The two greatest darting Dutchmen of them all in Michael Van Gerwen and Raymond Van Gerwen headline the 2019/2020 William Hill PDC World Darts Championships which commences this Friday (December 13) at Alexander Palace.
Defending champion MVG hopes to clinch his fourth world crown come New Years Day but will have to navigate through seven rounds beginning on opening night between the winner of former semi-finalists 2006 BDO Champion fellow countryman Jelle Klaasen and Northern Ireland's Kevin Burness.
Current world number one Van Gerwen, 30, cannot wait for the two-week festive darts feast to begin: "It's always a fantastic time over the festive period at Ally Pally," he said.
"The fans, the atmosphere and the darts are unbelievable. I hope to be there on New Year's Day in the final and defend my title!"
Legendary Raymond van Barneveld is keen to pocket the mouthwatering £500,000 before he tucks away his arrows for good and the 52-year-old five time world champion starts his final PDC event against American veteran Darin Young on Saturday (December 14).
"Darts has been my life and this is my last shot at World Championship glory," he said. "Knowing millions of fans will follow my final journey in the sport on Sky Sports Darts is something special.
"I just want to prolong my stay at Ally Pally for as long as possible. Winning in my final tournament would be amazing!"
World number three Gerwyn Price, who last month retained his Grand Slam of Darts title, is one of the standout picks of the possibles to dethrone Van Gerwen as the Welshman opens his challenge against either William O'Connor or Marko Kantele next Thursday (December 19).
Other picks from round one of the 96-player tournament sees 2018 winner and current world number two Rob Cross play against either Belgian Kim Huybrechts or Geert Nentjes, last year's runner-up and world number four Michael Smith meets the winner of popular Singapore slinger Paul Lim or Luke Woodhouse while James Wade awaits either Ritchie Edhouse or Boris Koltsov.
Glen Durrant hopes to become the first man to hold both the PDC and BDO world titles in the same year and begins his quest against either Portugal's Jose De Sousa or Australian Damon Heta.
Tournament promoter Matchroom Sport supremo Barry Hearn has added an extra incentive in this year's tournament. Any player who can produce two nine-dart finishes during the tournament will earn themselves a cool £100,000 bonus prize.
"The standard of top-level darts has continued to soar this year and that's been evident in the record number of nine-darters across the circuit," said forme Leyton Orient FC chief Hearn.
"The World Championship is the perfect stage for bringing the best out of players, and this £100,000 bonus for two nine-darters is another huge incentive for a player to make history at Ally Pally."
Tickets for some sessions are still available by logging on to www.pdc.tv otherwise catch every dart thrown throughout the Sky Sport network.
2019/2020 William Hill World Darts Championship Schedule of Play below:
Friday December 13 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Jelle Klaasen v Kevin Burness (First Round)
Kim Huybrechts v Geert Nentjes (First Round)
Luke Humphries v Devon Petersen (First Round)
Michael van Gerwen v Klaasen/Burness (Second Round)
Saturday December 14
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Darius Labanauskas v Matthew Edgar (First Round)
Ryan Meikle v Yuki Yamada (First Round)
Luke Woodhouse v Paul Lim (First Round)
Jermaine Wattimena v Humphries/Petersen (Second Round)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Mark McGeeney v Matt Campbell (First Round)
Jamie Hughes v Zoran Lerchbacher (First Round)
Raymond van Barneveld v Darin Young (First Round)
Rob Cross v Huybrechts/Nentjes (Second Round)
Sunday December 15
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Kyle Anderson v Xiaochen Zong (First Round)
Ross Smith v Ciaran Teehan (First Round)
Brendan Dolan v Nitin Kumar (First Round)
Ian White v Labanauskas/Edgar (Second Round)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Arron Monk v Jose Justicia (First Round)
Andy Boulton v Danny Baggish (First Round)
James Richardson v Mikuru Suzuki (First Round)
Michael Smith v Woodhouse/Lim (Second Round)
Monday December 16 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Steve Lennon v Callan Rydz (First Round)
William O'Connor v Marko Kantele (First Round)
Vincent van der Voort v Keane Barry (First Round)
