Darts is a quirky sport in many ways – not least because you don't exactly have to be at the peak of physical fitness to be a world-beater.

It's also different in the sense that, unlike other sports, the darts gods don't seem to be a fan of round numbers. Considering how the game is scored and the accuracy with which the game's top players throw, it is unsurprising to see why each leg begins with both players on 501.

Even then, a few well-placed arrows can see a player pull off a much-loved nine-darter – which fans are still waiting for at the current World Championship – where they win the leg without having to break into double figures in terms of the number of darts thrown.

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The is, of course, a reason why the number is 501 rather than its nice round neighbour just one point below. It is not simply to irritate those who prefer everything in their lives to be nice and neat and tidy, it is to add a layer of difficulty to the game.

If each leg began with players on 500, all they would conceivably need to do would be to keep aiming at the 20 to score without having to travel around the board.

Having the scores start at 501 and making players hit a double to win a leg, they need to score at least one odd number before checking out, making it trickier.

That seems simple enough but even now it seems not everyone is aware of why the scoring system is in place. Even now, there are people asking that very question online, causing darts fans everywhere to groan in exasperation.

Several of them gave detailed responses to the question, while one fan even went further to explain that the game wasn't always played with 501 as the starting score.

"For what it's worth, before the professional circuit started, the normal game was 301," they explained. "Double start, double finish – no score until you hit a double!"

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Considering how talented those at the top of the sport are, one darts aficionado suggested the idea of possibly raising the starting number to 1001, as is sometimes the case in team matches.

But, as they themselves admitted, lengthier legs could make the action boring for viewers, especially considering there are times when even some of the best have trouble checking out.

Jose de Sousa's numerous counting mishaps, including a corker at the 2023 tournament when he tried to check out on his opponent's score, is a case in point.

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