Why are the numbers on the dartboard arranged in such a way?
Whether you are an experienced darts player or a beginner, you are surely curious: Why is the dartboard designed in such a "cunning" way?
In fact, there is a deep consideration for accuracy, strategy and fun behind it. Each layout has been carefully crafted and now let's reveal the design philosophy.
Origin of the Partitioning System
The inventor of the dartboard arrangement system (1896) is said to have been a carpenter from England - Brain Gamlin .
At that time, many people, especially professional carpenters and joiners, made dartboards as a side job. Over time, this DIY activity spread throughout the north, the Midlands and the south-east of England, and darts became increasingly popular.
People made dartboards at home or in small garden sheds and then sold them to pubs to support their families.
When you combine the 20 numbers on a dartboard, there are a total of 121,645,100,408,832,000 permutations. Which permutations are the best?
A fundamental criterion is the possible large difference between each number and its neighboring numbers.
According to calculations, the maximum sum of differences is 200, while the sum of differences for the dartboard we used is 198. This means that Brian Gamlin's concept is pretty much perfect.
You are probably also asking yourself: Why is the arrangement system designed this way?
Enhance the challenge and increase the randomness of the game
Based on Brian's design concept, the dartboard is divided into twenty equal areas with the so-called single, double, triple and center circles. The main idea behind this design is to reduce the frequency and probability of lucky throws, promote accuracy and punish misses.
High-value targets are always closely linked to low-value targets, for example 1 and 5 next to 20, 3 and 2 next to 17, 4 and 1 next to 18.
So if you are aiming for 20 but miss and the dart lands in 1 or 5 then you could be penalized. (Risk and Reward System)
Increase game fun and balance game difficulty
If the numbers on the dartboard were arranged in order, then certain places would only contain low values (e.g. 1-5) and others would only contain high values (e.g. 15-20).
Then the player striving for the climax only needs to aim at the corresponding parts, because even if he misses, he still gets satisfactory points.
On the one hand, this sequential arrangement hardly reflects the difference between experienced players and beginners, and on the other hand, the difficulty level of the game becomes difficult to balance.
The current layout of the dartboard not only increases the fun of the game, but also balances the difficulty level of the game.
Is there a low risk, high scoring strategy ?
In a darts tournament, it is advisable to choose 16, 7 and 19 if you want to achieve higher scores with lower risk. These spots are more forgiving and offer players a constant opportunity to hit.
While the 20 is extremely attractive, it is also relatively risky. Focusing on the 16, 7 and 19 not only allows players to become more familiar with each throw, but also guarantees a steady improvement in performance.
Darts is a technically demanding sport. The number arrangement of the dartboard minimizes luck and makes the game more challenging. At the same time, this design also tests the players' throwing ability, accuracy and strategy.