Dave Chisnall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dave Chisnall
Chisnall in 2019
Personal information
Full name	David Chisnall
Nickname	"Chizzy"
Born	(1980-09-12) 12 September 1980 (age 44) St Helens, England
Home town	Morecambe, England
Darts information
Playing darts since	1997
Darts	22g Harrows Signature
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	"Dizzy" by Vic Reeves and The Wonder Stuff (TV events) "Johnny Däpp" by Dominik de Leon and Matthias Distel (European Tour events)
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	2007–2011
PDC	2011– (Tour Card: 2011–)
Current world ranking	9 (8 July 2021)
BDO majors – best performances
World Ch'ship	Runner Up: 2010
World Masters	Last 40: 2010
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'ship	Semi Final: 2021
World Matchplay	Quarter Final: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
World Grand Prix	Runner Up: 2013, 2019
Grand Slam	Runner Up: 2014
Premier League	Semi Final: 2015
European Ch'ship	Quarter Final: 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022
UK Open	Semi Final: 2012
Players Ch'ship Finals	Runner Up: 2016
Masters	Runner Up: 2016, 2022
Champions League	Group Stage: 2017, 2018
World Series Finals	Semi Final: 2016, 2019
Other tournament wins
BDO Champions Cup 2010 BDO Gold Cup 2007 BDO International Grand Prix 2009 BDO British Open 2009 England National Championships 2008 Isle of Man Open 2008 Wales Masters 2009 European Tour Events (x8) Baltic Sea Darts Open 2023 Belgian Darts Open 2022 Danish Darts Open 2019 Dutch Darts Championship 2023 European Darts Open 2024 Flanders Darts Trophy 2024 German Darts Championship 2013 Hungarian Darts Trophy 2023 Players Championships (x18) Players Championship (Barnsley) (x9) 2012, 2013 (x2), 2015 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023 (x2) Players Championship (Crawley) (x4) 2011, 2012 (x3) Players Championship (Hildesheim) 2024 Players Championship (Leicester) 2024 Players Championship (Reading) 2012 Players Championship (Wigan) 2019 (x2)
Other achievements
2012 Best PDC Newcomer 2013, 2023, 2024 PDC Pro Tour Player of the Year

David Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player. He plays in events organized by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He is known by his nickname "Chizzy".

Chisnall started his career in the British Darts Organisation (BDO). He was the runner-up in the 2010 BDO World Championship. A year later, he joined the PDC. Since then, he has won 26 ranking PDC titles. He has also reached six major TV event finals. Chisnall has played in the Premier League four times. He represented England at the PDC World Cup three times, reaching the semi-finals twice.

He has been a runner-up twice at both the PDC Masters and the World Grand Prix. His best result at the PDC World Championship was reaching the semi-finals in 2021.

Chisnall's Darts Journey

Starting Out in Darts

Chisnall grew up in St Helens. He played football until he was 17, but then broke his foot. After that, he started playing darts. He even hit a perfect 180 on his very first try!

His first big BDO event was the 2004 Welsh Open. In 2007, he won the BDO Gold Cup. He beat Mike Veitch and Matthew Quinlan to win that title. In 2008, Chisnall won the Isle of Man Open. He defeated famous players like Ted Hankey and Gary Robson. After beating Hankey, Hankey told him he should become a professional darts player. Chisnall also won the England National Championship that year.

He qualified for the 2009 BDO World Championship. He played a tough match against Martin Adams, losing 5-3.

Breaking Through in the BDO

In September 2009, Chisnall won two titles in a row. He won the Welsh Masters and the British Open. These wins helped him finish at the top of the BDO International Grand Prix Series.

He reached the final of the 2010 World Championship. He beat top players like Darryl Fitton and Tony West. He made an amazing comeback from 4-1 down to beat defending champion Ted Hankey 5-4. In the semi-finals, he came back again to beat Tony O'Shea 6-3. In the final, he lost 7-5 to Martin Adams.

Chisnall played in the 2010 Grand Slam of Darts. He won his first match but then lost two games and was out of the tournament. In the 2011 BDO World Darts Championship, he lost in the second round to Gary Robson.

Joining the PDC

In January 2011, Chisnall joined the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He earned a special "tour card" on his first day. He even hit a perfect nine-dart finish in his first PDC event in Germany.

