In 2009, John Higgins captured his third World Championship trophy with an 18-9 victory over Shaun Murphy. He begins the defence of the title against Essex's world number 17, Barry Hawkins. Plus seven-time World Champion Stephen Hendry - who is making his 25th Crucible appearance - takes on debutant Zhang Anda, an 18-year-old from China. Hazel Irvine, Steve Davis and John Parrott will be guiding us through the opening stages of the 17-day tournament. Please note that votes for all 'Pulse' questions featured in this programme will be closed during the transmission of the programme, so if you are watching on demand please do not vote.