Why does a leg start at 501? The surprisingly logical answer behind darts' most famous number

The World Matchplay is taking place at the moment in Blackpool. The tournament Is regarded as the second biggest of the year with the winner taking home an impressive £200,000 prize.

While most avid darts lovers will be glued to their screens, new emerging fans may be slightly confused by the scoring system. ‘Why does it starts at 501 and not 500?’

The answer is simple, it makes the game more difficult, meaning players have to show their skillset by aiming at different numbers and going to different routes in order to take out a finish. It makes sure players can’t just aim at the 20, hoping to take their score down quickly, it challenges skill and accuracy.

While many casual and new fans may think the sport is fairly easy by just throwing at the board, the game is extremely difficult with the mental side of it being the toughest challenge. Players must battle with their own pressures on top of fans chanting, shouting and in some cases even attempting to unfairly put certain players off by whistling.

Looking at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, there has been some outstanding matches and performances, such as James Wade and Gerwyn Price who both averages over 100 in their first two games in Blackpool. Other performances such as Luke Littler’s late comeback against Jermaine Wattimena, in which he turned over a 7-2 deficit to win 13-11.

The tournament has seen some shock results, most noticeably World No.1 Luke Humphries crashing out in the first round to high flying Dutchman Gian van Veen. MVG also crashed out early on in the second round, meaning he will not be picking up his fourth title here at Blackpool.

The final will take place on Sunday and could include big names such as Littler, Price, Clayton and Wade. All players who are ranked inside the top 12. There are always players such as Josh Rock and Andrew Gilding who will be looking to boost their rankings and really make a statement of intent with a win on one of the biggest stages in the sport.