John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two

Oh what a pot! Absolutely superb from John Higgins who nearly did a fist pump, but not quite! But you could see in his face that was a big big shot, in a big big frame.

Image source, BBC Sport

The tension is palpable at the Crucible as the 12th frame between John Higgins and Xiao Guodong goes down to a deciding black with the score 60-58 in the China player's favour.

Both players miss difficult chances to win the frame before Higgins produces a long pot to seal it.

With the cue ball close to the cushion, the Scotsman goes long and creates enough of an angle to kiss the black into the corner pocket. Brilliant snooker from the four-time world champion!

Zhao goes 48-0 ahead but misses a dolly of a pot to the corner. He should have been in to take the frame there.

Back comes Lei and a break of 64 takes him to the snookers required stage. Zhao can't find one, and these two go to the interval on level terms.

John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two

John Higgins has lost two of the three frames this afternoon but it's not as if Xiao Guodong has done anything spectacular. There's been nothing to frighten Higgins at least.

John will know if he plays his top game it's good enough to come through. The middle session is all about positioning yourself for the final one tomorrow.

Just a couple of visits to the table for John Higgins in the 11th frame but he is unable to make them count against Xiao Guodong, who he has played and beaten twice already this year.

Xiao plays quite fluently towards a 75-5 lead only to leave the cue ball behind the brown which snookers Higgins with two reds remaining. The Scotsman cuts his losses and concedes the frame.

Much better from Lei, and he's on the board.

A scorching pink takes him to 75 and he doesn't bother with the black.

Zhao missed an easy black off the spot early in the frame, perhaps with a miscue, and he paid the price.

John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two

John Higgins gets a frame on the board in the afternoon session and that will settle him. He'll look forward to the remainder of the session with the score all square again.

John Higgins hoists his knee on top to the side of the table to pot a tricky yellow, smirks, then calls for the rest. Still as flexible in the mind, eh, John?

The Scotman rattles it against the pocket but Xiao Guodong is not able to capitalise. Higgins returns to leave Xiao needing snookers with the brown, blue, pink and black still in play.

Higgins nestles the brown, obscured by the blue, close to the corner pocket. Xiao ends up striking the cue ball with it with such ferocity the brown ends up flying off the table, and the man from China duly concedes the frame.

Back level.

Lei makes 48 to lead this time before missing another red down the side rail, very similar to the one that failed to drop in the first frame.

It cruelly stays over the pocket and he's soon regretting it. Zhao, after a few nibbles at the cherry, snatches the frame and leads by two.

They'll surely find more fluency later in the match, but this will do for Zhao to edge in front.

Trailing 44-33, Lei has an excellent chance to take the opening frame, but he misses the final red from close to the side rail and leaves it in the open.

Zhao capitalises and clears to the brown, which is enough.

On BBC TV, Shaun Murphy says: "That was the first frame on a plate.

"If Kyren Wilson's watching, he'll be thinking 'He didn't miss any of those against me'."

John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two

Xiao Guodong wanted to treat us to an exhibition shot at the end of the frame there! It doesn't really matter that he wasn't able to pull it off. Overall, that was not the best frame but they all count.

A relatively risk-free start to afternoon session by both John Higgins and Xiao Guodong as they look to feel themselves into the contest.

Lots of tutting and eye rolls from Higgins after a safety shot leaves Xiao a tricky long red long which he duly sinks and proves key in him banking the frame.

The 36-year-old from China pots the next two reds and almost manages a clearance during a break of 42 only to leave himself too much to do on the black.

An audacious double from Xiao on the black sees the cue ball end up in the corner pocket affording the Crucible crowd a chuckle.

We're under way again.

Four-time champion John Higgins and Xiao Guodong produced a classy session on Thursday evening that finished all square.

Similar today would set up a tantalising final nine frames on Saturday morning.

Zhao Xintong is fancied by many to have a deep run at this World Championship, but could Lei Peifan carry on where he left off against Kyren Wilson and take another major scalp?

