Crucible curse

The "Crucible curse" (also known as "The curse of the Crucible" or sometimes the "Crucible jinx") is a quip in professional snooker, referring to the fact that no first-time winner of the World Snooker Championship has retained the title since the tournament moved to Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 1977. Beginning with the 1979 champion Terry Griffiths, who lost in the second round of the 1980 event, 18 first-time world champions have failed to defend their titles. Most recently, the 2019 champion Judd Trump lost in the quarter-finals of the 2020 event. The current champion, Luca Brecel, a first-time winner in 2023, is expected to defend his title at the 2024 event.

Several world champions successfully defended their first title in the pre-Crucible era; the last to do so was John Pulman in 1964.

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