Shaun Murphy will attempt to defend the Wuxi Classic title this week - but he'll be hoping to make lighter work of getting his hands on the trophy this time round.
Last year it was the case of Magician by name, magician by nature as he staged one of the most impressive of the season to land top prize.
The world number seven fought back from an 8-2 deficit to beat Ding Junhui 9-8 in the final as the Chinese potter squandered the chance to lift the title in his hometown, Wuxi City.
Murphy's fightback didn't help him win the hearts of the natives but it was to prove a real highlight in an otherwise patchy season for the 2005 world champion.
Watch him capture the title here:
If Murphy is to repeat his triumph in China, he'll need to win three matches after being fast-tracked to the quarter-finals where he'll meet fellow world champion Peter Ebdon or his amateur opponent Rouzi Maimaiti.
Also waiting in the quarter-finals is 2010 Shanghai Masters champion Ali Carter, who will play the winner of Matthew Stevens and new professional Yu Delu, who recently won three matches at the Australian Goldfields Open qualifying event.
The other side of the draw sees popular Ding Junhui waiting to play Stephen Maguire or Liang Wenbo and Mark Selby pitted against either Graeme Dott or Cao Yupeng.
This tournament also marks the first televised event of the campaign, as Eurosport embarks on the beginning of an 18-day run of live snooker including both the PTT-EGAT World Cup and Australian Goldfields Open.
The Wuxi Classic begins at 6am on Thursday, and the final will be played on Sunday.
Here's how the prize money will be shared out:
Winner: £20,000
Runner-up: £10,000
Semi-finals: £5,000
Quarter-finals: £2,500
Round One: £1,250
High break £1,000
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