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The [[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]] (WPBSA), the governing body for professional [[snooker]], first introduced a ranking system for professional players in 1976, with the aim of [[seed (sports)|seeding]] players for the [[World Snooker Championship]]. The reigning champion would be automatically seeded first, the losing finalist from the previous year seeded second, and the other seedings based on the ranking list. Initially the rankings were based on performances in the preceding three world championships.{{sfn|Morrison|1987|p=107}}
[[File:Steve Davis at Sports Club Turku, Finland.jpg|thumb|alt=A man playing snooker|Steve Davis ''(pictured in 2008)'' retained his place at the top of the rankings.]]
After theThe [[1982 World Professional Billiards and Snooker ChampionshipAssociation]] (WPBSA), twothe othergoverning tournamentsbody –for theprofessional [[Internationalsnooker]], Openfirst introduced a ranking system for professional players in 1976, with the aim of [[seed (snookersports)|Internationalseeding]] Openplayers for the [[World Snooker Championship]]. The reigning champion would be automatically seeded first, the losing finalist from the previous year seeded second, and the other seedings based on the ranking list. Initially the rankings were based on performances in the preceding three world championships.{{sfn|Morrison|1987|p=107}}
After the [[Professional1982 PlayersWorld TournamentSnooker Championship]], –two other tournaments which were open to all members of the WPBSA – the [[International Open (snooker)|International Open]] and the [[Professional Players Tournament]] – carried ranking points. Points for world championship finishes from [[1983 World Snooker Championship|1983]] became worth double the previous tariff, with ten points for the winner, eight for the runner up, and so on.{{sfn|Everton|1985|pp=14–15}} In the [[1983–84 snooker season|1983/841984 snooker season]], the [[Classic (snooker)|Lada Classic]] was added as a ranking tournament.{{sfn|Everton|1985|pp=14–15}} The UK Championship and Dulux British Open were added for to the ranking list with effect from the [[1984–85 snooker season|1984–851984/1985 season]], which meant that performances in those events were taken into account for the 1985/1986 rankings. In the same season, due to changes in sponsors, the Professional Players Tournament became the Rothmans Grand Prix, and the Lada Classic became the Mercantile Credit Classic.{{sfn|Morrison|1987|p=107}} The tournaments that counted towards the 1985/1986 rankings were those which were open to all professional players over the preceding three seasons.{{sfn|Everton|1985|pages=14–15}}
Merit points were awarded to players who were required to compete in qualifying rounds of ranking tournaments and reached the last 32, with a full merit point awarded if this was achieved in the world championship, and half a merit point otherwise.{{sfn|Morrison|1987|p=107}}{{sfn|Everton|1985|pp=14–15}} No points were awarded to a player who did not win any matches in a given tournament: (for example, a top 16 player seeded into the last 32 of the world championship would not win any merit points if they lost their first match).<ref>{{cite magazine |title=How they stand: official world rankings 1985 |magazine=[[Snooker Scene]] |publisher=Everton's News Agency |location=Birmingham |pages=18–19 |date=June 1984 }}</ref><ref name="SNSRANK">{{cite magazine |title=World rankings and how they earned them |magazine=[[Snooker Scene]] |publisher=Everton's News Agency |location=Birmingham |pages=4–5 |date=July 1985 }}</ref>
The journalist Janice Hale commented in March 1985 that as the ranking list was updated only annually, players such as [[John Spencer (snooker player)|John Spencer]] who had won only one match in the year since the 1984 World Championship, and [[Bill Werbeniuk]], who had not won any, were at an advantage over other players who had performed better in that time, as the top 16 received direct entry to the last-32 round of the [[1985 World Snooker Championship]], meaning that their minimum guaranteed prize money was higher.<ref>{{cite news |first=Janice |last=Hale |newspaper=The Observer |date=3 March 1985 |page=46 |title=Seeds that are not always hardy annuals |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer-seeds-that-are-not-always-h/146125777/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=27 April 2024 |archive-date=10 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510213920/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer-seeds-that-are-not-always-h/146125777/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
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