Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed projectiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard .
91-616: The World Masters is a darts tournament, initially organised by the British Darts Organisation from 1974 and later by the World Darts Federation . It is one of the longest-running and most prestigious of the BDO/WDF tournaments. The tournament was originally sponsored by Phonogram before changing its sponsor in 1975 to darts board manufacturer, Winmau . The World Masters was originally contested as
182-501: A round-robin tournament . The 2006 event featured 32 players in 8 groups of 4, which were then reduced to 4 further groups of 4. The top two in each group then went through to the knockout stages. When Raymond van Barneveld switched to the PDC in 2006, the tournament organisers agreed with the BDO to invite four players from the rival organisation. Van Barneveld (PDC) went on to win the title for
273-453: A 240 maximum during the event and Phil Taylor hit a 188 checkout (Q20-Q20-D14). The tournament was discontinued in 1996 and the board has not been used in a professional event since. Assuming standard scoring, the optimal area to aim for on the dartboard to maximize the player's score varies significantly based on the player's skill. The skilled player should aim for the centre of the T20, and as
364-570: A blow when the BBC opted not to renew their contract to cover the annual BDO world championships, bringing to an end the 38 year relationship between the BBC and the Lakeside tournament. The BBC instead decided to focus their darts coverage on a new PDC tournament, the Champions League of Darts . The 2017 and 2018 BDO tournaments were broadcast jointly by Channel 4 and BT Sport . From 2019,
455-468: A compromise between density and cost. Barrels come in three basic shapes: cylindrical, ton, or torpedo. The shafts are manufactured in various lengths, and some are designed to be cut to length. Shafts are generally made from plastics, nylon polymers, or metals such as aluminium and titanium; and can be rigid or flexible. Longer shafts provide greater stability and allow a reduction in flight size which in turn can lead to closer grouping; but, they also shift
546-449: A dart at the board with their non-dominant hand to obtain their 'number'. No two players can have the same number. Once everyone has a number, each player takes it in turn to get their number five times with their three darts (doubles count twice, and triples three times). Once a person has reached 5, they become a 'killer'. This means they can aim for other peoples numbers, taking a point off for each time they hit (doubles ×2, triples ×3). If
637-430: A game in which one player at a time throws three darts per turn. The throwing player must stand so that no portion of their feet extends past the leading edge of the oche, but may stand on any other portion and/or lean forward over it if desired. A game of darts is generally contested between two players, who take turns. The most common objective is to reduce a fixed score, commonly 301 or 501, to zero ("checking out") with
728-519: A game of skill and was thus allowed to be played in pubs. This came about after the landlord of the Adelphi Inn in Leeds was prosecuted for allowing darts to be played in his pub. As darts was considered a game of chance at the time, it was not allowed on licensed premises. The landlord was supported in his case by the best darts player in the region, William 'Bigfoot' Anakin. A dartboard was hung in
819-520: A great deal on the individual player's throwing style. For competitive purposes, a dart cannot weigh more than 50 g (1.8 oz) including the shaft and flight and cannot exceed a total length of 300 mm (12 in). The World Darts Federation uses the following standards for play: The regulations came about owing to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world playing at different lengths, with 2.37 m (7 ft 9 in) being
910-399: A person gets to zero they are out. A killer can aim for anyone's numbers, even another killer's. Players cannot get more than 5 points. The winner is 'the last man standing'. Another version of "Killer" is a "knock-out" game for three or more players (the more the better). To start, everyone has a pre-determined number of lives, (usually 5) and a randomly chosen player throws a single dart at
1001-445: A player left with a difficult finish (e.g. 5 and one dart remaining) might deliberately bust in order to revert to an earlier score that would allow an easier finish. Under Northern Bust rules, though, doing so would leave them on 5. A darts match is played over a fixed number of games, known as legs. A match may be divided into sets , with each set being contested as over a fixed number of legs. Although playing straight down from 501
SECTION 10
