History of Darts :

The game of darts is hundreds of years old rumour has it that the sport originally began as a contest between bored soldiers / archers during respites from battle. As their competition progressed, a more critically marked target became necessary, which led to the use of a slice of a tree as a target.The natural rings of the tree were perfect for scoring purposes, as did the radial cracks which appeared as the wood dried out. The winter forced the game indoors, and shorter darts and basic indoor rules were adopted.In 1530 Anne Boleyn gave Henry VIII a set of « darts of Biscayan fashion, richly ornamented, » these were not darts as we know them today but more of a small throwing spear.Even our Pilgrim fathers are said to have had darts on the Mayflower (1620) and although their main use was for a weapon it is conservable  they may have used the butt of a wine cask as a « board » for target practise. However Queen Elizabeth I throw the odd dart as seen here below .

 

The Rules Of Darts:

 

In a game of 501 the object is for one player or a team to be the first to reach zero from a starting total of 501.

In simple terms, after three darts are thrown, the throwing player subtracts the total scored from his current total until he reaches zero.

In order to reach zero each player must finish by throwing a double i.e. if player one has 36 remaining he must hit double 18 to win, while if player two has 45 remaining he must hit single 5, double 20 to win – or a another combination of scores provided the final dart scores on a double.

Some versions of the game require a ‘double start’ whereby players must begin the game with a double as well as ‘checking out’ on a double. The World Grand Prix uses the ‘double in, double out’ rule.

Games can be played to a ‘Best of’ format whereby a player or team winning three legs in a ‘Best of Five Leg’ competition wins the match.