Philip Douglas Taylor is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "The Power", he dominated darts for over three decades and is widely considered the greatest darts player of all time, having won 214 professional tournaments, including a record 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships. In 2015, the BBC rated Taylor among the ten greatest British sportsmen of the last 35 years.
A nine-dart finish, also known as a nine-darter, is a perfect leg or single game in the sport of darts. The object of the game is to score a set number of points, most commonly 501; in order to win, a player must reach the target total exactly and hit a double scoring area with their last dart. When the target is 501, the minimum number of darts needed to reach it is nine. For example, one way to achieve a nine-dart finish is to score 60 on each of the first seven throws, then a 57 on the eighth, and lastly a 24 on the ninth. It is regarded as an extremely difficult feat to achieve—even for the sport's top players—and is considered the highest single-game achievement in the sport, similar to a maximum 147 break in snooker or a 300-point game in bowling.
Raymond van Barneveld is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed "Barney", although originally known as "The Man", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest darts players of all time. Van Barneveld is a five-time World Darts Champion, a two-time UK Open Champion and a former winner of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Premier League. He is also a twice-winner of the World Masters and the World Darts Trophy, and a three-time winner of the International Darts League, the Dutch Open and the WDF World Cup Singles event.
Kevin Painter is an English retired darts player, known as "The Artist". He is arguably most famous for finishing as the runner-up to Phil Taylor in the 2004 PDC World Championship final, now widely credited as one of the greatest televised matches in the history of the sport. He was also the winner of the Players Championship Finals in 2011.
Steve Beaton is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the BDO World Darts Championship in 1996 and is a former World No. 1.
James Martin Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player to win a major PDC title, when he won the 2007 World Matchplay at the age of 24. This record has since been broken by Michael van Gerwen. Wade has won eleven PDC majors, third in the all-time list behind Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.
Michael van Gerwen is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, having been No. 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2017 and 2019. Van Gerwen is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
Terry Jenkins is an English former professional darts player who was nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the name "Tucker" for his matches. He reached number three in the world rankings and was a runner-up in nine major PDC televised finals, those being the 2006 and 2007 World Grand Prix, 2007 Premier League, 2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic, 2007 and 2009 World Matchplay, 2008 Grand Slam of Darts, 2014 UK Open and 2014 European Championship.
Alan Tabern is an English darts player who plays in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He is nicknamed "The Saint".
Robert Thornton is a Scottish professional darts player, who is a two-time World Seniors champion.
The 2008 Sky Poker World Grand Prix was the eleventh World Grand Prix darts tournament held by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held from 6–12 October 2008 at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, Ireland. The event featured a tournament record prize fund of £250,000 with £50,000 going to the winner.
David Chisnall is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked No. 5 in the world.
Brendan Gabriel Dolan is an Irish professional darts player from County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was the first player to hit a nine-dart finish in a "double-to-start" event, which he achieved at the 2011 World Grand Prix, giving him the nickname The History Maker. He also reached the final of this tournament, where he lost to Phil Taylor.
Ian White, nicknamed Diamond, is an English professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. White is the winner of 13 PDC ranking events, and has reached many quarter-finals in majors. In 2019, he reached his first major semi final.
Michael Smith is an English professional darts player. Nicknamed "Bully Boy", he plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked No. 2 in the world. He is a former world champion, having won the 2023 World Championship.
Kim Huybrechts is a Belgian professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was runner-up in the 2012 Players Championship Finals, losing to Phil Taylor 13–6, and made the final of the 2013 PDC World Cup of Darts with his brother Ronny. He has appeared in the Premier League on two occasions.
The 2011 PartyPoker.com World Grand Prix was the fourteenth staging of the World Grand Prix. It was played from 3–9 October 2011 at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.
The 2014 PartyPoker.com World Grand Prix was the seventeenth staging of the World Grand Prix. It was played from 6–12 October 2014 at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, Ireland. After discussion with broadcaster Sky, the semi-finals and final format were shortened to the best of 7 and best of 9 sets, instead of 9 and 11 sets respectively.
The 2020 BoyleSports World Grand Prix was a darts tournament and the 23rd staging of the World Grand Prix. It was held from 6–12 October 2020 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, England, behind closed doors. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was held away from the Citywest Hotel in Dublin for the first time since 2001.
The 2022 BoyleSports World Grand Prix was a darts tournament and the 25th staging of the World Grand Prix. It was held from 3–9 October 2022 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was held away from the Citywest Hotel in Dublin for the third consecutive year.
Mike De Decker 
