German Darts Championship Round-Up | Dave Chisnall adds European Championship twist as reigning champion Peter Wright through

It was an intriguing afternoon at the German Darts Championship as Dave Chisnall added a twist to the European Championship race and for Peter Wright, it was an opening win in his title defence in Hildesheim

Wright found a rare bright spot in what has been a disappointing season, edging out Ricardo Pietreczko 6–5. The Scot held his nerve in the decider, taking out 64 while Pietreczko waited on double 18. He is defending the German Darts Championship this weekend.

Cameron Menzies also advanced to the final day in Hildesheim with a dominant 6–1 victory over Rob Cross. Now 'Voltage' finds a nervous wait to find out if he has even made it to Dortmund while Dave Chisnall sealed his place in the last 16 by defeating Gabriel Clemens 6–4. He moves himself into the provisional spots as a result at the detriment of Andrew Gilding who now falls out as a result.

Now there is a cluster of players with Ratajski who won later on now in too and he is about to qualify while Cross and Chisnall aren't as clear cut certainly not Voltage who now faces a wait especially if Chisnall goes on to win more games.
Follow the German Darts Championship matches via our live scores!

Elsewhere, Steve Lennon produced an upset by knocking out Damon Heta. The Australian squandered six match darts before the Irishman pounced in the deciding leg, hitting double six to snatch victory. Krzysztof Ratajski impressed with a 6–3 triumph over Ryan Searle, averaging 102 with a superb 54.5% success rate on the doubles.

Gian van Veen, Danny Noppert, and Wessel Nijman all booked their spots in the last 16 of the German Darts Championship in Hildesheim on Saturday afternoon. Van Veen came through a thrilling all-Dutch clash, defeating compatriot Niels Zonneveld 6–4.

The contest between Van Veen and Zonneveld proved to be one of the standout ties of the afternoon session. Both players were evenly matched throughout a high-quality encounter, but it was Van Veen who eventually edged ahead to claim a 6–4 victory.

Entering the tournament as a seeded player, Van Veen began his campaign in the second round and made an explosive start with a 12-darter. Zonneveld responded immediately with a 70 checkout, and the pair then exchanged legs in a gripping battle.

Both players maintained impressive consistency on the trebles and doubles—Zonneveld breaking throw with a 12-darter before Van Veen hit back with an 11-darter of his own. In the closing stages, the 23-year-old from Brabant found the decisive moment, sealing the match with a 15-darter to secure his place in round three.

Noppert became the second Dutchman to advance to the third round, though “The Freeze” admitted it was far from his best display. Fortunately for him, his opponent Luke Woodhouse struggled even more on the finishing doubles.

The Englishman endured a sluggish start, missing five darts at double in the second leg, allowing Noppert to establish a 2–0 lead. Woodhouse fought back to level at 2–2, but Noppert replied with back-to-back 13-darters to move 4–2 in front.

In leg six, Noppert squandered six chances to extend his lead, and Woodhouse capitalised with a 23-darter to reduce the deficit to 4–3. Noppert, however, steadied himself with a 14-darter to hold throw and wrapped up the match with an 18-darter to progress.

While for Nijman, the 25-year-old, who had already dispatched Martin Kramer earlier in the tournament, proved far too strong for Mike De Decker in round two, cruising to a 6–2 victory.

Nijman took immediate control, winning the opening two legs in 18 darts before landing a superb 106 checkout. He followed that up with a 110 finish to move 3–0 ahead. De Decker briefly rallied with a 12-darter, but Nijman remained composed and clinical on the doubles. A 74 checkout put him on the brink, and he sealed the win in style with a brilliant 10-darter.