From the Crucible to the ancient capital: snooker's world elite head east for Nanjing showpiece
Defending champion Wu Yize and world number one Zhao Xintong lead a star-studded field as the International Championship returns to China - with more than a few of the field feeling right at home, writes the snooker desk.
Snooker's travelling band of brothers pitched up in China this weekend - and for a large slice of the field it will feel less like a trip abroad and more like a reunion of Sheffield's adopted sons.
The 2026 World Snooker Tour International Championship got under way at the Nanjing South New Town National Fitness Centre, running until November 7, with 71 of the world's finest cueists battling over eight days for a first prize of £175,000 from a total pot of £825,000.
First staged in China in 2012, the International Championship was the highest-level championship the sport had ever taken beyond British shores, and it remains one of the most prestigious events on the circuit. This year's renewal, the 12th, is the third in succession to be hosted by Nanjing, the celebrated "ancient capital of six dynasties".
A glittering welcome dinner at the Radisson hotel in the city's South New Town district on Friday evening set the tone. Defending champion Wu Yize — the first world champion born this millennium — led out a formidable home contingent that includes world number one Zhao Xintong, Asia's first Crucible king, alongside Zhou Yuelong, Zhang Anda, Si Jiahui, Yuan Sijun, Lei Peifan and Chang Bingyu.
Crucible royalty has made the journey too. Judd Trump, John Higgins, Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby were among the star names paraded before guests, with players, dignitaries and sponsors treated to a dazzling backdrop of the Nanjing skyline.
The ties that bind this tournament to Sheffield run deep. The Steel City has been home of the World Championship at the Crucible since 1977, and for just as long it has doubled as a second home for the sport's finest. Ding Junhui famously made Sheffield his base as a teenager, and a remarkable number of the new Chinese generation now live and train here between tournaments, honing their games in the city's academies before starring on tables from the Crucible to China.
WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson told the gathering: "The International Championship has become one of the most important events on the World Snooker Tour calendar, with a rich history of classic matches and great champions. Nanjing, with its rich cultural heritage, vibrant atmosphere and first-class facilities, provides a superb stage for world-class sport."
Qin Jihong, secretary-general of the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association, said the city had witnessed "the growth and glory of Chinese players such as Ding Junhui and Wu Yize", adding: "After three years, the tournament and the city have made each other shine. Snooker has become a calling card through which Nanjing presents itself to the world."
Wang Luofeng, deputy head of Nanjing's Qinhuai district government, described the event as "a distinctive international sporting emblem for Qinhuai, and a vital window through which we present the charm of Qinhuai and the spirit of Nanjing to the world", urging the players to "enjoy the competition and produce more brilliant performances".
The evening concluded with six dignitaries joining Wu on stage to formally launch the tournament, which is organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association, with the backing of the Nanjing municipal sports bureau and the Qinhuai district authorities.
For readers in these parts, there is an extra frisson. Events like this have become a living bridge of sporting and cultural exchange between Britain and China, carrying the spirit of the Crucible to new audiences thousands of miles from S1.
Eight days, 71 players, one champion — and, as ever, a little piece of Sheffield on the other side of the world.