He reached his first PDC final at a UK Open Qualifier. He lost a close match to Michael Smith. He hit another nine-darter in a later qualifier. Chisnall also reached the semi-finals and finals of other Players Championship events. These results helped him qualify for the World Matchplay in his first year.

At the 2011 UK Open, he reached the quarter-finals. He beat Richard North and Ronnie Baxter with high scores. He then lost to Wes Newton. Chisnall won his first PDC title at a Players Championship event in Crawley. He beat Justin Pipe 6-4 in the final.

Highlights of 2012

Chisnall started his first PDC World Championship in 2012 by beating Mark Dudbridge 3-0. He then played against 15-time World Champion Phil Taylor. Chisnall played incredibly well and won 4-1. He then lost to Andy Hamilton in the next round. Because of his great year, he was named PDC Best Newcomer.

He continued his strong form in 2012. He reached several finals and won three Players Championship titles in a row. He beat Phil Taylor again, winning 6-5. He also won another Players Championship by beating Ian White. His fifth title came against Justin Pipe.

Chisnall reached his first major PDC semi-final at the 2012 UK Open. He lost to Robert Thornton. He also reached two European Tour finals, but lost both. He won his fifth Players Championship title of the year in Crawley. He finished the year as the number one seed for the 2012 Players Championship Finals.

2013 Season

In the 2013 World Championship, Chisnall lost a close match to Simon Whitlock. He reached the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay for the first time. He beat Paul Nicholson and Jamie Caven.

In September, Chisnall won his first title of the year at the German Darts Championship. He won many close matches and then beat Steve Beaton and Peter Wright in the final. He called this win a highlight of his career. He also won another Players Championship title soon after.

At the World Grand Prix, Chisnall reached his first major PDC final. He played an amazing match against Michael van Gerwen, hitting ten 180s. He then beat Justin Pipe to reach the final. In the final, he played Phil Taylor and lost 6-0. Even though he lost, reaching the final was a big achievement.

2014 Season

Chisnall had an early exit from the 2014 World Championship. He lost a deciding set to John Henderson. Despite this, he was invited to play in the Premier League for the first time. He finished seventh in the league.

At the World Matchplay, he reached the quarter-finals for the second year in a row. He lost a close game to Michael van Gerwen. He also reached the quarter-finals of the European Championship and the Masters.

Chisnall reached his second major PDC final at the Grand Slam. He topped his group and then beat Robbie Green and Keegan Brown. In the semi-final, he beat Kim Huybrechts. He faced Phil Taylor again in the final. Chisnall fought back from a big deficit but eventually lost 16-13.

2015 Season

In the 2015 World Championship, Chisnall lost in the second round to Benito van de Pas. In the Premier League, he played very well. He had high averages, including a personal best of 114.17 against James Wade. He reached the semi-finals but lost a very close match to Gary Anderson.

He won a Players Championship title in 2015, beating Ian White. He reached the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay for the third year in a row. He also reached the final of the 2015 European Darts Matchplay, but lost to Michael van Gerwen. Chisnall hit his first televised nine-dart finish at the Grand Slam.

2016 Season

Chisnall's 2016 World Championship match against Peter Wright was very close. Chisnall missed a match dart and eventually lost 4-3. He reached the final of the Masters, but lost to Michael van Gerwen. This was his third major PDC final loss.

He reached the finals of two European Tour events, but lost both. He won his first title of 2016 at a Players Championship. He reached the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay for the fourth year in a row. He also reached the final of the 2016 Perth Darts Masters, losing to Van Gerwen. Chisnall reached his fourth major final at the 2016 Players Championship Finals, but again lost to Michael van Gerwen.

2017 Season

In the 2017 World Championship, Chisnall reached the quarter-finals for the first time. He played against Gary Anderson in a thrilling match. Chisnall hit 21 maximum 180s, which was a record at the time. He lost the match 5-3.

Chisnall played for England at the 2017 World Cup. He and Adrian Lewis reached the semi-finals, but lost to the Dutch team.

2019 Season

Chisnall at the 2019 European Darts Matchplay

In the World Championship, Chisnall reached the quarter-finals. He beat Kim Huybrechts and Jamie Lewis without losing a set. He then lost to Gary Anderson.

