The event dates back to 1927 when Joe Davis beat Tom Dennis in the final. He had bought the famous trophy with half of the entry funds, leaving him with the sum of £6 and 10s...a far cry from today's top prize of £250,000.
Since 1977, the tournament has been held at the renowned Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, which has established itself as the home of the event and will continue to stage it until at least 2015.
Lasting 17 days, it's one of the longest events in sport. The drama and tension build to a thrilling climax with the best-of-35 frame final.
Since 2009, the tournament has been sponsored by leading bookmaker Betfred.com
Here's a list of former winners:
1927 - Joe Davis
1928 - Joe Davis
1929 - Joe Davis
1930 - Joe Davis
1931 - Joe Davis
1932 - Joe Davis
1933 - Joe Davis
1934 - Joe Davis
1935 - Joe Davis
1936 - Joe Davis
1937 - Joe Davis
1938 - Joe Davis
1939 - Joe Davis
1940 - Joe Davis
(1941-45: No tournament held)
1946 - Joe Davis
1947 - Walter Donaldson
1948 - Fred Davis
1949 - Fred Davis
1950 - Walter Donaldson
1951 - Fred Davis
1952 - Fred Davis
1953 - Fred Davis
1954 - Fred Davis
1955 - Fred Davis
1956 - Fred Davis
1957 - John Pulman
(1958-63: No tournament held)
1964 - John Pulman
1965 - John Pulman
1966 - John Pulman
(1967: No tournament held)
1968 - John Pulman
1969 - John Spencer
1970 - Ray Reardon
1971 - John Spencer
1972 - Alex Higgins
1973 - Ray Reardon
1974 - Ray Reardon
1975 - Ray Reardon
1976 - Ray Reardon
The Crucible
1977 - John Spencer
1978 - Ray Reardon
1979 - Terry Griffiths
1980 - Cliff Thorburn
1981 - Steve Davis
1982 - Alex Higgins
1983 - Steve Davis
1984 - Steve Davis
1985 - Dennis Taylor
1986 - Joe Johnson
1987 - Steve Davis
1988 - Steve Davis
1989 - Steve Davis
1990 - Stephen Hendry
1991 - John Parrott
1992 - Stephen Hendry
1993 - Stephen Hendry
1994 - Stephen Hendry
1995 - Stephen Hendry
1996 - Stephen Hendry
1997 - Ken Doherty
1998 - John Higgins
1999 - Stephen Hendry
2000 - Mark Williams
2001 - Ronnie O'Sullivan
2002 - Peter Ebdon
2003 - Mark Williams
2004 - Ronnie O'Sullivan
2005 - Shaun Murphy
2006 - Graeme Dott
2007 - John Higgins
2008 - Ronnie O'Sullivan
2009 - John Higgins
2010 - Neil Robertson
