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World Championship Rest Day?

Postby thecueview

I was wondering if you could share your opinions on this please?

It has been something brought up a couple of times in the last few months. Should there be a rest day between the Semi-Finals and Final at the World Championship?

I am not saying there should or shouldn't, but you could accommodate one if you reduced the Semis back to best of 31's and played them over the Thursday and Friday.

Would it commercially be better? Would the standard potentially be better in the Final? Or would it ruin the momentum and disrupt the ultimate 'Marathon of the Mind?'

After some discussion and voting on my Facebook and Twitter accounts, I am surprised that the majority would actually FAVOUR a rest day.

What do you think?

Many thanks, I look forward to your thoughts!

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby KrazeeEyezKilla

A rest day before the final would mean no snooker on a Saturday which I wouldn't be a fan of. If you had a day off then after the quarter finals would be best as that's when it's reduced to one table.

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby Wildey

The World Championship is perfect as it is.

A Battle of Skill with Mental stamina why make it easier for the older players that might get a bit tired by the end.

If players cant hack it thats their problem

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby SnookerEd25

When I was a kid (the 80s), they used to have a rest day on the Thursday of the first week, i'm pretty sure. The tournament used to start on a Friday rather than Saturday, and they had that day off. It was a pain just when the play was really starting to get going, and I was more than glad when they did away with it and just started the Championships on the Saturday instead.

So - no rest day for me.

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby thecueview

Thanks for the replies.

Another suggestion on Facebook is that there should be a week's break between the qualifiers and the main event.

Obviously the season schedule is the problem here, as the seedings are determined by the China Open conclusion.

Ding Junhui and Alan McManus also did very well at the Crucible despite having to play 3 matches before at Ponds Forge - dispelling the myth that qualifiers would struggle so close to the event.

But, wouldn't it be better for the event knowing the draw a bit more in advance for media material etc?

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby Cheshire Cat

As much as he complains about it, I think ROS actually sums the worlds up rather well when he calls it a gruelling two weeks of torture. The Worlds is the ultimate test of the mind, it doesn't need to be made easier.

If a player wants some extra rest, then they always have the incentive to go out there and win their semi with a session to spare. If they can't do that, it's tough luck i'm afraid.

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby Wildey

SnookerEd25 wrote:When I was a kid (the 80s), they used to have a rest day on the Thursday of the first week, i'm pretty sure. The tournament used to start on a Friday rather than Saturday, and they had that day off. It was a pain just when the play was really starting to get going, and I was more than glad when they did away with it and just started the Championships on the Saturday instead.

So - no rest day for me.

there was never a rest day in the 80s. if the tournament started on the Friday it used to finish on the Sunday like in 85. if there was rest days or seemed to be rest days it's because matches finished with a session to spare. that's the key if you want a break destroy your oponements ASAP.

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby PLtheRef

I can see why people might think it beneficial to have a rest day towards the end of the World Championship, I'm not sure that it would work out without there being some kind of draw back

Firstly, at what stage of a World Championship does a rest day take place? - After the quarter-finals to allow for a full day to reset the stage for the one table situation? Players are only just into the consistency of all having to play each day by that point. A break after the Semi-Finals on a Saturday would possibly be better, how would you fill the slot though? A Third Place match? If a player is defeated heavily he'd have some time advantage over a player beaten in a decider in the semi-finals. - It could be an entertaining spectacle - you could have some fun in looking forward to Sunday afternoon but a third place match also could be a contest between two players with a huge sense of disappointment.

The scenarios in which a rest day is going to come is going to be either in (a very unlikely IMO) extension to the World Championship to allow for an eighteenth day, or a reduction to the semi-finals so that the matches are completed in three sessions rather than four. The drawback to that is that matches would be reduced to presumably a maximum of best of 27 frames - maybe 29 with 9 9 11 - as in a three sessions a day format like the Crucible set-up you aren't going to be able to have sessions of 11 frames running alongside each other without an overrun. - 10 frames is at the pushing it stage - at the moment they only come in matches that have gone to deciders at the Crucible. Whichever the length of the semi-final, it's somewhat shorter than the best of 33 frames we have at present.

Unfortunately we can't have it both ways.

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby Lou147

Wouldnt be a fan of it myself, I think the gruelling BO33 semi followed up with a BO35 final right after and the effect it has on the players is a big part of what makes the Worlds what it is

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby Wildey

Lou147 wrote:Wouldnt be a fan of it myself, I think the gruelling BO33 semi followed up with a BO35 final right after and the effect it has on the players is a big part of what makes the Worlds what it is

could not agree more.

i love seeing players go through the mill mentally on monday Night exciting stuff

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby Wildey

Pink Ball wrote:I agree although I do think the man who makes a final after a late night battle is at an unfair disadvantage. Other than that, can't see much argument for a rest day.

you mean like Selby in 2014 and 2016 17-15 and 17-14 while his opponents finished earlier Ronnie in fact did have a day off in 2014.

