After a relatively low key first ranking event, the snooker season really gets going over the next week as the stars of the game head out to China for the second time in the campaign for the lucrative International Championship, the real big event in the first four months of term.
Mark Allen launches a wonderful season with a win here 12 months ago and he in the field looking to defend his title. A number of star men make their seasonal bow here and it will be interesting to see who challenges ‘The Pistol’.
Recent Winners
2018 – Mark Allen
2017 – Mark Selby
2016 – Mark Selby
2015 – John Higgins
2014 – Ricky Walden
2013 – Ding Junhui
2012 – Judd Trump
The Format
One of the reasons why this is the highlight of the early part of the season is because it is a longer format than most events these days. The first round, including the heldover matckes, through to the quarter finals are the best-of-11 frames and then the semi-finals take place over two sessions and the best-of-17 frames on Friday and Saturday before the tournament concludes on the second Sunday of the competition when the finalists battle it out over the course of 19 frames for a first prize of £175,000 and ranking points.
Top Quarter
Mark Allen is the defending champion so he is the number one seed this week. He hasn’t made it into the main draw yet as he has to come through a qualifying match which was held over but if he does progress he will find the likes of Barry Hawkins and Ali Carter in his quarter, while Ding Junhui will also be housed here too if he can overcome an initial obstacle into the main proceedings. They are it as far as top 16 ranked players are concerned.
Ryan Day is the best player in the world outside the coveted elite and he is in this quarter, as are a number of talented Chinese players looking to do well on home soil. Liang Wenbo and Xiao Guodong are chief of them but Zhao Xintong shouldn’t be overlooked. Sam Craigie, India champion Matt Selt and recent Riga Masters semi-finalist Kurt Maflin all have claims to go deep in this top part of the draw.
Second Quarter
This is where Neil Robertson is situated in the draw. He overwhelmed Oliver Lines to make it here so he’s in decent nick and could come up against John Higgins in the quarter final if the draw goes to the seedings. They are not expected to have it all their own way though, with Stuart Bingham and Shaun Murphy members of the top 16 who will be looking to challenge the main two and progress from this section.
You rarely get a quarter these days without good players outside the top 16 in it and this one is no different to that. Former winner Ricky Walden is in here as is the Shootout champion Thepchaiya Un-Nooh while Graeme Dott and Riga Masters finalist Mark Joyce will be hoping for big weeks too. The winner in Riga, Yan Bingtao, and Yuan Sijun will lead the young home brigade in the second quarter this week.
Third Quarter
If we go by the world rankings then it is Mark Williams who is the main man in the third quarter of the draw but by virtue of the fact he has won this event twice, we could be forgiven for thinking that it is actually Mark Selby who is the top dog. He needs a big week to restore his confidence after a lean 2019 in terms of titles thus far. Dave Gilbert and Luca Brecel complete the quartet of players from inside the top 16 in this part of the event.
This isn’t actualy the strongest section outside of the top 16, but World Championship semi-finalist Gary Wilson stands out and a big week here will have him in among the elite in no time. Zhou Yuelong, Peter Ebdon and Mark King are other competent players but you would have to say this is the plum part of the draw from an open chance point of view.
Bottom Quarter
The world champion Judd Trump makes his first appearance since he won at the Crucible Theatre and he heads up the bottom quarter this week. He is joined in it by the man many claim is his rival in Kyren Wilson while his good friend Jack Lisowski is also in this part of the draw as well. Stephen Maguire is the last member of the top 16 in it and they could make for a decent latter stage of the event should they all progress.
They might not though as there are some capable ‘outsiders’ in this quarter. Joe Perry is the main one in terms of world ranking but Stuart Carrington went well in Latvia last weekend while Tom Ford and Martin Gould can be as dangerous as anyone on the circuit when they have a going day. Improvers such as Scott Donaldson and Hossein Vafaei could keep things interesting for the bigger names.
Betting
I’ll go with a man in each half of the draw this week and in the top half I’m siding with the defending champion Mark Allen. I wouldn’t normally take a man defending a title but Allen has successfully kept hold of a trophy in China in the past and it is all usually water off a duck’s back to the laid back Northern Irishman. Allen hasn’t been brilliant in 2019 but he loves this event. He won it last year and twice made the final before that. He goes off on his holidays and totally refreshes ahead of a new season and I fancy with a draw made to suit he’ll go well here. Ding Junhui and Barry Hawkins are dangers in the quarter but they are renowned bad starters to a season. Allen should have a decent week and 18/1 is more than fair.
Another man who made the final here in the past is Dave Gilbert and at 33/1 I’m happy to have a play on him this week. He is in that wide open third quarter of the draw where you can pick as many holes as you like in Mark Williams and Mark Selby in all fairness. Luca Brecel doesn’t pull up many more trees so the World Championship semi-finalist has to be a leading runner here. Gilbert goes well in China. He has made three finals in his career and two of them have been in the Asian nation. He’s probably never been better than he is now and he’s a clear bet for me.
Tips
Back M.Allen to win International Championship (e/w) for a 1.5/10 stake at 19.00 with Coral (1/2 1-2)
Back him here:
Back D.Gilbert to win International Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with BetVictor (1/2 1-2)
Back him here:
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