World Snooker Championship 2026

Day Eleven

Morning session - 10am

Zhao Xintong (1) 3-5 Shaun Murphy (8)

Barry Hawkins (11) 5-3 Mark Allen (14)

Afternoon session - 2.30pm

Neil Robertson (4) 5-3 John Higgins (5)
(Resumes Wednesday at 10am)

Wu Yize (10) 4-4 Hossein Vafaei
(Resumes Wednesday at 2.30pm)

Evening session - 7pm

Zhao Xintong (1) 8-8 Shaun Murphy (8)
(Resumes Wednesday at 2.30pm)

Barry Hawkins (11) 8-8 Mark Allen (14)
(Resumes Wednesday at 10am)

2 Englishmen, 2 Chinamen, a Scotsman, a Northern Irish man, an Australian and an Iranian.

Shame that the 2 Englishmen are Hawkins and Tubbs

I seem to remember that on break off Mark Williams and few others used to hit the reds using the top end of the table. But I've not seen it used this Championship.

Has it been outlawed?

No, it hasn't been outlawed. It's just that no snooker player has the inclination to do it anymore.

Mark Williams started doing it to avoid leaving a red on his break off shot. I saw Ronnie try it a couple of times. But I was watching Vafaei v Judd yesterday, and the commentator said that containing shots give your opponent the advantage as they get the chance to get you into trouble, and I think that's why people don't do it anymore. They don't want their opponent to gain the initiative from it.

Quinten Hann was the break off master.

Amazed that Vafaei got it finished, because on paper he should have been pulped with a session to spare. Maybe he doesn't read those sorts of papers?

Interesting the top half of the draw has gone with to form, and the bottom hasn't at all - very open and one of them will be in the final.

The Wu-Vafaei match is as expected providing the drama and intrigue. Whereas Robbo-Higgins went so long they delayed the evening session!

Day Twelve

Morning session - 10am

Neil Robertson (4) 9-7 John Higgins (5)
(Resumes at 7pm)

RESULT
Mark Allen (14) bt Barry Hawkins (11)
13-11

Afternoon session - 2.30pm

RESULT
Shaun Murphy (8) bt Zhao Xintong (1)
13-10

Wu Yize (10) 10-6 Hossein Vafaei
(Resumes at 7pm)

Evening session - 7pm

RESULTS
John Higgins (5) bt Neil Robertson (4)
13-10

Wu Yize (10) bt Hossein Vafaei 13-8

Yay for Triangle Face!

I have Mark Allen in a sweepstake at work. The match against Hawkins was a classic tale of the close frames being won by Allen while Hawkins was the heavier scorer. Barry had 12 breaks over 50 to Allen's 9 but still lost. It's the tight, scrappy frames that make the difference particularly at The Crucible and it was Allen that held his nerve better in those.
I fully expect the same pattern to play out in the semi finals and final.
Stephen Hendry will bang on about winning frames in one visit but the psychological high impact frames are the tight, scrappy ones.
If and when matches go close it will be those tight frames that will bring home the bacon imo.

This match I believe was the Golden Ticket to a possible World Title for either man. Hawkins blew his chance.
Allen now must ensure he doesn't follow suit in the semi final. Opportunity knocks.