Gary Anderson v Dolan/Kumar (Second Round)
Tuesday December 17
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Ryan Searle v Robbie King (First Round)
Cristo Reyes v Lourence Ilagan (First Round)
Rowby-John Rodriguez v Noel Malicdem (First Round)
Krzysztof Ratajski v Hughes/Lerchbacher (Second Round)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Ritchie Edhouse v Boris Koltsov (First Round)
Jose De Sousa v Damon Heta (First Round)
Ted Evetts v Fallon Sherrock (First Round)
Jeffrey de Zwaan v Van Barneveld/Young (Second Round)
Wednesday December 18
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Ron Meulenkamp v Ben Robb (First Round)
Mickey Mansell v Seigo Asada (First Round)
Harry Ward v Madars Razma (First Round)
Stephen Bunting v Monk/Justicia (Second Round)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
James Wilson v Nico Kurz (First Round)
Josh Payne v Diogo Portela (First Round)
Gabriel Clemens v Benito van de Pas (First Round)
James Wade v Edhouse/Koltsov (Second Round)
Thursday December 19
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
2x First Round, 2x Second Round
Justin Pipe v Benjamin Pratnemer (First Round)
Ryan Joyce v Jan Dekker (First Round)
John Henderson v Richardson/Suzuki (Second Round)
Steve Beaton v K Anderson/Zong (Second Round)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Chris Dobey v Meulenkamp/Robb (Second Round)
Danny Noppert v Lennon/Rydz (Second Round)
Dave Chisnall v Van der Voort/Barry (Second Round)
Gerwyn Price v O'Connor/Kantele (Second Round)
Friday December 20
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
4x Second Round
Darren Webster v Meikle/Yamada (Second Round)
Mervyn King v R Smith/Teehan (Second Round)
Jonny Clayton v Joyce/Dekker (Second Round)
Ricky Evans v McGeeney/Campbell (Second Round)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Nathan Aspinall v Boulton/Baggish (Second Round)
Joe Cullen v Wilson/Kurz (Second Round)
Max Hopp v Clemens/Van de Pas (Second Round)
Peter Wright v Rodriguez/Malicdem (Second Round)
Saturday December 21
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
4x Second Round
Keegan Brown v Mansell/Asada (Second Round)
Simon Whitlock v Ward/Razma (Second Round)
Steve West v Searle/R King (Second Round)
Adrian Lewis v Reyes/Ilagan (Second Round)
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Daryl Gurney v Pipe/Pratnemer (Second Round)
Glen Durrant v De Sousa/Heta (Second Round)
Mensur Suljovic v Evetts/Sherrock (Second Round)
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Payne/Portela (Second Round)
Sunday December 22
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round
Clayton/Joyce/Dekker v Bunting/Monk/Justicia
White/Labanauskas/Edgar v Hopp/Clemens/Van de Pas
Aspinall/Boulton/Baggish v Ratajski/Hughes/Lerchbacher
Evening Session (1900)
3x Third Round
Wade/Edhouse/Koltsov v Beaton/K Anderson/Zong
Cross/Huybrechts/Nentjes v Noppert/Lennon/Rydz
Van Gerwen/Klaasen/Burness v Evans/McGeeney/Campbell
Monday December 23
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round
Cullen/Wilson/Kurz v Wattimena/Humphries/Petersen
Lewis/Reyes/Ilagan v Webster/Meikle/Yamada
M Smith/Woodhouse/Lim v Van den Bergh/Payne/Portela
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x Third Round
Chisnall/Van der Voort/Barry v De Zwaan/Van Barneveld/Young
G Anderson/Dolan/Kumar v West/Searle/R King
Wright/Rodriguez/Malicdem v Brown/Mansell/Asada
Friday December 27
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round
Whitlock/Ward/Razma v King/R Smith/Teehan
Suljovic/Evetts/Sherrock v Dobey/Meulenkamp/Robb
Gurney/Pipe/Pratnemer v Durrant/De Sousa/Heta
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
1x Third Round, 2x Fourth Round
Price/O'Connor/Kantele v Henderson/Richardson/Suzuki
Fourth Round games TBC
Saturday December 28
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Fourth Round
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x Fourth Round
Sunday December 29
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Monday December 30 (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Wednesday January 1 (1900 GMT)
Final
Format:
First Round - Best of five sets (no tie-break)
Second Round - Best of five sets
Third Round - Best of seven sets
Fourth Round - Best of seven sets
Quarter-Finals - Best of nine sets
Semi-Finals - Best of 11 sets
Final - Best of 13 sets
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