"Darts is one of those sports that can really punish you" – 'Ally Pally or Bust' for Dave Chisnall as disappointing 2025 culminates in Grand Slam absence

Dave Chisnall has never been one for excuses, but even he’s admitting that 2025 has felt a little cursed. The five-time major finalist has endured a season of near misses, missed doubles, and brutal defeats — the kind that leave even the best questioning what more they can do.

Writing in his kwiff column this week, Chisnall laid bare his frustrations after falling short in qualifying for the Grand Slam of Darts, fresh off the back of disappointment on the Euro Tour and Pro Tour in the days prior.

“I was up and comfortable v Martin Schindler and he came through with a peach of a leg in the decider last week in Dortmund,” he recalled of the recent European Championship. “My point wasn’t necessarily about the result or the scoreline, but about getting to that point in the first place.”

That reflection sums up the story of Chisnall’s year — playing well, doing enough to win, but falling just shy. He admitted: “I lost 6-4 to Jeffrey de Graaf on Wednesday but in all honesty should have been 3-0 up, and it was missed doubles that let me down again.”

Even when he’s throwing well, the margins haven’t been kind. A 6-1 defeat to Danny Noppert might look one-sided on paper, but Chisnall was quick to point out that he’d been scoring strongly before being ruthlessly punished by Noppert’s clinical finishing.

“Darts is one of those sports that can really punish you when not in it,” he said. “With the competition stronger than ever you need to be on your game, because the depth of talent is so strong these days.”

That “depth of talent” has been the running theme throughout his season. Chisnall’s clash with Wessel Nijman in Grand Slam qualifying proved another sore point — and another warning sign about the strength of the next generation.

“The game v Wessel Nijman probably sums my season up to be honest,” Chisnall wrote. “Those legs in the middle, I was averaging 125 and still only won one leg. I should have been in a nice lead early, but fair play to the lad — his darts in the last few legs was mustard.”

It’s a telling line. Chisnall has always been one of the circuit’s most prolific scorers, but the reality of 2025 has been a relentless conveyor belt of emerging players capable of sustaining huge averages. Ten years ago, Chisnall might have coasted through a patch like this. Now, one brief lapse on the doubles can undo a match’s worth of world-class scoring.

Even so, there’s no sense of resignation in his words — just weary acceptance and a glimmer of determination. “At this point, I’m looking forward to the season finishing, and starting fresh in the New Year,” he said. “I’ll be in action in a few weeks in the Players Championship Finals before heading to Ally Pally in December for the Worlds. Fingers crossed we put a line through this season and move onto 2026. Onwards and upwards!”

For a player of Chisnall’s calibre, the Alexandra Palace stage still represents the great equaliser — a chance to erase months of frustration with one good run. His power scoring remains as dangerous as ever, his motivation clearly intact. But if 2025 has proven anything, it’s that no one is immune to darts’ brutal honesty.

Chisnall’s latest diary might read like a man venting his frustration, but beneath the surface is a competitor still hungry for redemption. And as he puts it himself, in this sport of cruel margins and punishing momentum swings, there’s always one more chance waiting at Ally Pally.