At the 2019 World Grand Prix, Chisnall had a fantastic run. He beat top players like Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall, and Glen Durrant to reach the final. However, he was defeated by Michael van Gerwen in the final.

2021 Season

Chisnall reached the semi-finals of the 2021 World Championship. This was his best performance at the World Championship. He was again defeated by Gary Anderson.

2022 Season

In 2022, Chisnall reached the final of the Masters. He lost to Joe Cullen in a close match.

He won a European Tour event, the 2022 Belgian Darts Open. He beat Nathan Aspinall, José de Sousa, and Danny Noppert. He even hit a nine-dart finish in the semi-final against Noppert. Chisnall won the final against Andrew Gilding.

2023 Season

In the 2023 World Championship, Chisnall won his first match against Andrew Gilding. He then lost in the third round to Stephen Bunting.

2024 Season

Chisnall reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 World Championship. He lost to the eventual winner, Luke Humphries.

At the 2024 UK Open, he reached the sixth round. He played against Luke Littler and lost. Chisnall won two Players Championship titles in 2024. He also won two European Tour titles, the European Darts Open and the Flanders Darts Trophy. This made him one of only four players to win eight European Tour titles.

2025 Season

At the 2025 World Championship, Chisnall lost his first match in a very close "sudden death" leg to Ricky Evans.

Personal Life

Dave Chisnall met his wife, Michaela, who also plays darts, in 2008. They got married on 14 January 2017. They have a daughter named Lexie Rose, born in September 2011. In October 2021, they welcomed their son, Parker Owen. Chisnall is from St Helens but now lives in Morecambe.

Career Finals

BDO Major Finals: 1 (1 Runner-up)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	2010	World Championship	Martin Adams	5–7 (s)

PDC Major Finals: 6 (6 Runners-up)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	2013	World Grand Prix	Phil Taylor	0–6 (s)
Runner-up	2.	2014	Grand Slam	Phil Taylor	13–16 (l)
Runner-up	3.	2016	Masters	Michael van Gerwen	6–11 (l)
Runner-up	4.	2016	Players Championship Finals	Michael van Gerwen	3–11 (l)
Runner-up	5.	2019	World Grand Prix	Michael van Gerwen	2–5 (s)
Runner-up	6.	2022	Masters	Joe Cullen	9–11 (l)

PDC World Series Finals: 2 (2 Runners-up)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	2016	Perth Darts Masters	Michael van Gerwen	4–11 (l)
Runner-up	2.	2017	Shanghai Darts Masters	Michael van Gerwen	0–8 (l)

World Championship Results

BDO World Championship

• 2009: First round (lost to Martin Adams 2–3)
• 2010: Runner-up (lost to Martin Adams 5–7)
• 2011: Second round (lost to Gary Robson 1–4)

PDC World Championship

• 2012: Third round (lost to Andy Hamilton 0–4)
• 2013: Third round (lost to Simon Whitlock 3–4)
• 2014: First round (lost to John Henderson 2–3)
• 2015: Second round (lost to Benito van de Pas 2–4)
• 2016: Third round (lost to Peter Wright 3–4)
• 2017: Quarter-finals (lost to Gary Anderson 3–5)
• 2018: First round (lost to Vincent van der Voort 0–3)
• 2019: Quarter-finals (lost to Gary Anderson 2–5)
• 2020: Third round (lost to Jeffrey de Zwaan 3–4)
• 2021: Semi-finals (lost to Gary Anderson 3–6)
• 2022: Third round (withdrew – COVID-19)
• 2023: Third round (lost to Stephen Bunting 2–4)
• 2024: Quarter-finals (lost to Luke Humphries 1–5)
• 2025: Second round (lost to Ricky Evans 2–3)

Nine-Dart Finishes

A nine-dart finish is when a player completes a game of 501 in the fewest possible throws, which is nine.

Dave Chisnall Televised Nine-Dart Finishes

Date	Opponent	Tournament	Method	Prize
8 November 2015	Peter Wright	Grand Slam of Darts	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12	£30,000

High Averages

A high average means a player scored a lot of points per turn.

Dave Chisnall Televised High Averages

Average	Date	Opponent	Tournament	Stage	Score
114.17	9 April 2015	James Wade	2015 Premier League	League	7–1 (l)
112.94	5 November 2016	Kim Huybrechts	2016 World Series of Darts Finals	Round 2	6–4 (l)