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby Cheshire Cat

MJW had an epic Semi against Higgins in 2000, while Matthew Stevens had a relatively easier time against Joe Swail. MJW played two of the worst sessions imaginable on the first day of the final, he looked knackered. Came out on the second day and won the final from trailing 13-7 behind or something like that at one point.

The best player will win in the end.

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby PLtheRef

Pink Ball wrote:I agree although I do think the man who makes a final after a late night battle is at an unfair disadvantage. Other than that, can't see much argument for a rest day.


Just looking at the Crucible Almanac to crunch some numbers since the Semi-Finals went to four sessions in 1980.

In 1980 and 1981 the Semi-Finals although over best of 31 frames in four sessions were not played in alternate sessions, e.g. the final two sessions of the Thorburn v Davis Semi-Final in 1981 (won 16-10 by Davis) were played before the final two sessions of the Mountjoy v Reardon Semi-Final.

Thorburn won the 1980 Final despite being the second semi-final to finish, albeit, he won the Semi-Final 16-7 in the first frame of the final session.

Of the 37 World Championships held since 1980, the winner of the second semi-final to finish has gone on to win the final on 20 occasions. Of those twenty, five of them (1993, 1996, 1998, 2003 and 2006) came after wrapping up the final session before the interval, with a further semi (1985) being won by a session to spare.

Of the 17 world finals won by the winner of the first semi-final to finish, seven (1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2001 and 2013) were matches settled before the mid session interval of the final session with a further five (1983, 1992, 1997, 2004 and 2008) being won by a session to spare. To add to this, the 1992 and 2004 semi-finals were won by the player in the semi-final scheduled to finish second (Hendry 16-4 and O'Sullivan 17-4 respectively.)

Of the eight years where the eventual champion came through a close semi-final (for this purpose, a semi-final that went two frames short of a decider or closer) only one (Higgins v Maguire 2007) was won by the winner of the first semi-final to finish, with the other seven, including all three won in deciders being won in the second semi to finish.

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby KrazeeEyezKilla

PDC Darts brought in a third place play-off in the 2010 World Championships and it was Mark Webster and Raymond van Barneveld. Barney sulked his way through the match and didn't care even thought there was £20,000 at stake. That was just a one hour match, I can only imagine the sulking from a big name player if they had to play for several hours.

2016 - Fu -v- McManus
2015 - Trump -v- Hawkins
2014 - Robertson -v- Hawkins
2013 - Trump -v- Walden
2012 - Maguire -v- Stevens
2011 - Williams -v- Ding
2010 - Carter -v- Selby
2009 - Robertson -v- Allen
2008 - Perry -v- Hendry
2007 - Maguire -v- Murphy
2006 - O'Sullivan -v- Fu
2005 - Ebdon -v- McCulloch
2004 - Stevens -v- Hendry
2003 - Lee -v- Hunter
2002 - O'Sullivan -v- Stevens
2001 - Stevens -v- Swail
2000 - Higgins -v- Swail

O'Sullivan in 2006 would have been a trainwreck with 2002 not much better.

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby Pink Ball

Wildey wrote:
Pink Ball wrote:I agree although I do think the man who makes a final after a late night battle is at an unfair disadvantage. Other than that, can't see much argument for a rest day.

you mean like Selby in 2014 and 2016 17-15 and 17-14 while his opponents finished earlier Ronnie in fact did have a day off in 2014.

Woah woah woah hun, I ain't calling for a rest day.

Actually I think they could both be put down as superb wins for Selby given that he had late nights. Overall whoever goes through a late semi final more often than not doesn't win the final, but I don't think it's compelling enough to seriously consider a change. I think a rest day would be a balls.

Re: World Championship Rest Day?

Postby SnookerEd25

Wildey wrote:
SnookerEd25 wrote:When I was a kid (the 80s), they used to have a rest day on the Thursday of the first week, i'm pretty sure. The tournament used to start on a Friday rather than Saturday, and they had that day off. It was a pain just when the play was really starting to get going, and I was more than glad when they did away with it and just started the Championships on the Saturday instead.

So - no rest day for me.

there was never a rest day in the 80s. if the tournament started on the Friday it used to finish on the Sunday like in 85. if there was rest days or seemed to be rest days it's because matches finished with a session to spare. that's the key if you want a break destroy your oponements ASAP.


I have researched this & you're right, I stand corrected. Memory plays funny tricks on you as you get older :emb: