With the agreement of the Billiards Association and Control Council the World Snooker Championship

World Snooker Championship

The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...

was revived by Rex Williams

Rex Williams

Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...

 on a challenge basis after a six year absence in 1964. 1957 World Champion John Pulman

John Pulman

John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....

 played seven challenge matches against various opponents in the next five years, until the tournament reverted to a knock-out tournament

Single-elimination tournament

A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...

 in 1969.

Challenge matches

Year	Defending champion	Score	Challenger	Venue	Ref.
1964	John Pulman John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....	19–16	Fred Davis	Burroughes Hall, London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
1964	John Pulman John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....	40–33	Rex Williams Rex Williams Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...	Burroughes Hall, London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
1965	John Pulman John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....	37–36	Fred Davis	Burroughes Hall, London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
1965	John Pulman John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....	25–22The title was decided over a series of matches rather than frames.	Rex Williams Rex Williams Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...	South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
1965	John Pulman John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....	39–12	Fred Van Rensburg	South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
1966	John Pulman John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....	5–2	Fred Davis	St George's Hall, Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880... , England
1968	John Pulman John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....	39–34	Eddie Charlton Eddie Charlton Edward Francis Charlton AM was an Australian professional snooker and English billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title...	Co-operative Hall, Bolton Bolton Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the... , England

Records

In 1965, Rex Williams

Rex Williams

Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...

 made a break of 142 during his match against Pulman, breaking the tournament record of 136 set by Joe Davis

Joe Davis

Joe Davis, OBE was a British professional player of snooker and English billiards....

 in 1946. Although equalled by Bill Werbeniuk

Bill Werbeniuk

William Alexander "Bill" Werbeniuk was a Canadian professional snooker and pool player. Recognisable for his girth, he was nicknamed "Big Bill"...

 in 1979, this remained the highest break at the World Championship until Doug Mountjoy

Doug Mountjoy

Doug Mountjoy is a retired Welsh snooker player. Although he only won two ranking titles, he did so in successive tournaments in 1988/1989 – and while in his mid 40s. In more recent years he was the coach to the United Arab Emirates snooker association between 1997 and 1999.- Early life...

's 145 against Ray Reardon

Ray Reardon

Ray Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...

 in the semi-final of the 1981 tournament.