#17327986966761092-438: A player on 93 (T19, D18) hits single-19 with their first dart, they can still finish, but will now need to check out 74 (T14, D16). Checkout charts detailing which numbers are required for each particular finish are widely used. In the 1990s, a board with a "quad" ring between the triple ring and the bullseye appeared, which gave quadruple points, meaning a 240 maximum (three quad-20s), a 210 maximum checkout (Q20-Q20-Bull) and
1183-401: A score of 180 in exuberant style. Once a player reaches a low enough score, they are considered to be "on a finish", meaning they can win the game/leg with their remaining darts. In professional matches, the match referee will usually tell the player which score they require once on a finish. As the winning dart in a game must be a double or bullseye, the highest possible finish with three darts
1274-413: A set of four darts. Four thrown darts equals a turn. Five turns by each player constitutes a game. The dart board score starting from the outside ring are: 5 - 10 - 15 - 20 - 25 - bullseye 50. Cricket is a widely played darts game involving a race to control and score on numbers between 20 and 15 and the bullseye, by hitting each of these targets for three marks to open or own it for scoring. A hit on
1365-531: A seven-dart finish (five quad-20s, triple-17, bullseye) were possible. One make of this board was the Harrows Quadro 240. The board was used during the short-lived WDC UK Matchplay . Although no seven dart finish was ever scored on the board, John Lowe did come close to a 9 dart finish in the 1993 PDC UK Matchplay. He scored 200 (T20-T20-Q20), then 160 (20-T20-Q20), and got his final T20 and T15, only to miss D18 on his final throw. Several players did score
1456-413: A single throw (3 darts) results in the player losing half their accumulated score. Any number of players can take part and the game can vary in length depending on the number of targets selected. The game can be tailored to the skill level of the players by selecting easy or difficult targets. "Killer" is a 'knock-out' game for two or more players (at its best at 4–6 players). Initially, each player throws
1547-515: Is 170 (T20, T20, inner bull). Finishes are also known as "check outs". Regular players become familiar with the combinations needed to check out a particular number. For instance, a player on 138 could hit T20, T18, D12. Most numbers can be checked out with more than one combination (for 138, a player could also hit T19, T19, D12). Good arithmetic is helpful, as in the event of missing a target number players need to quickly recalculate their new score and which number they now need to hit. For instance, if
1638-554: Is a drinking game that involves throwing darts at opponents' beer cans. The resulting drinking actions depend on how and where the beer can was hit with the dart. The original name of this sport was called Vogelpik. Vogelpik is the early version of the modern game of Belgian darts. Belgian darts has remained a very popular game in the Belgian community since the 18th century. It is not only relaxing but also helps to develop coordination skills, precision and self-control. Each player has
1729-401: Is another variation, with only 12 equal segments, with the doubles and triples being a quarter of an inch (6.35 mm) wide. Mathematically, removing the rotational symmetry by placing the "20" at the top, there are 19 factorial , or 121,645,100,408,832,000 possible dartboards. Many different layouts would penalise a player more than the current setup; however, the current setup actually does
1820-599: Is attributed to Lancashire carpenter Brian Gamlin, who devised it in 1896 to penalise inaccuracy, though this is disputed. Many configurations have been used, varying by time and location. In particular, the Yorkshire and Manchester Log End boards differ from the standard board in that they have no triple, only double and bullseye. The Manchester board is smaller than the standard, with a playing area of only 25 cm (9.8 in) across, with double and bull areas measuring just 4 mm (0.16 in). The London Fives board
1911-421: Is cheap but light and therefore brass barrels tend to be very bulky. Tungsten, on the other hand, is twice as dense as brass; thus a tungsten barrel of equivalent weight could be thirty percent smaller in diameter than a brass one. Pure tungsten is very brittle, however, so an alloy is commonly used, with between 80 and 95 percent tungsten and the remainder usually nickel, iron, or copper. Nickel-silver darts offer
SECTION 20
#17327986966762002-473: Is known as "going bust". The player's score is reset to its value at the start of that turn, and any remaining throws in the turn are forfeited. In some variants, a player who busts has their score reset to its value before the individual dart that caused the bust. This rule (referred to as a "Northern Bust" in London) is considered by some players to be a purer version of the game. Under the standard rules above,
