Dave Chisnall’s first was one of the lows for experienced fans, when the St Helens thrower choked on stage during his PDC World Darts Championship debut at Alexandra Palace in 2012. In his first appearance in the tournament, the St Helens thrower produced a brilliant 4-1 second-round triumph over 16-time world champion Phil Taylor. Taylor was heralded as the greatest darts player of all time at that stage and Chisnall’s victory ranks as one of the biggest shocks ever witnessed on the Ally Pally platform.
The win immediately put Chisnall in the limelight and marked him down as one of the hottest young prospects in professional darts. He eventually made his way to the semi-finals of that tournament, proving that beating Taylor was no fluke. In the years that followed, Chisnall made a name for himself as one of the big scorers on the PDC circuit and a frequent 180 hitter. He is still one of the most popular and highly regarded professional snooker players in the world today and has had more than his share of ranking titles and major finals.
Dave Chisnall: Player Profile
| DETAIL | INFORMATION |
|---|---|
| Full name | David Chisnall |
| Nickname | Chizzy |
| Date of birth | 12 September 1980 |
| Age (2026) | 45 |
| Birthplace | St Helens, Merseyside, England |
| Current home | Morecambe, England |
| Throwing hand | Right-handed |
| Darts | 22g Harrows Signature |
| Walk-on music | Dizzy by Vic Reeves and The Wonder Stuff |
| Equipment sponsor | Harrows |
| Wife | Michaela Chisnall, who also plays darts. They met at the St Helens Darts Academy. |
| Children | Two |
| PDC Tour Card since | 2011 |
| Current PDC ranking | 25 to 26 (Order of Merit, 2026 season) |
| Peak PDC ranking | World number 5 (2017 and 2024) |
| Career prize money (current Order of Merit cycle) | £377,250 |
| PDC Pro Tour titles | 26 |
| Major final appearances | 6 (all runner-up finishes to date) |
From St Helens Pubs to the BDO: The Early Years
Dave Chisnall, who was raised in St Helens and played for a local side until he was 17 when an injury to his foot derailed that route He moved over to darts almost by accident, taking up throwing after his friend Baz invited him into a friend’s bedroom as he was short of players for his pub team. According to his own reckoning, he scored a maximum 180 on one of his earliest visits to a dartboard, an early indication of the effortless scoring prowess that would eventually mark his entire career.
His early career included games in local St Helens pubs—most notably the Church Tavern—and eventual appearances on county level. He had early success in competition, winning a number of major competitions — the British Gold Cup, the Isle of Man Open and Welsh Open BDO competitions which were on the national circuit at that point — earning himself sponsorship to allow him to play further afield.
Perhaps the highlight of his BDO career was reaching the final of 2010’s BDO World Championship, where a second place finish would be what he would achieve. The result was the most explicit indication to date, that Chisnall had outgrown the BDO structure, and perhaps deserved an opportunity to take a step onward, to join the PDC – darts’ premier professional tour.
The Move to the PDC: The Phil Taylor Shock
He made his bow on the PDC circuit in January of 2011 at PDC Q School, and won a PDC Tour Card on Day One after defeating Terry Temple 6-2 in his final qualifier. His ascendance up the tour was swift. A UK Open qualifier and his first PDC final as well, which he lost 6–5 against Michael Smith before finishing his first year on tour with reaching the World Matchplay.
The defining moment that pushed Chisnall on to the wider darting stage came at the PDC World Championship of 2012. He had only been in the tournament once previously, beating 16-time world champion Phil Taylor 4–1 in round two, one of the biggest shock results of Taylor’s career. Chisnall called it: “The top moment of my darts life so far has been beating Taylor in the 2nd round of that year world championships, early stages of my first year as a pro. Taylor was undisputed number one back then and beating him to play in a World Championship Final was a big deal, let alone actually succeeding”
Dave Chisnall Darts Career: The Major Finals
That statement victory and over 10 years of being one of the tour’s most reliable scorers hasn’t always related to massive success, with six such major televised finals coming without a title in that time for Chisnall – something one could argue has given him accolades but no glory as ‘The Best Player never to Win a Major TV Title’ (apologies if that’s unkind). He has finished as a finalist on two occasions at the PDC Masters (losing to Michael Van Gerwen) and World Grand Prix (Darryl Fitton), as well as finishing runner-up in 2014’s Grand Slam of Darts after falling to Phil Taylor by 16-13.
The deepest Eckhardt has even gotten in a World Championship event itself was at the 2021 edition, when he finished as a semi-finalist, the furthest he has ever reached in a tournament that has effectively defined his career in the nine years that have elapsed since its inception. He has also made three appearances for England at the PDC World Cup of Darts, during which he twice reached the semi-finals.