We'll have eyes on both matches throughout the afternoon, so stand by for news, updates and expert opinion from the commentary box.

Round two is giving us plenty of excitement already, but how is your memory of round one?

Can you clear the colours in our World Championship quiz?

Try your luck here.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Image source, PA Media

It's been an incredible day for 75-year-old Brian Nicholls from Tamworth, who won £25,000 after Mark Allen's maximum 147 earlier today.

One of the event sponsors, Midnite Sports and Casino, have been running an initiative where for each session of this year's World Championship, one person in the crowd is selected at random and if a 147 happens, on either table, they win £25,000.

Lifelong snooker fan Brian, who had never been to the Crucible but had the ticket bought for him by his son as a present for his 75th birthday, has just told the media he fancied taking his family on a cruise to America next year with the winnings.

"Twenty-five grand is a lot of money, it's lovely," said Brian. "I wasn't calm, my heart was pounding. After the yellow, that was the ball where I thought 'it's on'. My son had pointed out a possible 147 with a few reds left.

"I thought he [Allen] had blown it when he got to the yellow as they are only human and can make a mistake. When that black went in, wow, lovely!

"I couldn't believe it. The Crucible is a wonderful place, I've been walking around it having a look around. I hope Mark wins his match tonight and wins the tournament - I wanted to kiss him!"

Colin from Aberdeenshire: Everyone knows about 147 breaks at snooker. Has anyone ever had a 72? 15 reds, 15 yellows and the colours?

Great question Colin, what a break that would be. The lowest-scoring total clearance we can find evidence of in professional competition is a 109 by today's 147 hero Mark Allen, at the 2016 Northern Ireland Open.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Image source, PA Media

Players from eight countries have won snooker's most prestigious title and become a world champion - but China is still waiting for its first success.

Could 2025 be the year that changes?

This season's World Championship last 16 includes six Chinese players - Ding Junhui, Lei Peifan, Pang Junxu, Si Jiahui, Xiao Guodong and Zhao Xintong - with England having the next highest total with five.

"This has got to be the biggest year for China in terms of chances of having a world champion," said Jason Ferguson, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

"We've seen players like Lei Peifan winning ranking events and players bounce on to the scene and that could happen here. These boys have no fear and really want it.

"If a Chinese player became a world champion there's no doubt that player would become a national hero."

• Read more on our feature of how snooker developed in China and the impact winning a world title would have on the game.

Image source, Getty Images

It was a special morning session at the Crucible as Mark Allen made that 147 - the 15th main draw maximum in the history of the World Championship.

But could the famous Sheffield theatre be replaced as the tournament's home in the near future, given the contract to keep it there expires after the 2027 event?

Matchroom Sport president and veteran promoter Barry Hearn remains a driving force behind snooker's negotiations with local authorities. He has indicated a new venue will be found elsewhere unless the tournament's long-time home is revamped or a suitably larger new home is found in the city.

The 980-seat capacity is seen as a problem, with Matchroom, which runs the snooker tour, convinced it could sell many more tickets with a bigger arena.

Hearn told 5 Live Breakfast: "It's black and white: we love the Crucible, we love Sheffield, but the Crucible and Sheffield have got to love us.

"We want to stay but the financials have to be taken into consideration. The facilities where the Crucible is are no longer fit for purpose, that's the key issue."

You can read more from Barry and Eddie Hearn here.

We've reached the end of the dramatic opening session, but there's plenty more snooker to come:

14:30

• John Higgins (3) 4-4 Xiao Guodong (14)
• Lei Peifan v Zhao Xintong

19:00

• Mark Williams (6) 4-4 Hossein Vafaei
• Mark Allen (8) 4-12 Chris Wakelin

Dennis Taylor
1985 world champion on BBC Two

In truth it wasn't the best of sessions between Mark Williams and Hossein Vafaei. We had some awful frames so 4-4 was a probably true reflection of things.