Snooker's roadshow rolls into Belfast this weekend, and the 11th Northern Ireland Open arrives with storylines stacked to the rafters. A defending champion who finally broke his final duck in this very arena 12 months ago. A home hero desperate to give the crowd something to roar about. And looming over it all, the first Home Nations test of snooker's new Chinese one-two - Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize, the world's top two, both still in their twenties, both arriving off the back of a history-making month. The Waterfront Hall has hosted plenty of memorable weeks. This one, on paper at least, has the ingredients to top them.
The setting
The facts first. The Northern Ireland Open returns to Belfast's Waterfront Hall from Sunday 18 to Sunday 25 October, with 129 players in the field and a place in the season's story up for grabs. It is the second leg of this season's Home Nations series, which opened in September with Ali Carter beating fellow veteran Mark Williams 9-6 in the English Open final.
The tournament is already live in MyiCue, which means members can follow every frame as it happens - and, more importantly, get their cue order predictions in before the serious business begins.
The tournament in numbers
Key facts, milestones and scorelines from Belfast.
18-25 October, Waterfront Hall, Belfast - the 11th edition of the Northern Ireland Open.
Players in the field, per MyiCue's tournament records.
Jack Lisowski's winning margin over Judd Trump in last year's Belfast final - his first ranking title after six final defeats.
Trump leads Lisowski across 25 career meetings - but the last one was that final. Full card below.
China's new one-two - Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize - both arrive in Belfast as the sport's most recent world champions.
The storylines
The defence. Twelve months ago Jack Lisowski finally did it - a first ranking title at the seventh attempt, a 9-8 deciding-frame win over his best friend Judd Trump sealed 73-7 after Trump missed with the rest. "I'm genuinely going to remember this for the rest of my life," he said. Now comes something different: arriving as the champion. The form guide below tells the story - a three-win run at the British Open, then three straight defeats since, including a 5-0 humbling by Mark Selby and a qualifying exit against Ashley Carty. The defence starts from round one, not the final.
The new order. Belfast is the first Home Nations stop since the rankings made history: Zhao Xintong at one, Wu Yize at two, the first Chinese one-two the sport has seen. Wu arrives straight from Shenzhen, where he hammered Trump 6-1 in the semi-final on the way to the title. Every seed between them and the trophy is now a measuring stick for the new era.
The home hero. Mark Allen carries local hopes again, and the Antrim man's recorded results in MyiCue make for stark reading: four straight defeats since August, from Hossein Vafaei in the China Open through to Ben Mertens in Shenzhen qualifying. The crowd at the Waterfront can lift a player, but the table asks its own questions.
The form guide
Player form at a glance, from MyiCue's recorded match history - most recent first. Judge the defending champion and the home hero on the evidence, not the shorthand.
Jack Lisowski - last five - recent form
Mark Allen - last four recorded results - recent form
Frame scores for Allen's matches are not yet recorded in MyiCue's match history.
MyiCue
Head-to-Head
Previous meetings from snooker.org
Last five meetings
Source: snooker.org | Completed matches only
Analysis: what we're watching for
Analysis, not prediction - but here is what the numbers suggest to watch.
Can Wu keep the pedal down? He is 22, he is world champion, and he has just beaten Trump 6-1 in a semi-final. The one thing his resume lacks is a long season of expectation. Belfast, with its one-table hysteria and knowledgeable crowd, is as good a test as any.
Is Trump about to turn nasty? Two facts sit oddly together: he leads Lisowski 16-9 in their head-to-head, and he has just been demolished 6-1 by a 22-year-old. Players with a point to prove tend to arrive in Belfast dangerous. He has won big titles on this stage before.
The Lisowski question. Champions are often most vulnerable at their first defence, when the memory of the breakthrough competes with the hunger for the next one. His recent form says vulnerable; his temperament last October says never write him off in a decider.
And beneath it all runs the structural question of the season: the gap between China's top two and everyone else is, for now, one strong tournament wide. Belfast will either narrow it or widen it.
Have your say
Before a ball is struck, put your reputation on the line: make your cue order entry for the Northern Ireland Open in MyiCue, then vote in the poll below. We'll revisit the verdicts after the trophy is lifted - and see who called it.