The defending champion was Amr Shabana , who also won the tournament this season. Shabana was the only player who could win all games in the group stage. In the semifinals, he then defeated the top seeded Englishman James Willstrop before he met Nick Matthew in the final , against whom he won in the group stage. He also defeated Matthew in the final, this time with 4:11, 11: 2, 11: 4 and 11: 7.
With Nick Matthew (2010), Amr Shabana (2010, 2011) and Grégory Gaultier (2008, 2009) three former winners of the tournament took part in this year's event. Ramy Ashour , 2007 winner, canceled his participation on December 23, 2012 due to an injury. Simon Rösner succeeded him , making him the first German ever to take part in this competition.