Today we continue with the history of darts.
Part Two..
Games
There are many games that can be played on a dartboard, but
darts generally refers to a game whereby the player throws three darts per
visit to the board with the goal of reducing a fixed score, commonly 501 or
301, to zero, with the final dart landing in either the bullseye or a double
segment. A game of darts is generally contested between two players, who take
turns. Each turn consists of throwing 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 is known as "going
bust", with the player's score being reset to the value prior to starting
the turn, and the remainder of the turn being forfeited. 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 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, but there are many other possible ways of
achieving the feat. Three 167s is
considered a pure or perfect nine dart finish by some players.
Other games and variants
There are a number of regional variations on the standard
rules and scoring systems. "Round the Clock" is a variation that
involves hitting the numbers in sequence, known as "around the world"
in New Zealand. "Jumpers" is a somewhat swifter and more exciting
variation of Round the Clock believed to have originated amongst the British
ex-pat community in Asia.
20 to 1
20 to 1 is a Dutch variation of the around the world darts
game that differs a lot because of all kinds of extra rules. This game uses the
standard 20 number dartboard with the triple and double rings. In Dutch it's
called "Van 20 naar 1". 20 to 1 is typically played between 2, 3, 4
or 5 players, or 2 teams of max 5 players. The goal of 20 to 1 is to be the
first player or team to throw all numbers in consecutive order from 20 to 1 and
win the game with outer or inner bullseye.
Around the world
"Around the world" is a game whereby each player
must hit consecutive numbers on the board in order to proceed to the next
round. In a one on one battle the winner is the person to reach the last number
or bullseye. In a team competition the winner is the first team to reach the
last number or bullseye after the round is complete or each member of each team
has thrown that specific round.
American darts
American Darts is a regional USA variant of the game . This
style of dart board is most often found in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
Delaware, Maryland, and parts of New York state.
Archery darts
This is played in exactly the same way as a regular game of
darts, but using recurve or compound bows to shoot full length arrows from a
distance to hit a 60 cm or 90 cm paper target face that looks like a dartboard.
These are commercially produced, but usually only in black & white.
Audio darts
A variant of traditional darts played using a blindfold.
Often played by people with visual disabilities. Typically a talking electronic
dartboard is used to speak the numbers hit, keep score and announce who is
throwing next.
Cricket
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
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 . The outer bullseye counts as 25 points, and the inner as
50.
Dartball
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
Dart golf is a darts game based on the sport of golf and is
regulated by the World Dolf Federation . It is played on both special golf
dartboards and traditional dartboards. Scoring is similar to golf.
Fives
This is a regional variant still played in some parts of 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 away from the board of any
mainstream variation.
Halve it
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 a single throw 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
"Killer" is a 'knock-out' game for two or more
players . Initially each player throws 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 . 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. If a person gets to zero they are out. A
killer can aim for anyone's numbers, even another killer's. You cannot get more
than 5 points. The winner is 'the last man standing'.
Lawn darts
Lawn darts is a lawn
game based on darts. The game play and objective are similar to both horseshoes
and darts. The darts are similar to the ancient Roman plumbata.
Shanghai
Shanghai is a darts game of accuracy. Hitting doubles and
triples is paramount to victory. This game is played with at least two players.
The standard version is played in 7 rounds.
Professional organizations
Of the two professional organisations, the British Darts
Organisation, founded 1973, is the older. Its tournaments are often shown on
the BBC in the UK. The BDO is a member of the World Darts Federation, along
with organizations in some 60 other countries worldwide. The BDO originally
organised a number of the more prestigious British tournaments with a few
notable exceptions such as the News of the World Championship and the national
events run under the auspices of the National Darts Association of Great
Britain. However, many sponsors were lost and British TV coverage became much
reduced by the early nineties.
In 1992 a breakaway organisation was formed, initially known
as the World Darts Council but shortly
after known as the Professional Darts Corporation. The PDC tournaments have a
considerable following, although the PDC World Championship attracts lower TV
viewing figures than that of the BDO due to the BDO World Championship being
free to view on the BBC.
The PDC tournaments often have higher prize money and
feature the leading player in the history of the game, 16-time World Champion
Phil Taylor. The highly successful BDO player Raymond van Barneveld switched to
the PDC and won the PDC World Championship at his first attempt in 2007.
Professional play
The BDO and PDC both organise a World Professional
Championship. They are held annually over the Christmas/New Year period, with
the PDC championship finishing slightly earlier than the BDO tournament. The
BDO World Championship has been running since 1978; the PDC World Championship
started in 1994.
Both organisations hold other professional tournaments. The
BDO organise the World Masters and many Open tournaments. They also organise
county darts for their 66 county members in the UK including individual and
team events.
The PDC's major tournaments are the World Championship,
Premier League, UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and the Grand Slam
of Darts. All of these are broadcast live on Sky Sports television in the UK.
They also hold PDC Pro Tour events and smaller category events around the UK.
Two Dutch independently organised major tournaments, the International
Darts League and the World Darts Trophy introduced a mix of BDO and PDC players
in 2006 and 2007. Both organisations allocated rankings to the tournaments, but
these two events are now discontinued.
The WDF World Cup for national teams and a singles
tournament has been played biennially since 1977. The WDF also organise the
Europe Cup.The PDC has their own world cup competition, the PDC World Cup of
Darts.
Part Three coming soon...
Tipster Street.
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