History of Playing Darts
Darts has it's history largely based within England, where it has been played as a traditional game (especially within pubs) for a good many years. The rise in it's popularity has lead to the development of professional and competitive teams across the world over the years.
There are a number of variations on the dartboard which have been used over the years. However, the first dartboard designs were thought to have been based on the cross-section of a tree. There is much speculation that the game developed from soldiers throwing short arrows at these stumps, and devising their own scoring system according to the 'section's that were created from the cracks which formed wood as it dried out.
Darts is somewhat unusual in how little is known about its evolution as a sport. Whereas games like poker can be seen to developed in set stages over the years, the game of darts has evolved very gradually, and stayed remarkably true to its origins.
It is also thought that manufactured dartboards first developed from woodworkers looking to supplement their bar tabs - hence why this soon became a popular activity in pubs and bars. Of course, there were a number of regional variations to be see, but in 1986 Lancashire carpenter Brian Gamlin created a standardised board which would perhaps have been the first board to closely resemble the in common use today. It is generally regarded as one of the most efficient designs in penalise a player for inaccurate throwing.
As this game has further developed, there have been several variations to both the standard dartboard, as well as the rules of the game. The first professional darts organisation - the British Darts Organisation - was founded in 1973. The BDO continue to holds a number of tournaments itself, as well as functioning as part of the World Darts Federation, which was founded in 1976.
