Luke Littler is preparing to defend his Word Darts Championship title against Gian van Veen and we answer one of the game’s most asked questions
Luke Littler has eased into yet another PDC World Darts Championship final, but he’ll have his work cut out for him against Gian van Veen. The reigning world champion is bidding to become the first back-to-back winner of the event since Gary Anderson in 2015 and 2016.
Since his run to the showpiece at Alexandra Palace two years ago, The Nuke’s rise has been nothing short of miraculous. He’s ascended from a relatively unknown phenom to one of the greatest talents the game has ever seen at just 18 years old.
On Saturday evening, he’ll be setting his sights on consecutive world titles, but standing in his way is 23-year-old Van Veen, a darting whizz-kid in his own right.
Van Veen will face a teenager who has elevated darts as we bring you the answer to a frequently asked question regarding the game: Why do players begin on the number 501 rather than 500?
The primary reason for that extra point is mathematical and down to difficulty. Darts requires players to double out, meaning the final dart must land in the outer ring of the board to win.
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Since every double is an even number, a player must have an even total remaining before they throw for the win. If the game started at 500, an even number, a player could theoretically stay on the 20 segment for the entire match without ever having to move their aim.
By starting on 501, players are forced to hit an odd number at some point during the leg. This demands greater accuracy and tactical range, forcing competitors to target segments like the 19, 18 or 17. The answer to the question, then, is essentially to increase the challenge.
Historically, the standard game was actually 301. This number originated from the use of cribbage boards as scoring tools in early 20th-century pubs.
A standard cribbage board has 60 holes and five laps around the board equal 300 points. The final 1 represents the game hole or home, a traditional requirement to complete a match.
The sport evolved into a professional spectacle and 301 was deemed too short for television audiences. The distance was increased to 501 to allow for more high-scoring drama while retaining the tradition of beginning on an odd number.
On Saturday night, both Littler and Van Veen will go head-to-head in a darting showdown and the Englishman revealed whether he thinks he can join those who have won back-to-back titles on the Ally Pally stage.
“I’ve joined another list of short names, now obviously the only goal is to join a list of people going back-to-back world champions,” Littler said.
“It’s very special to just keep adding to these lists that I don’t know about, but now the main goal is to go back-to-back. Obviously I’ve got every right to think I can [do it], but I never, ever say I’m going to win it. I never say I’m going to win this and that.”
