 12 frames or something but that's not workable.

someone has to win and someone has to lose

a deciding frame is snookers equivalent of a penalty shoot out or tie break, drama and the loser always feels aggrieved but they all know the rules beforehand so its up to them to win it as comfortably as they can so they dont have to rely on the lottery of a decider

Witz78 wrote:quality of snooker should be on display first and foremost

its a test to find the best snooker player, not a test to find the fittest who can last the pace

If anything the longer formats even things up a bit id actually almost say

And Sonnys argument, if the top players cant beat donkeys in best of 25s then stuff them

Its a test to find the Best player that can last the pace.

the secret of the championship is to blow people away in early rounds so that you got something left. thats exactly what Trump did this year with Gould and Dott that a hard semi did not affect him for the final where he played amazing stuff and it took the experiance of Higgins to just about stop him....

no sign of tierdness in Trump was there.

Wild wrote:

Witz78 wrote:quality of snooker should be on display first and foremost

its a test to find the best snooker player, not a test to find the fittest who can last the pace

If anything the longer formats even things up a bit id actually almost say

And Sonnys argument, if the top players cant beat donkeys in best of 25s then stuff them

Its a test to find the Best player that can last the pace.

the secret of the championship is to blow people away in early rounds so that you got something left. thats exactly what Trump did this year with Gould and Dott that a hard semi did not affect him for the final where he played amazing stuff and it took the experiance of Higgins to just about stop him....

no sign of tierdness in Trump was there.

Yeh good point that actually, that's where someone like Selby has to find the fine line.

also in recent years players been used to play very little that the World Championship was a bigger mountain however now they play so much snooker 17 days at the crucible playing 5 long matches will be a piece of snake hiss.

PTC is a good grounding for stamina building needed at the Crucible

some will have played 21 frames today in sheffield.

Wild wrote:also in recent years players been used to play very little that the World Championship was a bigger mountain however now they play so much snooker 17 days at the crucible playing 5 long matches will be a piece of snake hiss.

PTC is a good grounding for stamina building needed at the Crucible

some will have played 24 frames today in sheffield.

nah more like they will be less refreshed and knackered by time the Crucible comes than before when theyd nothing to do for ages before it

not that im complaining about the schedule tho

Witz78 wrote:

Wild wrote:also in recent years players been used to play very little that the World Championship was a bigger mountain however now they play so much snooker 17 days at the crucible playing 5 long matches will be a piece of snake hiss.

PTC is a good grounding for stamina building needed at the Crucible

some will have played 24 frames today in sheffield.

nah more like they will be less refreshed and knackered by time the Crucible comes than before when theyd nothing to do for ages before it

not that im complaining about the schedule tho

yeah some might be however Trump who played just about everything last season was not affected he got stronger by the end of season.