2093-444: Is standard in darts, sometimes a double must be hit to begin scoring, known as "doubling in", with all darts thrown before hitting a double not being counted. The PDC's World Grand Prix uses this format. The minimum number of thrown darts required to complete a leg of 501 is nine. The most common nine-dart finish consists of two 180 maximums followed by a 141 checkout (T20-T19-D12), but there are many other possible ways of achieving
2184-421: Is the same and that nothing has changed." In 2006, in what was described as a “massive coup” for the PDC, four-time BDO champion Raymond van Barneveld moved to the PDC. Van Barneveld said he was switching for the challenge and to "compete against the best players in the world, including the best, Phil Taylor ." In January 2007, Dutch trio Jelle Klaasen , Michael van Gerwen and Vincent van der Voort moved to
2275-560: The 1994 tournament if it was held under the auspices of the WDC. The BDO responded by banning the rebel players from all BDO tournaments. After a long legal battle, the BDO was forced to acknowledge the WDC's legitimacy and the right of players to choose which body they competed for. In return the WDC dropped its claim to being the sport's governing body and renamed itself the Professional Darts Corporation. Following
2366-477: The 2006 World Masters Champion, Michael van Gerwen . The rival PDC ran many more televised tournaments and offered greater prize money, allowing top players to make a full-time living from darts. Consequently, a large number of players who originally played in the BDO "defected" to the PDC. In 2015, one commentator described the BDO as "mostly an unwilling feeder to the PDC: most of its biggest stars... jump ship given
2457-406: The 1 section, round 2, the 2 sections, and so on until round 7. Standard scoring is used, and doubles and triples are counted. Only hits on the wedge for that round are counted. The winner is the person who has the most points at the end of seven rounds (1–7); or who scores a Shanghai, which wins instantly, a Shanghai being throws that hit a triple, a double and single (in any order) of the number that
2548-470: The 1950s. The first metal barrels were made from brass which was relatively cheap and easy to work. The wooden shafts, threaded to fit the tapped barrel, were either fletched as before or designed to take a paper flight. This type of dart continued to be used into the 1970s. With the widespread use of plastic, the shaft and flight came to be manufactured separately, although one-piece moulded plastic shaft and flight darts were also available. According to
2639-417: The 2015 women's event, confirmed that she would be withdrawing from the competition. Ultimately, champion Wayne Warren received £23,000, a 77% reduction on the previous year's prize money and the lowest amount received by a winner of the tournament since 1989. In September 2020, the company went into liquidation bringing an end to 47 years of history. In March 2023, the 38 trophies and plaques belonging to
2730-641: The BDO and PDC ran their own separate tours, each with its own world championship. The BDO suffered an increasing number of problems in its later years. Many of its top players defected to the more lucrative PDC. Irregularities at the 2019 World Masters led to the BDO being demoted to associate member status by the World Darts Federation. Financial issues led to prize money for the 2020 World Championship being greatly reduced. The BDO subsequently went into liquidation in September 2020. The BDO
2821-399: The BDO did not confirm what the new prize fund would be. Jacklin cited the failure to secure a sponsor for the event, and the fact that only 15% of tickets had been sold. The reduction in the prize fund and the failure to confirm the reduced amounts that players would receive was criticised by a number of players. In protest at the reduced prize money on offer, Fallon Sherrock , runner-up in
World Masters (darts) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2912-494: The Darts Regulation Authority, a regulation board is 451 mm (17.8 in) in diameter and is divided into 20 radial sections. Each section is separated with metal wire or a thin band of sheet metal. Quality dartboards are still made of sisal fibres from Eastern Africa, Brazil, and China; less expensive boards are sometimes made of cork or coiled paper. Modern darts are made up of four components:
3003-497: The East End of London. The board has fewer, larger segments, all numbered either 5, 10, 15 or 20. Players play down from 505 rather than 501, and stand the farthest 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) away from the board of any mainstream variation. "Halve it" is a darts game popular in the United Kingdom and parts of North America where competitors try to hit previously agreed targets on a standard dart board. Failure to do so within
3094-583: The Masters and World titles in their career. In January 2020, the WDF assumed full responsibility for the running of the event and will be launching the tournament under the WDF banner. The BDO World Trophy was the newest "Major" Darts tournament added to the BDO's events calendar from 2014 onwards, organised by BDO Events – the new commercial arm of the British Darts Organisation. BDO Events
