1999 World Snooker Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 17 April – 3 May 1999 |
| Venue | Crucible Theatre |
| City | Sheffield |
| Country | England |
| Organisation | WPBSA |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £1,400,000 |
| Winner's share | £230,000 |
| Highest break | John Higgins (SCO) (142) |
| Final | |
| Champion | Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
| Runner-up | Mark Williams (WAL) |
| Score | 18–11 |
← 1998 2000 → | |
The 1999 World Snooker Championship (officially the 1999 Embassy World Snooker Championship) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 17 April to 3 May 1999 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, the 22nd consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship was staged at the venue. Sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy, the tournament was the ninth and final ranking event of the 1998–99 season. The winner received £230,000 from a total prize fund of £1,400,000.
The top 16 players from the snooker world rankings were seeded through to the main stage at the Crucible. They were joined by the 16 successful players from the qualifying rounds, which took place from 3 January to 20 March at the Newport Centre in Newport, Wales.
John Higgins was the defending champion, having defeated Ken Doherty 18–12 in the final of the 1998 World Championship to win his maiden world title. He was eliminated in the semi-finals by Mark Williams, becoming the ninth player to experience the so-called Crucible curse, referring to the fact that no first-time champion had retained the title since the tournament moved to the Crucible in 1977. Stephen Hendry defeated Williams 18–11 in the final to win a record-breaking seventh world title. Hendry became the most successful player in the modern era, superseding Ray Reardon and Steve Davis, who had won the tournament six times each. The main stage of the tournament produced 53 century breaks, of which the highest was a 142 compiled by Higgins.