BACK IN THE DAY WITH: Magnus Caris, best known for that missed World Championship opportunity against Bobby George
PDC
In this feature, we look back at the career of a darts player. Today, we turn our attention to Sweden's Magnus Caris. For younger generations of darts fans, the name Magnus Caris may not be particularly familiar, but the Swede enjoyed a remarkable career. Caris competed at the highest level of the darts world for many years and experienced plenty of memorable moments in both the BDO and, later, the PDC.
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His career took him to World Championships, World Masters tournaments, the UK Open, the Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championships and multiple World Cups of Darts.
Caris made a total of seven appearances at the BDO World Championship. His debut came in 1988, when he lost to American Rick Ney in the first round. Two years later, he showed that he was capable of much more. In 1990, he reached the quarter-finals by defeating Antero Rantala and Brian Cairns. However, Eric Bristow proved too strong in the last eight.
A semi-final Caris would never forget
Four years later, Caris produced his greatest BDO achievement. On his way to the semi-finals, he defeated Wayne Weening, Leo Laurens and Martin Adams. That earned him a meeting with Bobby George, who at the time was one of the sport's most popular players.
George was suffering from severe back problems ahead of the semi-final, but nevertheless made a strong start. Caris fell 2-0 behind in sets but refused to give up. The Swede fought back impressively and then won four sets in a row. Suddenly, he was 2-0 up in legs in the seventh set and the final was within reach.
In the third leg, Caris even had a huge chance to decide the match. He had one dart at double 18 for a spectacular 141 finish. However, he missed the opportunity. What happened next completely changed the complexion of the match. George won nine consecutive legs and managed to turn the match around. Caris eventually lost 5-4 in sets.
It was a painful defeat, but at the same time it established his name as a player capable of competing with the very best on the biggest stage.
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Also successful at the World Masters
The BDO World Championship was not the only major tournament where Caris made his mark. The Swede played at the Winmau World Masters five times. His best result came in 1992, when he reached the semi-finals.
To get there, Caris had to eliminate several big names. He defeated John Lowe, Eric Bristow and Martin Adams in succession. That put him up against Mike Gregory in the semi-finals. Gregory eventually brought the Swede's run to an end.
Caris remained involved in televised darts even after his time at the very top. In 2009, he returned to the World Masters stage. There, he lost in the last 16 to defending champion Martin Adams.
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The move to the PDC
At the end of the 2000s, Caris made the switch to the PDC. His first PDC World Championship came at the end of 2009, for the 2010 edition. In the preliminary round, he made short work of Francisco Ruiz. The Swede won 4-0, but a much tougher challenge awaited him in the first round in the form of Colin Lloyd. Caris came up short against the Englishman.
A year later, he was back at the World Championship. This time, he first had to overcome Dietmar Burger in the preliminary round. Caris survived several match darts from the Austrian and eventually won 4-3. In the first round of the main tournament, he was then drawn against Mervyn King, against whom he lost.
At the beginning of 2011, Caris had another important opportunity to establish himself within the PDC. At Q-School, he managed to secure a Tour Card by reaching the semi-finals on the second day. That earned him a place on the PDC circuit.
Magnus Caris reached the semi-finals of the 1994 BDO World Championship
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Narrowly missing out on a shock against Peter Hudson
One of his most notable performances that year came at the UK Open. Caris defeated Kevin McDine in the first round before facing Peter Hudson. The Swede made an excellent start and raced into a 3-0 lead.
However, Hudson fought his way back into the match and forced a deciding leg. The Englishman then struck with a ten-darter. It was a particularly painful elimination for Caris, as he had missed no fewer than eight match darts. That included an opportunity to finish the match with a 164 checkout via the bullseye.
Later that year, Caris also qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts. He reached the final of the qualifying tournament and therefore earned a place at the prestigious event. In the group stage, he won one match, but two defeats meant he finished third in his group.
New opportunities in the PDC
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Caris remained active on the international circuit in 2012. At the World Championship, he faced Steve Beaton in the first round. The Swede appeared to be heading for victory after taking a 2-0 lead. He also had three darts to close out the match in straight sets.
He failed to do so. Beaton fought his way back into the match and Caris eventually lost 3-2. The Swede struggled to adapt to the conditions and the noisy atmosphere.
