PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts

The first PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts in 2007 saw champions from both of darts’ codes come together to do battle at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.

Finalists from major tournaments staged by the Professional Darts Corporation and the BDO/WDF over a two-year period qualify for invitations to take part in the Grand Slam of Darts, which is held over nine days live on ITV Sport.

The 32 competitors are pooled into eight groups of four players, which compete in a round-robin format before the top two players progress to the knockout last 16.

Play then continues in Wolverhampton, where the remaining players compete for the title. Phil Taylor took the crown as darts’ Champion of Champions in the contest’s first two years: he defeated Stoke’s Andy Hamilton in the 2007 final, with Terry Jenkins the runner-up in 2008.

The tournament also features the unique ITV Wildcard Qualifier, a knockout event which gives any player the chance to enter and win a place in the main event – youngster Kevin McDine coming through this route in 2007 before reaching the semi-finals in his first major championship.

As well as featuring the respective mens World Champions, the Grand Slam of Darts also gives a chance for the Women’s World Champion to compete against the top male stars in the sport, with Francis Hoenselaar and Anastasia Dobromyslova set to take part in 2009.