# 2021 World Snooker Championship
The 2021 [World Snooker Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-snooker-championship), officially the 2021 Betfred World Snooker Championship for its sponsor, was a professional snooker tournament held from 17 April to 3 May 2021 at the [Crucible Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/crucible-theatre) in [Sheffield](https://www.edgepedia.org/sheffield), England, won by Mark Selby, who beat Shaun Murphy 18-15 in the final to claim his fourth world title.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56690896) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-world-championship-b1841529.html) The event was the climax of the 2020-21 season and was broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, the Red Button, and the iPlayer and BBC Sport online services.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56690896) • [3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56785883)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates and venue | 17 April to 3 May 2021, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56690896) |
| Champion | Mark Selby, beating Shaun Murphy 18-15 in the final for a fourth Crucible title[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-world-championship-b1841529.html) |
| Runner-up | Shaun Murphy, the 2005 champion, in his first world final since then[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-world-championship-b1841529.html) |
| Prize money | Winner £500,000; runner-up £200,000; total fund £2,395,000[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/world-championship-prize-money-winner-selby-murphy-b1841388.html) |
| Highest break | 144 by Shaun Murphy, against Yan Bingtao, earning £15,000[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/world-championship-prize-money-winner-selby-murphy-b1841388.html) |
| Semi-finalists | Stuart Bingham, beaten 17-15 by Selby, and Kyren Wilson, beaten 17-12 by Murphy[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/01/world-snooker-championship-semi-finals) |
| Crowds | Limited spectators under a UK government pilot; the final day was played before a full house, the first capacity crowd at a UK sporting event in over a year[6](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56970929) |
## The final
Selby and Murphy, two former champions with a rivalry reaching back to their amateur days, met over the best-of-35-frame final on Sunday and Monday, 2 and 3 May.[7](https://snookerhq.com/2021/05/02/world-snooker-championship-final-mark-selby-shaun-murphy/) Murphy, who had promised to entertain after reaching the final in free-scoring form, won the first two frames and led 5-3 after the opening afternoon session.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-world-championship-b1841529.html)
**Selby's second-session fightback** turned the match. Trailing 5-3, he made breaks of 85, 67, 86, and 90 in the evening session to lead 10-7 overnight, winning six of seven frames at one stage.[8](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56964742) He carried a 14-11 advantage into the final session and closed the match 18-15, finishing with breaks of 66, 68, and 120 after Murphy had mounted a fightback.[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-leicester-sheffield-mark-b2331372.html) The final produced only five centuries, and the contest was defined by the contrast of styles between Selby's measured, tactical game and Murphy's attacking approach.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-world-championship-b1841529.html)
The victory made the 37-year-old Selby, nicknamed the "Jester from Leicester", a four-time world champion, level with [John Higgins](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-higgins) on the all-time list and three behind [Stephen Hendry](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-hendry)'s record of seven.[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-leicester-sheffield-mark-b2331372.html) It was also his seventeenth win in eighteen major finals since his first world title in 2014.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-world-championship-b1841529.html) Selby collected £500,000, and said after the match that he aimed to reclaim the world number one ranking from [Judd Trump](https://www.edgepedia.org/judd-trump).[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/world-championship-prize-money-winner-selby-murphy-b1841388.html) • [10](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-selby-world-championship-b1841862.html)
## Selby's route and the semi-finals
Selby reached the final by beating [Stuart Bingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/stuart-bingham), the 2015 champion who had come through qualifying, 17-15 in a marathon semi-final.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/01/world-snooker-championship-semi-finals) He had been warned for slow play during the match, and Bingham afterward accused him of gamesmanship, citing a shot that took three minutes and Selby's celebration before the match ball was secure.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/01/world-snooker-championship-semi-finals) With Selby leading 16-15 as the session ran past six o'clock, the players were taken off so Murphy and Wilson could begin, the first time in the tournament's history that a semi-final was interrupted.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/01/world-snooker-championship-semi-finals)
In the other semi-final, Murphy swept aside [Kyren Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyren-wilson) 17-12, having earlier reeled off seven straight frames to close that match, and shrugged off criticism of what some called theatrical celebrations.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/01/world-snooker-championship-semi-finals) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-world-championship-b1841529.html) Selby had lost only 11 frames across his first three matches of the tournament.[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/world-championship-prize-money-winner-selby-murphy-b1841388.html)
## Defending champion and early rounds
[Ronnie O'Sullivan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronnie-osullivan) entered the tournament as defending champion, having won his sixth world title in 2020 by beating Kyren Wilson 18-8 in the final.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56690896) He began the defense with a 10-4 first-round win over Mark Joyce in a match that also marked the return of fans to UK sporting events for the first time in 2021.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56785883) Before the first round, O'Sullivan reported being harassed by a spectator at the venue.[11](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56789497)
## Crowds and the pandemic
The championship was staged while COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom were easing, and it formed part of the government's Events Research Programme pilot for the return of crowds.[8](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56964742) Capacity increased through the event, with the final scheduled for a full house.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56690896) In practice, about 600 fans attended each of Sunday's final sessions against the Crucible's 980 capacity, which organizers attributed to hesitancy about indoor events and limits on travel and accommodation; Sunday's crowd was still the biggest at a snooker event since March 2020.[8](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56964742) Monday's concluding sessions sold out, making the final day the first capacity crowd at a UK sporting event in more than a year.[6](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56970929) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-leicester-sheffield-mark-b2331372.html)
## Prize money
A total of £2,395,000 was on offer, split as follows: £500,000 to the winner, £200,000 to the runner-up, £100,000 apiece for reaching the semi-finals, £50,000 for making the quarter-finals, £30,000 for the last 16, £20,000 for the last 32, £15,000 for the last 48, £10,000 for the last 80, £5,000 for the last 112, and £15,000 for the highest break.[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/world-championship-prize-money-winner-selby-murphy-b1841388.html) Murphy's 144 total clearance against Yan Bingtao took the highest-break prize.[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/world-championship-prize-money-winner-selby-murphy-b1841388.html)
## References
1. [World Snooker Championship 2021: BBC coverage schedule, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56690896)
2. [Mark Selby imperious to see off Shaun Murphy and win fourth World Snooker Championship, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-world-championship-b1841529.html)
3. [World Snooker Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Mark Joyce as fans return to Crucible, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56785883)
4. [World Snooker Championship prize money: How much will Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby win?, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/world-championship-prize-money-winner-selby-murphy-b1841388.html)
5. [Mark Selby accused of gamesmanship but faces Shaun Murphy in final, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/01/world-snooker-championship-semi-finals)
6. [World Snooker Championship: Crucible final first capacity crowd for over a year, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56970929)
7. [World Snooker Championship Final: Mark Selby vs Shaun Murphy, SnookerHQ.com](https://snookerhq.com/2021/05/02/world-snooker-championship-final-mark-selby-shaun-murphy/)
8. [World Snooker Championship: Mark Selby delivers vintage display to lead Shaun Murphy, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56964742)
9. [On This Day in 2021 – Mark Selby beats Shaun Murphy to clinch fourth world title, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/mark-selby-shaun-murphy-leicester-sheffield-mark-b2331372.html)
10. [Mark Selby ready to shrug off the doubters after securing fourth World Snooker Championship, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/snooker/mark-selby-world-championship-b1841862.html)
11. [Ronnie O'Sullivan 'harassed' by fan at World Snooker Championship before first-round win, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/56789497)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Other individual sports and outdoor recreation › Cue sports (billiards, snooker, darts) › Snooker › Snooker tournaments and seasons › World Snooker Championship editions*
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