It's only available online via the BBC this tournament isn't it?

There's coverage on BBC Wales, Eurosport and online via BBC website, so hopefully most of us will have some sort of access.

Any views on the winner?

You know this is just going to be a thread for us two?

To be honest I don't even know who's in it. Weren't some of the first round/second round matches played this weekend? Think I'd seen that Carter had gone out.. correct me if I'm wrong?

Shaun Murphy possibly, maybe Selby if he continues with his form. I can never predict a winner. Maybe Robbo.

I know, RKW, but at least it'll be a highly intelligent thread then!!!


Carter is out, don't think any other major casualties. There's 8 matches left of the last 64 starting tomorrow - mostly the big guns, mixed in with those involving the top Welsh players.

To be honest, I don't know how close I'll be following it either, but I hope to catch the latter stages at least. There's a pretty impressive list of previous winners, maybe someone like Allen can add his name to it for what would be his first 'big' ranking title, and I reckon Higgins will want to bounce back from Masters disappointment.

P.S. from previous posts, you're quite good at predicting winners - I am the equivalent of QPR!!

And if nothing else, we can talk about the 6N, or darts or anything else!!!

True

You must remember more of my successful predictions than I do then, because I can't think of many!

What are the start times this week? I love coming home from training mid-afternoon to the snooker.

Maybe that's just a sign of how poor I am at predicting!!!

I think start times are at 1pm and 7pm. I'll be at work so will only be able to watch the evening sessions.

There's nothing on the BBC's snooker pages in regards to the tournament at the moment, and I don't like using the world snooker website.

Another reason why I don't like this tournament is the Welsh commentators put me off the last time I took any interest, that must have been 3/4 years ago now!

Were the commentators just poor, bias towards their own players or what? I remember watching a rugby match between Ulster and one of the Welsh clubs, and thought the Welsh commentators were unbelievably bias towards 'their' team, and listening to Jonathan Edwards yesterday against the French was unbearable at times - you thought he was coaching from the side.

I assume you don't have access to Eurosport?

Can't remember exactly just know that it wasn't the same as the usual BBC commentators.

I do have access to Eurosport but it's on the downstairs telly, which I rarely have access to if you know what I mean..

I will see if Cueball, Andy Spark and one or 2 others will join us here. If the forum stays nice and small and we get some good chat, all the better. If in time, a load of the old idiots return to destroy the place, I'll just be back to my own forum, so there's no loss in trying

Seifer - go for it. Me and kinsang have had decent discussion on my threads for the UK and Masters in the past so if we got more decent members on in time for the Worlds then that'd be great.

Appears to be only one sort of upset today, home favourite Day losing to Liang Wenbo. And yeah, the more good posters, the better.

Liang is underachieving... he has the talent to win one of the major 3 but it isnt materialising for some reason. When he first burst onto the scenes with 4 centuries and a 147 in a best of 9 I had him down for title contender within a few years.

He definitely should win a proper ranking event some day. Perhaps he needs to learn better shot selection and safety.. he seems to push the boat out too much, but that's why i love the guy.

I feel that Liang is one of a number of players who have great attacking abilities, but don't really have much tactical nous. So on a going day, they can reel off a number of frames in no time and look brilliant, but when they're not playing well, they don't really have a 'B' game to fall on.

Initially you put it down to experience, but there comes a point where you have to say, ok, are you actually learning anything about hard match play?

Sorry, it was 3 centuries and a 147. Ronnie made 4 and a 147. Liang wasn't far away from matching the feat though.

I agree, Kinsang... he needs a proper B game or he is going nowhere and that's a real shame.

D-day is looming large folks:

http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/188858

I see Higgins has been knocked out in the first upset of the day.

I must admit I've not watched anything of this tournament

RKW - me too!!! Just catching up from BBC website. With CL football today and tomorrow, it'll be Thursday at the earliest before I tune in.

What's with the best of 7 frames format? Everyone complained at the best of 9 for the UK and Masters now we have a major ranking event that starts with best of 7 matches?

I think the first few rounds of the Welsh Open has been best of 7 for a couple of years now, but I personally feel that any top ranking event shouldn't have a round less than best of 9.

On a slightly different note, I'm surprised Hearn hasn't thought of bringing back a doubles tournament, with all these different ideas he is trying.

I don't class best of 7s as proper rank events no matter what WS say. It's a joke.

Also, Hearn is really doing anything new. Any dimwit can reduce a format or make players start from R1. The rank system should have been sorted within the first month. And it still isn't.

Did you have any luck getting the other members over Seifer?