2023 World Snooker Championship: Former champion heads David Caulfield’s shortlist

The 2023 World Snooker Championship commences on Saturday, with the sport's blue-riband tournament back at the Crucible Theatre for the 47th time.

As per the norm, the top 16 seeds from the world rankings list have been paired with the 16 qualifiers who fought their way through the preliminary competition earlier this week in Sheffield.

It will take 17 days to determine this year's champion in what is commonly referred to as snooker's ultimate test - the ‘Marathon of the Mind’.

Do the Jester and Magician hold the aces?

It has been an unpredictable 2022/23 snooker season in many respects, with several shock winners and a lot of the marquee names suffering from dips in form. But two English former world champions have been consistently producing in recent months and sit among the favourites for the crown again. 

Mark Selby, who is currently second favourite at 7, backed up his triumph in the English Open with another win at the WST Classic last month. While Shaun Murphy (9.6) secured a quick-fire double success in the Players and Tour Championships courtesy of some scintillating snooker.

Both the Jester and the Magician should challenge for the £500,000 top prize and, as they lie on opposite sides of the draw, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the duo set up a repeat of their 2021 final against one another.

Elsewhere, defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is the 6 tournament favourite, but the Rocket has not looked sharp on the baize during 2023 so far.

Bidding for a record eighth world title in the modern era, O'Sullivan is also in a difficult section of the draw that includes WST Classic runner-up and last-32 opponent Pang Junxu, former world number one Ding Junhui, and Iran's Hossein Vafaei.

Meanwhile, if Murphy has represented the player of the second half of the season, let's not forget who dominated the first half - Mark Allen. The Northern Irishman emerged with three ranking titles in quick succession between October and January and is 16.5 to claim a maiden world crown this year, albeit he has only once reached the semi-finals in Sheffield.

Beware of the sleeping giants

Judd Trump (8.6) may have won the prestigious Masters, but it hasn't been a good season for the Bristol man. And it's been even worse for fellow former world champions Neil Robertson, John Higgins, and Mark Williams. It would be foolish to write them off completely and one strong Crucible performance could yet spark a timely return to form.

Trump, however, meets Anthony McGill (55) in round one, which represents arguably the worst draw that he could have received with the Scot rating one of the obvious outside tips for the title.

It will also be intriguing to see how Ali Carter fares, a two-time former finalist who looks good value at 42 after acquiring a fifth ranking title as recently as February. The Captain is arguably the most in-form player in his quarter of the draw and first entertains Jak Jones, one of five debutants in the 2023 World Snooker Championship.

2023 World Snooker Championship Outright Predictions

Mark Selby to win @ 7
Ali Carter to win @ 42