The Crucible Curse: What is it, what causes it & which players have fallen victim to it?

As Kyren Wilson becomes the latest player to unsuccessfully defend his maiden World Snooker Championship crown in Sheffield, we tell you all you need to know about the 'Crucible Curse'.

What is the Crucible Curse?

The Crucible Curse relates to the fact that no first time winner of the World Snooker Championship, since its switch to the Sheffield venue in 1977, has ever gone on to retain the title the following year.

Following Kyren Wilson's 10-9 first round defeat to Lei Peifan, there have now been 20 first time winners at the Crucible who have subsequently been unable to make a successful defence of the championship 12 months later.

12 months earlier, Luca Brecel another player to fall victim to the curse, landing the biggest prize the sport has to offer in 2023 before bowing out in the first round in 2024.

'The Belgian Bullet' became the first player from mainland Europe to be crowned world champion when he beat Mark Selby in the final, but fell at the first hurdle on his Sheffield return, squandering a three frame lead as he lost 10-9 to David Gilbert.

Even two of the sport's all-time greats, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry, have failed in their quests to end the hoodoo, with Hendry following up his 1990 triumph with a shock quarter-final elimination at the hands of Steve James the following year, before the Scotsman ended 'The Rocket's' hopes of backing up his 2002 triumph in 2003, inflicting a 17-13 defeat upon the Londoner in the last four.

"I was convinced that I was going to break the curse in 1991," Hendry said. "People thought that because I had won so many tournaments that there could have been a bit of fatigue, but I thought it was all a load of nonsense.

"I went on to lose against Steve James at around 10pm and I was devastated - I asked my driver to take me back up to Scotland that night, and didn't say a word in the car for four hours; the whole journey.

"I sulked in my apartment for a whole week, didn't speak to anybody and didn't watch a minute of the World Championship, I was gutted. I was utterly convinced that I'd be the player to end it."

Players to have fallen victim to the Crucible Curse

The 20 first-time world champions listed below all succumbed to the 'Crucible Curse' after failing to successfully defend their title at the following year's World Snooker Championship.

• 1979 Champion - Terry Griffiths (1980 - Lost in R2)
• 1980 Champion - Cliff Thorburn (1981 - Lost in SF)
• 1981 Champion - Steve Davis (1982 - Lost in R1)
• 1985 Champion - Dennis Taylor (1986 - Lost in R1)
• 1986 Champion - Joe Johnson (1987 - Lost in Final)
• 1990 Champion - Stephen Hendry (1991 - Lost in QF)
• 1991 Champion - John Parrott (1992 - Lost in QF)
• 1997 Champion - Ken Doherty (1998 - Lost in Final)
• 1998 Champion - John Higgins (1999 - Lost in SF)
• 2000 Champion - Mark Williams (2001 - Lost in R2)
• 2001 Champion - Ronnie O'Sullivan (2002 - Lost in SF)
• 2002 Champion - Peter Ebdon (2003 - Lost in QF)
• 2005 Champion - Shaun Murphy (2006 - Lost in QF)
• 2006 Champion - Graham Dott (2007 - Lost in R1)
• 2010 Champion - Neil Robertson (2011 - Lost in R1)
• 2014 Champion - Mark Selby (2015 - Lost in R2)
• 2015 Champion - Stuart Bingham (2016 - Lost in R1)
• 2019 Champion - Judd Trump (2020 - Lost in QF)
• 2023 Champion - Luca Brecel (2024 - Lost in R1)
• 2024 Champion - Kyren Wilson (2025 - Lost in R1)

What causes the Crucible Curse?

There's no real logical explanation for the Crucible Curse, with the origins of it being traced back to the idea that the unique pressure and atmosphere of the Crucible, together with the pressure of being the defending champion, has negatively affected the players.

Some of the sport's greatest talents, including the previously mentioned O'Sullivan and Hendry, have experienced unexpected early exits or poor performances at the Crucible, suggesting a possible psychological barrier or a "curse" that has served to haunt them during the WST's annual showpiece.

The curse has become a talking point in snooker commentary and analysis, with fans and pundits often debating whether it truly exists or is merely a narrative created by the unpredictable nature of elite-level sport.