As we head towards the end of the year and the World Championships for the different darts organisations, which take place around Christmas and New Year each year, this week we have one of the more unusual and yet exciting tournaments of the darting calendar taking place, the Grand Slam of Darts 2020.

32 players have earned a spot in this tournament which is being played at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry this year. The players are split into eight groups, each group led by one of the top eight seeds in the tournament. The players then face off against each other in the group stage before the top two players move into the second round of the tournament. From this stage on, it is a straight knockout through to the final.

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Let’s now take a look at the Grand Slam of Darts 2020 by exploring a little more about this unique tournament and why it is rated so highly by so many darts fans around the world.

What is the Grand Slam of Darts 2020?

The Grand Slam of Darts has become famous as the ‘unofficial” World Championship of darts as it allows top players from both the PDC and BDO to compete, and recently we have also seen top female darts stars competing two (including two this year).

The tournament features 32 players, with the top eight seeds from the PDC placed into one of eight groups and the remaining 24 players drawn into those groups. In the group stage, players play each other once and the top two players from each group will move forward into the knockout phase.

The Knockout phase begins with a second round which is a best of 19 game and from the quarterfinals onwards, the tournament is played out over a best of 31 format for the remaining games.

Phil Taylor has won the most Grand Slam of Darts events with six followed by Michael van Gerwen with three and then Gerwyn Price with two. Two players, Raymond van Barneveld and the only BDO Champion, Scott Waites, have won the tournament once. PDC players have won 13 of the 14 tournaments contested and Scott Waites is the only BDO player to reach the final, doing so twice, losing to Phil Taylor in 2009 before winning against James Wade in 2010.

James Wade and Gary Anderson are the only players to have qualified for all 14 tournaments since it began back in 2007. This year’s prize money is £550,000 with the winner picking up a cheque for £125,000 and the runner up taking home £65,000.

Let’s now take a look at the draws for the Group Stage for the tournament.

Groups for the Grand Slam of Darts 2020

Group A

  • Michael van Gerwen (1) (Hol)
  • Joe Cullen (Eng)
  • Gabriel Clemens (Ger)
  • Adam Hunt (Eng)

Group B

  • Gary Anderson (8) (Sco)
  • Simon Whitlock (Aus)
  • Ryan Searle (Eng)
  • Adam Gawlas (Cze)

Group C

  • Michael Smith (4) (Eng)
  • Krzysztof Ratajski (Pol)
  • Jose de Sousa (Por)
  • Lisa Ashton (Eng)

Group D

  • Rob Cross (5) (Eng)
  • Dave Chisnall (Eng)
  • Luke Humphries (Eng)
  • Justin Pipe (Eng)

Group E

  • Peter Wright (2) (Sco)
  • Ian White (Eng)
  • Devon Petersen (S.Af)
  • Dirk van Duijvenbode (Hol)

Group F

  • James Wade (7) (Eng)
  • Glen Durrant (Eng)
  • Jermaine Wattimena (Hol)
  • Damon Heta (Aus)

Group G

  • Gerwyn Price (3) (Wal)
  • Jonny Clayton (Wal)
  • Ryan Joyce (Eng)
  • Mikuru Suzuki (Jap)

Group H

  • Nathan Aspinall (6) (Eng)
  • Dmitri Van den Bergh (Bel)
  • Ricky Evans (Eng)
  • Wayne Warren (Wal)

The Group Stages will be completed between the 16th and 19th November with the Second round matched on the 20th and 21st November. The quarterfinals on the 22nd November, semis on the 23rd and the final takes place on the 24th November.

Which Players are the bookies favourites to win the Grand Slam of Darts 2020?

Given the somewhat open nature of the 2020 darts season so far, the bookies do not have any one particular player as their clear favourite. Bet365 does have Gerwyn Price a 7/2 shot to win his third Grand Slam of Darts title in a row, but Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright are also short priced options both at 4/1.

Of the outsiders for the event, the in-form Nathan Aspinall is 11/1, with Glen Durrant, Michael Smith and Gary Anderson all rated at 16/1. The two female competitors are amongst the outsiders with Lisa Ashton a 500/1 shot and Mikuru Suzuki a 750/1 shot.

While Price, van Gerwen or Wright are probably the smart picks, I do think Glen Durrant’s form of late has been better and he looks ready to win again. This type of tournament with legs format does suit him and I think at 16/1, he is a great value bet.