3185-764: The Masters in 2006 and has since won the PDC World Championship three times, but not the BDO World Championship. The 2011 tournament was also shown in the United States for the first time with ESPN3 broadcasting it. British Darts Organisation The British Darts Organisation ( BDO ) was a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft . Made up of 66 member counties, it oversaw professional, semi-professional and amateur darts competitions in Britain. The BDO
3276-545: The Masters twice. Youngest champion Michael van Gerwen (2006) aged 17 years, 174 days, who eclipsed the record of Eric Bristow Double Champion Leeanne Maddock (1992) aged 17 years won both the youth title and the women's title. Joint World Championship & Masters Champions Only seven players have ever won the World Masters and the World Championship in the same season. Eric Bristow achieved
3367-422: The PDC. By contrast, very few players moved from the PDC to the BDO. 2004 Lakeside champion Andy Fordham moved to the PDC in 2009 and returned to the BDO in 2013. Three time BDO women's champion Anastasia Dobromyslova switched to the PDC in 2008, before returning in 2011. Ted Hankey , after switching to the PDC in 2012, returned to the BDO in 2014. Andy Hamilton and Wes Newton began playing in BDO events at
3458-514: The PDC. They were followed a month later by Mervyn King . BDO number 1 Robert Thornton decided to move to the PDC in May 2008. Gary Anderson and Mark Webster were the BDO's two top ranked players when they signed with the PDC in January 2009. 2008 Lakeside runner-up Simon Whitlock also signed with the PDC in 2009. Weeks after winning the Lakeside title in January 2014, Stephen Bunting became
3549-586: The US after publicity of thousands of injuries and several deaths. Round the Clock (also called Around the World, 20 to 1, and Jumpers) is a game involving any number of players where the objective is to hit each section sequentially from 1 to 20 starting after a starting double. Shanghai is played with at least two players. The standard version is played in seven rounds. In round one players throw their darts aiming for
3640-419: The WDF would no longer recognise BDO-organised tournaments. They cited the recent "breach of rules" and "draw changes during their competition", adding "we cannot be a part of or support such activities." On 30 December 2019, five days before the start of the 2020 BDO World Championship , BDO chairman Des Jacklin announced that the prize money for the upcoming event would have to be "reduced somewhat", although
3731-410: The World Championship began, televised darts became more prevalent with many major tournaments appearing on ITV and BBC . But by 1988, darts had lost many of its sponsors and only the World Championship remained on television. Some players became frustrated by the lack of opportunity to make a living professionally. A group of 19 players (including all previous world champions who were still active in
World Masters (darts) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-482: The World Championship – each set is the best of three legs instead of five at Lakeside. In the 40-year history of the event, only 7 players have managed to win the title on more than one occasion. Eric Bristow holds the record for most tournament wins with five. Bob Anderson and Martin Adams hold the record of winning the title three years running 86, 87, 88 for Anderson and 08, 09, 10 for Adams. Only 14 players have won both
3913-400: The World Masters after the 1988 event, leaving the BBC as the only broadcaster of darts until 1992. The PDC introduced a new version of World Matchplay in 1994. Darts Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the board, though unlike in sports such as archery , these areas are distributed all across the board and do not follow a principle of points increasing toward
4004-637: The best of 5 legs (first to 3) before later transitioning to the set format. It was previously the final leg of the BDO's Grand Slam title of televised majors, along with the BDO World Darts Championship , International Darts League and World Darts Trophy , until the latter two tournaments were axed in 2008. The champion is referred to as the World Master . The tournament was unseeded for most of its history and all players entered
4095-467: The board to set a target (i.e. single 18) and does not play until that target is hit. The next player up has 3 darts to try and hit the target (single 18), if they fail, they lose a life and the following player tries. Once a player succeeds at hitting the target, they then become the target setter and throw a dart to set a new target. The initial target setter swaps places with the new target setter. The games carry on until every players' lives have been used,
