Dave Chisnall in big trouble - 9th straight Euro Tour loss leaves Chizzy's World Grand Prix qualification in Van Barneveld's hands

Dave Chisnall has long been a fixture on the TV screen when the big PDC majors roll around. In 2025 however, 'Chizzy's presence at two of these big tournaments is looking increasingly unlikely.

With his distinctive style, rapid throw and scoring power, the Englishman ranks among the most seasoned players on tour. Yet right now, ‘Chizzy’ finds himself in an unusually difficult spell on the European Tour. Where once he regularly made deep runs and even lifted titles, victories seem to have deserted him entirely this season.

The numbers tell the story: Chisnall is now on a run of nine consecutive defeats on the Euro Tour – a statistic rarely associated with a player of his calibre. His last three outings underline the challenge he has faced. At ET13 he ran into Luke Woodhouse, who produced a stunning 110.69 average – the sort of numbers that even the world’s elite would be proud of, and against which almost no one can hold their ground. The week before at ET12 it was Raymond van Barneveld who stood in his way, firing in a 107.97 average. And at ET11, Ryan Searle proved too strong with a 103.27 return.

It’s not as if Chisnall himself has completely fallen away. He is still posting respectable averages in the 90s, but when his opponents are consistently hitting ton-plus figures, breaking through becomes a near-impossible task.

For a player of Chisnall’s stature, a run like this inevitably eats into the confidence. He knows better than most that he is capable of winning titles – only last year he was still lifting silverware on the Euro Tour. But darts can be brutal: one poor run can hang over you for weeks.

What counts in his favour is his wealth of experience. Chisnall has been through rough patches before and found a way back every time. His scoring power remains intact; so often it simply comes down to timing on the doubles and hoping the man across the oche isn’t in blistering form.

The big question is how long this barren run will continue. If opponents keep reeling off 105+ averages, even someone of Chisnall’s ability will struggle to turn the tide. Yet darts has a way of flipping quickly. One good win can be enough to restore confidence and get the engine running again.

The urgency this time, though, is very real. Chisnall’s World Grand Prix qualification is hanging by a thread – if Raymond van Barneveld wins his next game, ‘Chizzy’ will miss out for the first time since 2010 (when he was still a BDO player). On top of that, he currently sits outside the top 32 qualifying spots for the European Championship, with only one regular Euro Tour event left this season to put things right.

Chisnall’s supporters will be hoping that turnaround comes sooner rather than later. With his talent, experience and determination, it feels only a matter of time before he produces another deep run on the European Tour. After all, the darts world knows one thing: you can never write off ‘Chizzy’.