According to some, the game of Darts evolved from throwing spears or shooting arrows. Hand arrows (known as “dartes”) were a useful weapon in medieval times and it is quite natural that soldiers would develop a game from it, perhaps taking aim at barrels or other wooden objects.

Eventually, in the late 19th century, it became a standardized indoor target game (and sport) that is played by throwing feathered metal darts at a circular “clock-face” board with numbered spaces and a specific board design. Better dartboards are nowadays usually made from sisal fibers, low quality boards sometimes from coiled paper, and synthetic boards are also available. In the past, dartboards used to be made of cork, bristle, or elmwood – even (for a short while) from plasticine.

A regulation dartboard is 47.08cm (17¾”) in diameter and divided into 20 equal sectors valued at points from 1 to 20. Six concentric rings, ranging from an inner bull’s-eye to a narrow outermost ring, determine scoring. Each section is separated with metal wire or a thin band of sheet metal.

In the standard game, the dartboard is hung so that the bullseye is 5ft 8in (1.7m) from the floor. The official throwing distance in most countries is 7ft 9.25in. (2.37m) from the face of the dartboard, though variations extend up to 9ft (2.75m).

The two world wars of the 20th century, when soldiers had a lot of time to kill, helped to popularize the game of Darts. Afterwards, television introduced the game and, eventually, sport to many more. Today, Darts is played both as a friendly game and professionally in many countries around the world. In Britain, Darts is normally played in pubs.

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