Later that year, Caris represented Sweden again at the World Cup of Darts, alongside Dennis Nilsson. Sweden defeated Japan but were eliminated in the second round after a 3-1 defeat to Belgium.
Caris also made his mark on the European Tour. He qualified for events in Berlin and Düsseldorf. On both occasions, he lost in the first round, against Terry Jenkins and James Wade respectively. He also competed at the European Championship, where Phil Taylor was his opponent. Caris lost 6-3 but produced an average of 90.
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World Championship qualification via the European Order of Merit
The year 2012 ultimately produced an important achievement for Caris. He finished sixth on the European Order of Merit and thereby secured qualification for the 2013 World Championship.
In London, he faced Robert Thornton. It proved to be a particularly difficult match for Caris. He lost 3-0 in sets and managed to win just one leg. After the tournament, he was ranked 44th in the world.
Nevertheless, 2013 brought a number of good results. During a UK Open Qualifier, Caris reached the quarter-finals. Along the way, he defeated the likes of Simon Whitlock and Andy Smith before Jamie Caven ended his run.
The Swede also impressed on the Scandinavian Pro Tour. He won two tournaments that year and finished third on the Order of Merit.
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Strong run at a Players Championship
One of the best PDC results of Caris' career came in March 2014. At the fourth Players Championship event, Caris reached the semi-finals.
His route to the last four was impressive. He defeated Nigel Heydon, Peter Hudson, Justin Pipe, Adam Hunt and Stephen Bunting. Only Ian White was able to stop him. White won 6-4.
It meant Caris had reached the semi-finals of a Players Championship for only the second time in his PDC career.
He also remained active at international team level. At the 2014 World Cup of Darts, he formed the Swedish team alongside Peter Sajwani. In the second round, both players lost their singles matches to Peter Wright and Robert Thornton respectively, resulting in Sweden's elimination.
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Another PDC Tour Card in 2015
At the beginning of 2015, Caris once again secured a PDC Tour Card through Q-School. He reached the required round on the fourth day and was given another two-year opportunity on the professional circuit.
The year began promisingly. At the first Players Championship event, he reached the quarter-finals, where he narrowly lost 6-5 to James Wade.
Caris also remained successful on the Scandinavian Pro Tour. He reached two finals and also won a Russian event. In the final, he defeated Per Laursen 6-3.
He also qualified for the European Championship through SDC qualifying. In the main event, he lost 6-2 to Simon Whitlock in the first round.
Magnus Caris in action
Final years as a professional
Caris remained active on the Scandinavian Tour in 2016. He reached two finals at the beginning of the year but was unable to win either. However, he reached the third round of the UK Open for the first time that year. John Henderson proved too strong, winning 9-4.
Later in the year, Caris did win a title on the Scandinavian Tour. He defeated Cor Dekker 6-4 to add another tournament victory to his record.
At the 2017 World Championship, Adrian Lewis was his opponent. Caris had an opportunity to level the match but missed one dart for the set. Lewis took advantage and eventually won 3-0.
A few months later, however, Caris produced another of the finest results of his later career. At the 2017 Gibraltar Darts Trophy, he reached the quarter-finals of a European Tour event. He defeated Dyson Parody, Jelle Klaasen and Benito van de Pas in succession. In the quarter-finals, he lost 6-3 to Mensur Suljovic.
Magnus Caris' World Championship results
| Year | Organisation | Result | Opponent | Score |
| 1988 | BDO | First round | Rick Ney | 1–3 |
| 1989 | BDO | Second round | Mike Gregory | 0–3 |
| 1990 | BDO | Quarter-finals | Eric Bristow | 1–4 |
| 1991 | BDO | First round | Dennis Priestley | 0–3 |
| 1992 | BDO | First round | Phil Taylor | 1–3 |
| 1994 | BDO | Semi-finals | Bobby George | 4–5 |
| 1995 | BDO | First round | Kevin Painter | 2–3 |
| 2010 | PDC | First round | Colin Lloyd | 1–3 |
| 2011 | PDC | First round | Mervyn King | 0–3 |
| 2012 | PDC | First round | Steve Beaton | 2–3 |
| 2013 | PDC | First round | Robert Thornton | 0–3 |
| 2017 | PDC | First round | Adrian Lewis | 0–3 |
A career spanning more than three decades
After several more years on the professional circuit, Caris decided to bring his career to an end in 2019. He announced that the 2019 World Cup of Darts would be his final tournament.
