The European Tour returns to the darts circuit this weekend as the attention turns to qualifying for the European Championship when the German Darts Championship is played out in full out in Hildesheim.
Ricardo Pietreczko surprised the home crowd and many in the game to come out on top on home soil here last season and the German will be hoping to keep hold of his crown this weekend. A decent field is out to stop him though.
Recent Winners
2023 – Ricardo Pietreczko
2022 – Michael van Gerwen
2020 – Devon Petersen
2019 – Daryl Gurney
2018 – Michael van Gerwen
2017 – Peter Wright
2016 – Alan Norris
2015 – Michael van Gerwen
2014 – Gary Anderson
2013 – Dave Chisnall
The Format
We are using the now set in stone format for these tournaments which means that the qualifiers will open up the event on Friday when they meet each other for a spot in the last 32. The last 32 of the tournament is played over two sessions of action on Saturday, with the last 16 on Sunday afternoon and the quarter finals on Sunday night. They are all the best-of-11 legs with the semi-finals also on Sunday evening. They are the best-of-13 and then the final in the same session is the best-of-15 legs. The draw has been pre-determined and is played in a straight knockout format.
Top Half
We have the draw bracket in the usual order this weekend which means that the number one seed, Dave Chisnall, is right at the top of proceedings. The man who largely dominated the European Tour last year will face off against Danny Noppert in the semi-final if the draw goes to the seeding but there are six other seeds who will be out to stop that from happening. They include The Masters champion Stephen Bunting, past winner Michael van Gerwen, recent European Tour event winner Martin Schindler as well as Chris Dobey, Joe Cullen and Gian van Veen.
Such is the way that the European Tour has been organised this season we are guaranteed top names everywhere you look who have to enter in the first round and that is very much the case in this half of the draw. Raymond van Barneveld has won everything there is to win in the game while there isn’t much that James Wade hasn’t won. Peter Wright is another huge name entering in the first round while Dirk van Duijvenbode will be looking to show he can still be a force at this level. Dimitri Van den Bergh is the UK Open champion but still starts in the first round here, as do Mensur Suljovic and Jose de Sousa, while there is a welcome return to European Tour level for the home star Max Hopp.
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Bottom Half
The world champion Luke Humphries has decided to have the weekend off so that leaves Gerwyn Price as the highest seed in the bottom half of the draw and if the seeding is correct then he will come up against Damon Heta in what would be the semi-final of the tournament. A number of class acts are out to stop that from happening including the defending champion Ricardo Pietreczko, who begins his title defence from this half of the draw, Daryl Gurney, Ross Smith, Ryan Joyce, Ryan Searle and the man many could think is the favourite this weekend in Luke Littler.
As with the other half of the draw there are plenty of big or recognisable names in the bottom half of the bracket this weekend and Jonny Clayton would rate high up among the best of them. Andrew Gilding has shown decent form at times this year while going back a few years Jelle Klaasen and Simon Whitlock were both in world finals. Ritchie Edhouse has been in good touch this year, as has Luke Woodhouse while Steve Beaton has another European Tour outing. Callan Rydz and Martin Lukeman will want to be more than just dangerous outsiders.
Betting
This feels like it is going to be a competitive draw and it will be interesting to see whether the players who have been playing at the World Series events have the advantage of activity or the disadvantage of jet-setting around the world. If it is the former then we are going to get a big name winner but if it is the latter then it would be no surprise if the shock winners of this tournament in the past continue. I suspect it will be the latter and so I’ll take someone who wasn’t in the World Series events.
That is the top seed Dave Chisnall who has won this tournament before and who should have had time during the break to regather his form ahead of an end to the season which can still save what has been a disappointing year but one which still has him sat at number seven in the world rankings. Chisnall knows how to win these European Tour events and he doesn’t come up against any of the truly big names until the semi-final by which point these things are there for anyone. Given the draw and the relative freshness of the top seed I’ll take him this week.
Tips
Back D.Chisnall to win German Darts Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Coral (1/2 1-2)
