Snooker star Ding Junhui survived a late scare Sunday in the preliminary round of the International Championship as he joined world stars vying for the top prize money of 175,000 pounds ($212,559). Ding overcame a late surge by German Simon Lichtenberg in the city of Daqing in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province to win 6-5. 

Another rising star Yan Bingtao, who recently won the Kaspersky Riga Masters, defeated Englishman Alfie Burden in the qualifier on Sunday. 

The championship, which attracted nine of the world's top 10 players, has a total prize money of 800,000 pounds. World No.1 Ronnie O'Sullivan is the only star to have skipped the event.