On 8 June 2019, he played his final match as a professional darts player. Representing Sweden, he faced Gary Anderson. Caris lost his singles match 4-0. His Swedish team-mate then also lost, meaning Scotland, represented by Peter Wright and Anderson, won 2-0.
That officially brought an end to a career spanning more than three decades.
From his first appearance at the BDO World Championship in 1988 to his final match for Sweden in 2019, Caris enjoyed a long and varied career. He experienced the transition from the BDO to the PDC, played against legends such as Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Phil Taylor, James Wade, Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, and appeared several times on the biggest stages in darts.
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His 1994 semi-final against Bobby George undoubtedly remains one of the most remarkable chapters. Caris was on the verge of reaching the BDO final, only to see a huge opportunity for a historic victory slip away. At the same time, however, the match proved that the Swede could compete with the absolute elite.
Although Caris never won a world title, he produced surprises at various points throughout his career. His BDO World Championship semi-final, World Masters run, Players Championship semi-final, European Tour quarter-final and numerous appearances for Sweden combine to form an impressive record.
Magnus Caris ultimately left professional darts without a world title, but with a career that holds a special place in the history of Swedish darts.
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Assuming you qualify as one of the "muppets" in question. Classist too. And since you're so clearly interested in academia, look up "linguistic descriptivism" while you're at it. Oh, and better stay away from the working class sport of darts and maybe offer your insightful analysis to, let's say, croquet instead?Deduce635806-10-2026
- The consequences of being uneducated and grammatically challenged. "To all THOSE muppets not THEM " Everytime I see Arsepinall, I have an image of him wearing a cap, standing behind the counter of a fast food establishment.richieburnettrocks05-10-2026
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- I believe he has it in him to qualify for the Worlds as he consistently wins matches, even if it is only one or two at a time, although his recent PC quarter-final run was somewhat encouraging in that regard. I think there is a lot of pressure for him to retire, people in the media accusing him of tarnishing his legacy. I think that is a ridiculous line of thinking. How ungrateful it is to attach terms and conditions to the amazing moments he has provided us over the course of his career. What position are we in to dictate to him how he should manage his career when it is he who achieved those successes in the first place? What's more, this is his life and the passion that sustains it, it is not for us to decide when his career is over when it is he who must bear the genuine ramifications of that decision. Since I'm sure money is not a concern, the only question on which the decision should rest is whether he truly continues to enjoy competing. He has retired once before, but the desire to compete is what brought him back. We see a lot of negative body language and he does genuinely look miserable when he is not playing well, but only he will know when he wakes up the next day whether he wants to go and do it all over again. If he wants to compete, he should, it's as simple as that, this is a decision that should not involve anyone else but him and his family. He should not retire to indulge the whims of the media or the public. What satisfaction would he receive by being forced into retirement? What closure would it bring to such a brilliant career? When Phil Taylor decided to retire, his decision was final and resolute. I believe RvB needs to get to this point himself, no matter how many 70 averages it might take. We see the likes of John Part continue to compete on a regular basis well past his prime, I say more power to him, and who knows, further glory could be around the corner, it's darts after all, you just never know. Sometimes I worry that RvB is acutely aware of the clamour for him to retire and that this pressure may even have an impact on his performances as he begins to question whether there is even a place for him in darts anymore, further compounding his poor form and creating a vicious loop. Perhaps to take his future into his own hands would provide him with a levity and freedom that would lend itself to better performances, not to mention an improved wellbeing. In any case, it is under these conditions that one can clear-headedly and definitively settle an issue so profound as retirement, not when you feel you're being rushed out the door. If his performances can no longer sustain his presence on the tour, so be it; as it stands his card seems safe for this year but is in serious jeopardy next year. He could always allow himself to drop off the tour naturally rather than forfeiting his place in the top 64, this could provide a sense of finality while offering a route back through Q-School if he so desired; after all, he's done it before. In conclusion, I just hope that RvB can play - or not play - for his own sake, rather than anyone else's, so that when the time comes he can be in no doubt as to his decision, leaving no lingering questions, so that he can reflect with no regret or uncertainty on the marvelous career he has had.Deduce635826-09-2026
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