The Malta Cup will get under way at the weekend at the Portomaso Hilton, As from today, we will be carrying profiles of the top players taking part in the tournament.
Today we are profiling Stephen Hendry, Shaun Murphy and Stephen Maguire
Stephen Hendry (Scotland)
World ranking: 2
Last five seasons: 3-2-6-5-3
Date of birth: 13-01-69
Lives: Auchterarder, Perthshire
Turned professional: 1985
Ranking tournament victories: 36 - Grand Prix 1987, 1990, 1991, 1995; British Open 1988, 1991, 1999, 2003; Asian Open 1989, 1990; Dubai Duty Free Classic 1989, 1990, 1993; UK Championship 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996; Embassy World Championship 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999; Regal Welsh 1992, 1997, 2003; International 1993; Regal Scottish 1997, 1999; European Open 1993 (Dec), 1994, 2001; Thailand Masters 1998; Malta Cup 2005
Last season's prize money: £165,350
Career prize money (up to start of 2005/06 season): £8,007,635
Highest tournament break: 147 - eight times
Stephen Hendry's desire to retain his reputation as one of snooker's leading players continues to burn.
A slow start to the 2004/05 season reached a nadir at the Travis Perkins UK Championship when he lost his opening match 9-7 to Barry Hawkins. Hendry committed himself to relentless practice over the following months, admitting that he even practised over the Christmas period and on his birthday.
The results began to show at the Welsh Open in January when he lost 9-8 to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final, then he went one better at the Malta Cup in February at the palatial Hilton Conference Centre.
Hendry edged out fellow Scot Graeme Dott 9-7 in an exciting final, clearing the last three colours for victory after Dott had missed a straight-forward blue which would have made it 8-8.
He came close to an overseas double by reaching the final of the China Open in Beijing in March but was denied the trophy by a scintilating performance from local whizzkid Ding Junhui, the teenager winning 9-5.
Hendry's World Championship campaign ended in disappointment when he lost 13-11 to Matthew Stevens in the quarter-finals at Sheffield.
He started the current season by reaching the final of the Northern Ireland Trophy, losing to Matthew Stevens.
The Crucible has been the scene of most of Hendry's greatest triumphs. He became the youngest world champion in 1990 and captured his seventh title in 1999 - surpassing the modern record set by Ray Reardon and Steve Davis.
Undeniably the greatest player of all time, Hendry was No 1 on the ranking list for eight years.
He has made nearly 700 century breaks and earned over £8million in prize money. In 1994 he was made an MBE by the Queen, and twice he has been voted BBC Scotland's Sports Personality of the Year.
Hendry and wife Mandy have two sons – eldest Blaine is already a keen snooker player and has won a beginners' tournament.
The Hearts fan's favourite hobby away from snooker is golf and he plays to a single figure handicap at Gleneagles. Hendry is also a keen poker player and his favourite bands include U2 and Suede.
Shaun Murphy (England)
World ranking: 21
Last five seasons: 48-64-72-169-151
Date of birth: 10-08-82
Lives: Rotherham
Turned professional: June, 1997
Ranking event victories: One – Embassy World Championship 2005
Last season's prize money: £269,725
Career prize money (up to start of 2005/06 season): £404,920
Highest tournament break: 147 Benson and Hedges Championship 2001
Shaun Murphy made snooker history last season as he amazed millions of viewers around the globe by winning the Embassy World Championship.
He became the first qualifier to win the sport's biggest prize since Terry Griffiths in 1979 and the lowest ranked player to take the title. Aged 22, he was also the second youngest winner of the event after Stephen Hendry who was 21 in 1990.
It was a remarkable triumph for a player rated 125/1 by bookmakers before the event – reminiscent of the 1986 against-the-odds victory of Joe Johnson, who coincidentally coached Murphy earlier in his career.
The Rotherham-based player, originally from Northamptonshire, had never previously reached the final of a ranking tournament or even won a match at the Crucible. But the supreme talent which was recognised in his formative years blossomed in emphatic fashion.
Earlier in the season, Murphy gave a glimpse of his potential with a run to the semi-finals of the British Open in Brighton. He knocked out Ian McCulloch, Paul Hunter, Michael Holt and Barry Hawkins before losing to Higgins.
One of the first six World Snooker Young Players of Distinction, Murphy made a major impact during the 2000/2001 season and earned the World Snooker Newcomer of the Year and YPD of the Year awards.
He won the B&H Snooker Championship, overcoming Stuart Bingham 9-7 in the final, to earn a wild-card entry to the Masters. He thrashed Marco Fu 6-1 in the first round at Wembley Conference Centre and then led Hendry 4-1 before losing 6-4.
Murphy qualified for the Crucible in 2002 and 2003, losing 10-9 to Ken Doherty after an epic match in his second appearance.
Away from the table, Murphy is a fanatical golfer and plays to a single figure handicap. He enjoys music and is an accomplished piano player.
Stephen Maguire (Scotland)
World ranking: 3
Last five seasons: 24-41-52-52-100
Date of birth: 13-03-81
Lives: Milton, Glasgow
Turned professional: 1998
Ranking tournament victories: two – European Open 2004; Travis Perkins UK Championship 2004
Last season's prize money: £121,475
Career prize money (up to start of 2005/06 season): £316,020
Highest tournament break: 147 – Regal Scottish 2000
Stephen Maguire continued to develop his reputation as one of snooker's most promising talents with a superb 2004/05 campaign.
The highlight of his career came at the Travis Perkins UK Championship when he annihilated the opposition at the Barbican Centre in York in November to win the sport's second most prestigious ranking title.
He opened with a highly impressive 9-6 defeat of Ronnie O'Sullivan, which prompted the Rocket to suggest that the young Scot could "rule the game for the next ten years."
He paid tribute to his family, particularly his grandparents who, years previously, had knocked down a wall in their Glasgow flat in order to instore a snooker table and allow him to develop his talent.
Earlier that month, Maguire had reached the final of the British Open in Brighton, and set a new world record in the process. He made three consecutive centuries to complete his quarter-final win over Anthony Hamilton then started his next match against O'Sullivan with two more tons to become the first player ever to compile five centuries on the spin.
He blitzed O'Sullivan 6-1 in the semis but was on the wrong end of an excellent performance from John Higgins in the final and succumbed
9-6.
Maguire finished the season at the Embassy World Championship with yet another meeting with O'Sullivan. He had a gilt edged chance to knock out the defending champion but missed a black off its spot when clearing up to win 10-7 and eventually went down 10-9.
In Malta in March 2004, Maguire took his first ranking title at the European Open when he beat Jimmy White 9-3 in the final after winning the first six frames.
His outstanding displays over the past two seasons have allowed him to fly up to No 3 in the world rankings.
A former British under-16 champion, Maguire won the 2000 IBSF World Championship when he beat Luke Fisher in the final.