Chang Bingyu cashes in third highest payout from world championship after bumper jackpot win
Despite not qualifying for the televised stages of the 2026 World Snooker Championship, Chang Bingyu collected the third-highest payout from this year’s blue riband event.
Chinese youngster Chang returned to the professional circuit full time this season, following the expiration of his ban from the sport and subsequently regaining his tour stripes by winning the 2025 Asia-Pacific Open Snooker Championship held in Australia.
The now 23-year-old - who has been talked up by seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the past and recent times - has enjoyed a very successful return to snooker’s top flight.
Chang won five matches to reach the last 16 of the lucrative Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters - only pipped by O’Sullivan, 6-5, in the last 16 - and a few months later came through seven rounds to reach his maiden ranking event final at the 2025 Scottish Open. However, his trophy bid was halted at the last hurdle by champion Chris Wakelin.
At the 2026 Welsh Open in Llandudno, Chang produced an astonishing performance - that was acknowledged by a standing ovation from his opponent and the audience at the Venue Cymru - as he whitewashed Shaun Murphy 4-0 in the last 64 with a 100% pot success rate.
Having also qualified for the first Players Series event of the term - the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong - Chang has finished the season 48th in the world snooker rankings, an incredible effort when you consider it was only his first year back, and he began the cycle on zero in the standings.
Maximum satisfaction for Chang who unlocked big bonus prize
Throughout the 2025/26 professional season, Chang compiled 44 century breaks, putting him 11th on the list of players who made the most tons, ahead of several top 16 stars.
Two of those three-figure contributions were feats of perfection - his first two maximum 147 breaks in top tier action.
His maiden max came during his 2025 UK Championship third qualifying round match against Stephen Maguire in Wigan. Despite being in November, that effort was a record-breaking 16th 147 of the World Snooker Tour season, eclipsing the previous benchmark total of 15 set the previous term.
As that 147 was made in one of the most prestigious events on the pro circuit, Chang was halfway to unlocking a huge bonus prize that was on offer during the season for anyone that could make two maximums across the four ‘biggest’ events: Saudi Arabia Masters, UK Championship, Masters, World Championship.
WST allocated £441,000 to this concept, meaning there were three shares available. O’Sullivan cashed in one third when he constructed two 147s during the same match in his semi-final tie with Chris Wakein in Saudi.
Heading into the 2026 World Snooker Championship qualifiers at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, two pots were still on offer. Starting in the second qualifying round, Chang defeated Thai youngster Prim Ratmukda 10-2, highlighted by three century breaks.
That set up a mouth-watering clash with 2023 World Champion Luca Brecel, and the match didn’t disappoint, with the Belgian coming through a 10-8 winner.
However, Chang wrote headlines earlier in the match when in frame nine - the last frame of the opening session - he sank 15 reds with 15 blacks and all the colours for another 147, and to therefore pocket a £147,000 bonus.
That sum alone was more than treble his previous highest payday in the sport of £45,000 - the prize he received for reaching the aforementioned Scottish Open final.
But the money he earned for the perfect feat didn’t stop there. He also claimed an additional £10,000 bonus that was on offer for a 147 during the qualifiers, and the £15,000 tournament highest break prize that ran throughout both the qualifying and main draw phases. No-one else crafted a 147 in this year’s competition.
If you add all that to the £10,000 he got for making the last 80, Chang earned £182,000 from the Championship; this is not far off the £200,000 that runner-up Shaun Murphy received, and significantly more than the £100,000 (each) for semi-finalists John Higgins and Mark Allen.
With no prize money to defend at all next season from his tally, Chang can only really go up in the global standings, although bonus prizes from 147s and highest breaks don’t count towards rankings.