Alex Higgins was the defending champion, having won the 1982 championship, but he lost 5–16 to Steve Davis in the semi-finals. Davis won the event for the second time, defeating Cliff Thorburn 18–6 in the final. A total of 18 century breaks were made during the tournament. The highest break was made by Thorburn in the second round, against Terry Griffiths, where he compiled a maximum break of 147 points, becoming the first player to make a maximum break in a World Championship match.