The 2020 Championship League (2) (also known as the Matchroom Multi Sport Championship League Snooker 2020) is a professional ranking snooker tournament taking place from 13 September to 30 October 2020 in the Ballroom at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England.[1][2] The event features 120 players from the World Snooker Tour as well as eight players from the 2020 Q School Order of Merit. It features three rounds of round-robin groups of four, before a best-of-five final. The initial group stage matches are played between 13 September and 5 October, with the group winners' stage played between 26 and 29 October, before stage three and the final take place on 30 October. It is the 15th edition of the Championship League.
The tournament is a ranking tournament for the first time, taking place as the first ranking event of the 2020–21 snooker season.
Ryan Day made the second maximum break of his career in the final frame of his match against Rod Lawler.
Tournament format
There are 128 players taking part in the event. The competition begins with 32 rounds of group matches with each group consisting of four players.[3] Two groups are played to a finish every day during two blocks of eight days, from 13 to 20 September and from 28 September to 5 October, using a two-table setup in the arena. The groups are contested using a round-robin format, with six matches played in each group. All matches in group play are played as best-of-four frames, with three points awarded for a win and one point for a draw. Group positions are determined by points scored, frame difference and then head-to-head results between players who are tied. Places that were still tied are then determined by the highest break made in the group.
The 32 players that top the group tables qualify for the group winners' stage, consisting of eight groups of four players. Two groups will be played to a finish every day from 26 to 29 October, again using two tables. The eight winners from the group winners' stage will qualify for the two final groups played on 30 October, before the final takes place later on the same day. The winner takes the Championship League title and a place at the 2020 Champion of Champions.
Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for the tournament is shown below.[1]
Stage One
Winner: £3,000
Runner-up: £2,000
Third place: £1,000
Fourth place: £0
Stage Two
Winner: £4,000
Runner-up: £3,000
Third place: £2,000
Fourth place: £1,000
Stage Three
Winner: £6,000
Runner-up: £4,000
Third place: £2,000
Fourth place: £1,000
Final
Winner: £20,000
Runner-up: £10,000
Tournament total: £328,000
Main draw
Stage One
Stage One consists of 32 groups, each containing four players. Two groups will play to a finish each day from 13 to 20 September, and then from 28 September to 5 October.[4]
Stage Three will consist of two groups, each containing four players. The groups will play to a finish on 30 October, with the two group winners advancing to the final.[7]
Ryan Day (WAL) (147)
Barry Hawkins
Gerard Greene
Hossein Vafaei
Xu Si
Graeme Dott