First held in 1927, the World Snooker Championship was dominated over its first two decades by Joe Davis, who won the first 15 championships before retiring undefeated after his final win in 1946. The tournament was not held between 1941 and 1945 due to World War II, or between 1952 and 1963 due to a dispute between the Professional Billiards Players' Association (PBPA) and the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC), although the PBPA held an unofficial alternative, the World Professional Match-play Championship, between 1952 and 1957. In 1964, the official championship was revived on a challenge basis.