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The UK Championship, one of snooker's greatest tournaments, returns to the International Centre in Telford in December, with all of the sport's star names set for Shropshire's snooker showpiece.
Rocket Ronnie O'Sullivan, defending champion Ding Junhui and Betfred.com World Champion Neil Robertson will be among the main attractions in the tournament which runs from December 4 to 12.
China's Ding, who beat John Higgins 10-8 in last year's dramatic final, said: "Winning the UK Championship title last year was definitely one of the highlights of my career so far. It's one of the most prestigous tournaments in snooker so to have won it twice is a great achievement for me. I had a good season, and I will be aiming to build on that in the new season and win more titles.
"I'm glad that the event has stayed in Telford as it's an excellent venue and I have always had a lot of support there. The crowds in Telford have been very good for the past few years and I'm sure the fans there will keep showing their love of snooker."
A spokesman for World Snooker added: "We're delighted to be heading back to Telford again for our biggest World Ranking event other than the World Championship. It's a first class venue and the support of the fans and the atmosphere they create is genuinely appreciated by the players.
"We'd love to see snooker supporters in the area flocking to the venue again. The ticket prices, especially the all-day tickets from just £20 up until the quarter-finals, offer amazing value for the chance to see the very best players on the planet competing for one of the biggest titles."
The world's top 16 players, when the rankings are updated in October, will be seeded through to the final stages, to be joined by 16 more who come through the qualifiers, which run from November 24 to December 1 at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield.
Telford's top cueman Adrian Gunnell, the World No 44, may need to win at least two qualifying matches to reach the venue.
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