handicap betting<\/a><\/strong> of frames specifically designed to counter the likely frame margin a player possesses and the favourite is expected to win by.<\/p>\n\nHistory of the Cazoo UK Championship<\/h2>\n \n\n
\n The UK Championship started in 1977 and was held in Blackpool. The competition later moved to Preston until 1997, after which it was then hosted by Bournemouth for a few years until 2001, when it made its home the Barbican Centre in York.<\/p>\n\n
\n Patsy Fagan won the inaugural tournament in 1977<\/strong> by defeating Doug Mountjoy. Between 1984 and 1987, Steve Davis won four tournaments on the bounce. In 1993, Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan became the youngest winner of the UK Championship when he took the title at the age of 17 years and 358 days. Other famous wins included Trump in 2011, and in 2018 O\u2019Sullivan overtook Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry with his 7th triumph.<\/p>\n\n\n The first seven iterations of the snooker UK Championship up till 1983 weren\u2019t ranking events<\/strong>; moreover, only UK residents were permitted to enter the competition. In 1984, it became a ranking event open to all players. Before the International and the China Championship<\/strong><\/a> started, the UK Championship was the second-highest-ranking event in the world. In the 1980s and the early part of the 1990s, the Championship finals were contested over a best-of-31, first to 16. Compare that to the present, when the finals are fought over a best-of-19, first to 10 matchups.<\/p>\n\n\n All victories in the UK Championship were achieved by just four snooker players since 2012 \u2013 Robertson, Selby, Trump, <\/strong>and O\u2019Sullivan \u2013<\/strong> up until 2018. Zhao Xintong is the defending champion at the time of writing, with stiff competition coming from the previously mentioned winners, meaning that retaining his crown will surely be a mammoth task. O\u2019Sullivan currently leads the all-time rankings with seven wins, while Steve Davis follows with six and Stephen Hendry with five.<\/p>\n\nPast Winners of the Cazoo UK Championship<\/h2>\n \n\n