4186-475: The board's bullseye . Though a number of similar games using various boards and rules exist, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules. Darts is both a professional throwing sport and a traditional pub game . Darts is commonly played in the British Isles , and recreationally enjoyed around the world. In 1908 darts was declared to be
4277-502: The board; they simply parted the packed fibres when they entered the board. The earliest darts were stubs of arrows or crossbow bolts. The first purpose-made darts were manufactured from solid wood, wrapped with a strip of lead for weight and fitted with flights made from split turkey feathers. These darts were mainly produced in France and became known as French darts. Metal barrels were patented in 1906, but wood continued to be used into
4368-486: The chance." In 2001, six prominent BDO players, including 1996 champion Steve Beaton and two-time runner-up Ronnie Baxter , announced that they would be competing in the PDC version of the world championship in 2002. Croft insisted the six players would not be missed and suggested that none would have progressed beyond the first round of the tournament. The executive producer of BBC Darts disagreed, stating "You can't just replace recognisable people with unknowns and say it
4459-443: The compromise length. The standard dartboard is divided into 20 numbered sections, scoring from 1 to 20 points, by wires running from the small central circle to the outer circular wire. Circular wires within the outer wire subdivide each section into single, double and treble areas. The dartboard featured on The Indoor League television show of the 1970s did not feature a treble section, and according to host Fred Trueman during
4550-412: The confusion, officials announced that there would be a redraw, which included fake names, apparently so they could be substituted if more real players arrived. Players were also not informed of the event's prize money in advance. Due to the issues at the World Masters, the World Darts Federation subsequently released a statement announcing that the BDO was to be demoted to "associate member" status and
4641-495: The court and Anakin proved that darts was not a game of chance by hitting three double 20s in a row. The original target in the game is likely to have been a section of a tree trunk, its circular shape and concentric rings giving rise to the standard dartboard pattern in use today. An older name for a dartboard is " butt "; the word comes from the French word but , meaning "target" or "goal". The standard numbered point system
SECTION 50
#17327986966764732-402: The darts are thrown to land in a circle target on the ground. The darts are similar to the ancient Roman thrown weapon plumbata . For a brand named Jarts, the darts weighed about 1/4 pound, were 12 inches long, and had a pointed tip, the better to stick into the ground. On December 19, 1988, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission introduced an outright ban on metal-tipped lawn darts in
4823-416: The feat three times (1979 Masters 1980 World, 1983–84 and 1984–85). Bob Anderson (1987–88), Richie Burnett (1994–95), John Walton (2000–01), Martin Adams (2009–10 and 2010–11), Stephen Bunting (2013–14) and Glen Durrant (2016–17) were the others. There have been two other instances of players holding both championships at the same time (Phil Taylor 1990 and Raymond van Barneveld 2005) - but these were not during
4914-452: The feat. Three 167s (T20-T19-Bull) is considered a pure or perfect nine-dart finish by some players. There are several regional variations on the standard rules and scoring systems. American darts is a regional U.S. variant of the game (most U.S. dart players play the traditional games described above). This style of dartboard is most often found in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and parts of New York state. Beer darts
5005-413: The final dart landing in either the bullseye or a double segment to win. Not all three darts need to be thrown on the final turn; the game can be finished on any of the three darts. When two teams play, the starting score is sometimes increased to 701 or even 1001; the rules remain the same. A throw that reduces a player's score below zero, to exactly one, or to zero but not ending with a double or bullseye
5096-562: The first World Professional Darts Championship in 1978, known for 26 years as The Embassy due to its sponsorship by Imperial Tobacco until 2003. It was then known from 2004 to 2019 as the Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship , or Lakeside for short. In 2019, before the tournament moved to the O2 Arena in 2020, the tournament was derecognised by the World Darts Federation. After
5187-431: The first episode, this is the traditional Yorkshire board. Various games are played using the standard dartboard. However, in the official game, any dart landing inside the outer wire scores as follows: The highest score possible with three darts is 180, commonly known as a "ton 80" (100 points is called a ton), obtained when all three darts land in the triple 20. In the televised game, the referee frequently announces
