Defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will go for an eighth world title — unprecedented in the modern era — during the 2023 World Snooker Championship.

This year’s edition of snooker’s most prestigious and lucrative event — featuring a total prize fund of nearly £2.4 million — is being labelled as one of the most open ever due to an unpredictable season that has seen several top stars not win a ranking title.

Once described by commentator Clive Everton as a ‘marathon of the mind’, the final stages of the tournament initially features 32 players — 16 seeds and 16 qualifiers in round one.

WATCH: World Snooker Championship live on DAZN in the United States

2023 World Snooker Championship scores

The second-round matches will be played over three sessions, as they’re best-of-25 frames. This round began on Thursday 20 April.

*after first session / **after second session

2023 World Snooker Championship first round results

First-round matches were the best-of-19 frames, so the first player to win 10 frames won the match.

In the first round, each player who made it through the qualifying competition was drawn against one of the top 16 seeds, so no seeded players could be drawn against each other.

The first round took place between April 15-20.

Seeded players are on the left with their seeding. Players on the right are randomly drawn qualifiers.

*After Session 1

What is the highest break in the 2023 World Snooker Championship?

Kyren Wilson created a bit of Crucible Theatre history when he made a 147 maximum break during his opening round match against Ryan Day.

It is only the 13th time a 147 has been constructed at the venue, and Wilson is the ninth different person to do so. It is his fourth in professional competition.

The Englishman completed perfection in frame five and put himself in line for a £40,000 bonus, plus another £15,000 for the tournament’s highest break – provided it is not equalled by someone else during the Championship.

The moment @KyrenWilson became the ninth player to make a Crucible 147 🤩#CazooWorldChampionship | @CazooUK pic.twitter.com/t59yQoqHjt

— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) April 19, 2023

Where is the 2023 World Snooker Championship held?

One of the most iconic arenas in world sport, the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England is the host venue for the 2023 World Snooker Championship.

Used as a traditional theatre for the majority of the year, the Crucible is best known for and synonymous with snooker’s blue-riband professional event.

Every year since it was first held there in 1977, a champion has been crowned in South Yorkshire, including 2020 and 2021 when the event was played either behind closed doors or with limited capacities due to the coronavirus pandemic.

How to watch the 2023 World Snooker Championship