His highlight reel includes one televised nine-dart finish, a 9 darter thrown against Peter Wright at the 2015 Grand Slam of Darts and many more in non-televised Pro Tour and European Tour.
| EVENT | BEST RESULT | YEAR(S) |
|---|---|---|
| PDC World Championship | Semi-final | 2021 |
| PDC Masters | Runner-up | Twice |
| World Grand Prix | Runner-up | Twice |
| Grand Slam of Darts | Runner-up | 2014, lost to Phil Taylor 16-13 |
| PDC World Cup of Darts (England) | Semi-final | Twice, of three appearances |
| World Matchplay | Quarter-final stage and beyond | Multiple appearances |
| PDC Pro Tour titles | 26 career titles | Across more than a decade |
| European Tour titles | 8 career titles | Across multiple seasons |
| Televised nine-dart finish | 1, vs Peter Wright | 2015 Grand Slam of Darts |
Family Life: Michaela, Two Children, and a Move to Morecambe
Outside of the oche, Chisnall met his wife Michaela at St Helens Darts Academy, where she played the sport herself. The couple have two children together and now live in Morecambe, but his St Helens roots remain strong and distance hasn’t diminished his bond with the town where his darts journey started.
Local fans are still able to meet Chisnall regularly at the St Helens Darts Shop, where he is a regular and popular visitor – and they can pick up tips about their own game too. The reason Chisnall is still so popular with grassroots darts fans in the UK, a popularity that has outlasted his results by some distance, is partly down to that ongoing connection with his hometown community.
Dave Chisnall in 2026: Current Form and Ranking
Chisnall’s run at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship began with an easy 3-0 victory against Fallon Sherrock in Round One, followed by a gripping second round clash as Chisnall dug deep to rally from two sets down against Ricardo Pietreczko, only for one loose dart in a deciding leg to cost him dearly as he went on to lose 3-2. That was a microcosm of his career, marked by undeniable quality but agonising failures in the most significant moments.
Chisnall has once again been showing the heavy scoring that he has always been known for during his PDC Pro Tour campaign through to 2026, reaching the quarter-finals at the Baltic Sea Darts Open and following it with another quarter-final in Players Championship events in Milton Keynes. Currently, he has won £377,250 in prize money over the rolling two-year ranking period for around 25th to 26th on the current Order of Merit standings, a figure which places him firmly inside the range of players who are expected to continue making regular appearances at PDC televised events and major ranking tournaments.
At 45, Chisnall remains one of the most enduring and reliable names in the tour, a player who by his own admission lacks that elusive major title from an empty trophy cabinet but whose record — 26 Pro Tour titles, eight European Tour titles,s ix major finals as well as taking a scalp from Phil Taylor at his debut World Championship — secures a place for him as one of England’s leading arrowsmiths.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Dave Chisnall in darts?
Dave Chisnall (born 1980), known by the nickname of ‘Chizzy’, an English professional darts player from St Helens, competing in the PDC circuit. He was born 12 September 1980, having achieved his highest world ranking of number five in history and winning 26 PDC Pro Tour titles and eight European Tour titles as well as six major televised finals without yet winning one of the sports’ biggest prizes.
When did Dave Chisnall beat Phil Taylor?
In just his second-ever appearance in the tournament in his first year as a full-time PDC professional, Dave Chisnall defeated Phil Taylor 4–1 in the PDC World Championship second round in 2012. Chisnall has since claimed it is the highlight of his darting career, considering Taylor was at the top end of his powers at this stage.
Did Dave Chisnall win a major darts title?
No. Dave Chisnall is another player who faced a long road just to make six major televised finals with two for the PDC Masters and two at World Grand Prix level along with a runner-up finish in the 2014 Grand Slam of Darts but no major PDC televised title yet. Add in 26 Pro Tour titles and 8 non-major European Tour events.
Where is Dave Chisnall from?
Dave Chisnall born 2 September 1980 (age 43), in St Helens, Merseyside, England. Chisnall grew up in St. Helens and began playing darts in local pubs, including the Church Tavern. He still has strong ties to St Helens and still visits the St Helens Darts Shop; however, he soon moved to Morecambe with his wife, Michaela, and his two children.
Chizzy: Still Throwing, Still Loved
Fans of Dave Chisnall in St Helens and across the UK have seen him go from a pub dart thrower with a bunged up toe to a man who beat Phil Taylor in his first World Championship season, won 26 PDC titles and been to six major finals but never quite got one. Still hitting 180s by the dozen and still holding a place in the world’s top 30 at 45, he also makes his way back to meet fans at the St Helens Darts Shop where so many of them saw him start, and he’s one of the few players from modern PDC times that it seems it’s impossible not to like. That marquee title may still be missing. The rest of the career is already locked in.
Also read about: Ricardo Pietreczko: Darts, Age, Ranking, Net Worth, Wife, Parents, and More