5278-484: The first ever televised nine-dart finish on 13 October 1984 when John Lowe won £102,000 for the perfect game of darts against Keith Deller. Lowe went on to win the title that year. The tournament was broadcast on ITV and originally came from the Fulcrum Centre, Slough before switching to Festival Hall, Basildon. ITV ceased coverage after the 1988 championships and the tournament ended. ITV also pulled coverage of
5369-424: The first reigning BDO champion to join the PDC. Three-time defending champion Glen Durrant followed suit in 2019 after winning a PDC tour card at Q School, declaring it "as good as winning the championship at Lakeside." John Part (1997), Richie Burnett (2000), Ted Hankey (2012), Les Wallace (2013), Christian Kist (2014), and Scott Waites (2020) are the other past BDO champions who subsequently switched to
5460-577: The game) created the World Darts Council (WDC), later the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) towards the end of 1990. They wanted more tournaments to be staged and to appoint a PR consultant to improve the image of the game. The 1993 Embassy World Championship was the last unified world darts championship. On 7 January 1993, the rebel players issued a joint statement affirming that they would only compete in
5551-407: The incumbent BDO champions Raymond van Barneveld and Andy Fordham were defeated by the PDC champion Phil Taylor . The BDO board continued to support players from the grassroots of the game since the "split", although there were several high-profile players who made a name within the organisation only to later join the PDC. Raymond van Barneveld 's career in the BDO helped boost the popularity of
SECTION 60
#17327986966765642-498: The inner as 50. Dartball is a darts game based on the sport of baseball . It is played on a diamond-shaped board and has similar scoring to baseball. Dart golf is a darts game based on the sport of golf and is regulated by the World Dolf Federation (WDFF). It is played on both special golf dartboards and traditional dartboards. Scoring is similar to golf. This is a regional variant still played in some parts of
5733-408: The job rather efficiently. There have been several mathematical papers published that consider the "optimal" dartboard. Before World War I, pubs in the United Kingdom had dartboards made from solid blocks of wood, usually elm. But darts pocked the surface of elm such that it was common for a hole to develop around the treble twenty. The other problem was that elm wood needed periodic soaking to keep
5824-408: The kite, and the smaller pear shape. The less surface area, the less stability but larger flights hamper close grouping. Some manufacturers have sought to solve this by making a flight long and thin but this, in turn, creates other problems such as changing the dart's centre of gravity. Generally speaking, a heavier dart will require a larger flight. The choice of barrel, shaft, and flight will depend
5915-409: The last man standing is the target setter whose target was not hit. For less experienced players, doubles and trebles as part of the same number can be counted, i.e. a target of treble 20 can still be counted as a success if the double or single 20 is hit and vice versa. Lawn darts (also called yard darts and garden darts) is an outdoor game, with gameplay and objective similar to horseshoes , in that
6006-495: The main draw in the first round. Seedings were introduced for the first time in 2007 at the behest of the BBC to ensure the top players were present for the televised stages of the event. Thus, the top eight ranked players received a bye to the last-16. After the collapse of the British Darts Organisation in September 2020, the World Darts Federation announced plans to launch the WDF World Masters. In December 2020, it
6097-546: The most BDO World titles including a hat-trick between 1984 and 1986. In December 2019 the World Darts Federation announced that it would no longer recognise the BDO as the ruling body of darts in the UK, no longer recognised the BDO World Championships and thus it no longer became a recognised world championship. In January 2020, the WDF assumed full responsibility for the running of the event and will be launching
6188-405: The now defunct British Darts Organisation were put up for auction in order to pay off creditors that were affected by the liquidation of the British Darts Organisation in 2020. BDO Events Ltd was the commercial arm of the BDO (British Darts Organisation) and was set up in 2013. The annual BDO Major events comprised the following British televised events: The World Championship was the biggest of
