thirty ninth

The term refers to the X since 1977, and the fact that no first-time champion has ever successfully defended his title there the following year, hence the Y

Of the seventeen players to have won the championship at the X, five lost in their first match as defending champion (John Spencer in 1978, Terry Griffiths in 1980, Steve Davis in 1982, Dennis Taylor in 1986 and Graeme Dott in 2007) and only two have reached the final: Joe Johnson in 1987 and Ken Doherty in 1998.wats X &Y?