6279-566: The peak of darts' boom period at the turn of the eighties. Jocky Wilson was twice the winner. ATV broadcast the Butlins Grand Masters between 1977 and 1988. Matches were played over the best of nine legs. The tournament was held at a pub in Birmingham. Bobby George was twice the winner and Eric Bristow won a hat-trick of titles. The MFI World Matchplay championship was short-lived but historic in darts as it featured
6370-474: The player's skill decreases, their aim moves slightly up and to the left of the T20. At σ = 16.4 mm the best place to aim jumps to the T19. As the player's skill decreases further, the best place to aim curls into the centre of the board, stopping a bit lower than and to the left of the bullseye at σ = 100 mm. Many games can be played on a dartboard, but the term "darts" generally refers to
6461-421: The points, the barrels, the shafts and the flights. The points come in two common lengths, 32 and 41 mm (1.3 and 1.6 in) and are sometimes knurled or coated to improve players' grip. Others are designed to retract slightly on impact to lessen the chance of the dart bouncing out. The barrels come in a variety of weights and are usually constructed from brass, nickel-silver , or a tungsten alloy. Brass
6552-522: The same season which is considered to end with the World Championship. Not Dropping A Set Stephen Bunting's 2013 win was achieved without dropping a set. There are 15 players who have won the Masters and the BDO World Championship during their careers: John Lowe, Eric Bristow, Bob Anderson, Phil Taylor, Dennis Priestley, Richie Burnett, Steve Beaton, Raymond van Barneveld, Les Wallace, John Walton, Andy Fordham, Martin Adams, Scott Waites, Stephen Bunting, and Glen Durrant. Additionally, Michael van Gerwen won
6643-495: The split, the BDO and PDC ran their own tours, including their own versions of the world championship, with separate pools of players. Since there were two World Championships from 1994 onwards, there were calls for head-to-head matches between the two champions. There were two head-to-head matches between the reigning champions of the two organisations. The challenge matches, held in 1999 and 2004, were officially recognised as undisputed championship matches. In their respective matches,
6734-613: The sport in his home country, the Netherlands . Dutch broadcaster SBS6 has broadcast the World Championship since 1998, and used to show two major BDO tournaments, the International Darts League and World Darts Trophy . Both no longer exist. However, the popularity of the sport has possibly contributed to the Netherlands making more star players, including the 2006 BDO World Champion, Jelle Klaasen , and
6825-468: The start of 2018 after losing their PDC tour cards and both qualified for the 2019 BDO world championship. Prior to the 2011 Annual General Meeting of the BDO, many players and officials within the organisation had expressed increasing degrees of dissatisfaction with the performance of the existing Board of Directors. Particular areas of concern were the BDO's apparent stagnation in terms of creating new televised events and gaining new sponsors. An open letter
6916-457: The target counts as one mark, while hits in the doubles ring of the target count as two marks in one throw, and on the triples ring as three. Once opened in this manner, until the opponent closes that number with three marks on it of their own, each additional hit by the owner/opener scores points equal to the number of the target (which may also be doubled and tripled, e.g. a triple-20 is worth 60 points). The outer bullseye counts as 25 points and
7007-530: The third time in 2006 and Gary Anderson (BDO) won the 2007 event. This remains the only major event to date that Phil Taylor hasn't won in either the BDO or PDC. The World Darts Trophy (WDT) was the third BDO major of the year and the second to be held in the Netherlands . Its straight knock-out format is comparable to the two versions of the World Championship. The WDT followed the International Darts League by inviting four PDC players to
7098-482: The title a record four times – John Lowe also reached four finals but lost them all. British Matchplay ran from 1976 to 1983 with a brief revival in 1986. The tournament was broadcast on the ITV network in 1978, but usually broadcast regionally including Anglia Television in 1977 and Central in 1986. Not to be confused with the long-running game show Bullseye , this was a BBC2 tournament which ran for three years during
7189-471: The tournament in 2006, and again a PDC player (Phil Taylor) won the title. The British Gold Cup began in 1978 and was held in Stoke. It was broadcast on the BBC until 1982, with the 1983 tournament blacked out due to a technicians' strike. It was then broadcast in 2008 on Setanta Sports in the UK, after a brief stint on the short-lived channel Wire TV (1994–95). The Unipart British Professional Championship
7280-666: The tournament under the WDF banner. The World Masters was the longest running BDO major title, having started as far back as 1974. It was the second biggest major title on the BDO stage. Having been first staged in Fulham, the tournament has been to Wembley, Earls Court, Kensington, the Lakeside Country Club and others. Its last venue was the Circus Tavern in Purfleet . The tournament featured shorter sets than
7371-464: The tournament was no longer covered by one of the former analogue channels and was shown free-to-air on Quest and on sister pay channel Eurosport . The 2019 World Masters was beset with problems. Several seeded players opted not to participate in the event in protest at a change to qualifying criteria. Other players who did attend found they were unregistered, having been unaware of a new rule which required them to register in advance online. Due to
7462-558: The tournaments, held at the Lakeside Country Club , Frimley Green , UK from 1985 until 2019, for its 43rd and final year it moved to Indigo at The O2 . The tournament started in 1978 and for the first 15 years it was a unified World Championship, before a separate competition (the PDC World Championship ) began in 1994. There have been 24 different winners of the event and Eric Bristow is the player with
7553-406: The weight towards the rear causing the dart to tilt backwards during flight, requiring a harder, faster throw. The flight stabilizes the dart by producing drag , thus preventing the rear of the dart from overtaking the point. Modern flights are generally made from plastic, nylon, or foil and are available in a range of shapes and sizes. The three most common shapes in order of size are the standard,
7644-434: The wood soft. In 1935, chemist Ted Leggatt and pub owner Frank Dabbs began using the century plant , a type of agave, to make dartboards. Small bundles of sisal fibres of the same length were bundled together. The bundles were then compressed into a disk and bound with a metal ring. This new dartboard was an instant success. It was more durable and required little maintenance. Furthermore, darts did little or no damage to
7735-486: Was a founder member of the World Darts Federation in 1974. It also staged a World Professional Darts Championship from 1978 to 2020. In the early 1990s, a dispute between Olly Croft and the top darts players over the decline in TV coverage and sponsorship led to an acrimonious split in the game , with the players breaking away to form their own governing body which became the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Henceforth,
7826-549: Was a tournament televised by the BBC between 1981 and 1988. After the 1988 championships, the BBC withdrew their coverage of the event and it left UK terrestrial television with only one televised tournament – the World Championships. The game was at an all-time low and players eventually went on to set up the World Darts Council in an attempt to bring back sponsors and television. Jocky Wilson won
7917-460: Was announced that the 2021 tournament will be held at De Bonte Wever in Assen , Netherlands . This was then pushed back to 2022 due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions. The new WDF version of the event changed the format from setplay to legplay for the first time, with significantly shorter matches. The event also moved to a biennial format. In 2024 a new host nation was announced as Budapest, Hungary
8008-406: Was circulated to the various counties within the BDO structure, setting out the perceived issues, although the said letter was vague as to actual suggestions for improvement. Matters culminated at the subsequent AGM, where all but one of the incumbent Board were voted out of office (other than Dave Alderman who had already resigned), with only Vic Sexton retaining his seat. In 2016 the BDO was dealt
8099-408: Was founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft. It gradually superseded the existing National Darts Association of Great Britain (NDAGB), which had been the de facto governing body of darts in the UK since 1954. The BDO set the rules which govern the game of darts, including setting the distance of the throwing oche (2.37m / 7 ft 9 ¼ inches) and the height and dimensions of the board. The BDO organised
8190-512: Was part of the first liquidation when they wound up their commercial business, not long after that the BDO itself also filed for liquidation bringing an end to 47 years as the governing body for darts in the UK. The Topic International Darts League was a tournament staged in the Netherlands and formed the second leg of the Grand Slam having been introduced in 2003. Whilst its format has evolved in recent years, it features players competing in
8281-591: Was the host for the 2024 WDF World Masters. For 2025 the Professional Darts Corporation will rebrand their existing Masters tournament as the Winmau World Masters, leaving the future of the WDF tournament unclear. Most men's tournament wins 5 - Eric Bristow . Bob Anderson and Martin Adams have both won 3 times (also both achieving 'hat tricks' by winning in three consecutive years), while Dave Whitcombe , John Lowe , Raymond van Barneveld , Stephen Bunting and Glen Durrant have all won
#675324