“It’s a lonely place” - Chris Dobey opens up on TV struggles as Grand Slam of Darts win ends run of four defeats

Chris Dobey had won three Players Championship titles this season and lost his opening match at four straight televised events. He broke that run with a 5-2 win over Jan Schmidt at the Grand Slam of Darts, then explained how quickly his confidence can go on stage when a match starts slipping away and there’s no break to put things right.

Dobey had won three Players Championship titles in 2026, his third successive season with at least three wins on the floor. He came into the Grand Slam with four successive opening-round exits in televised events. In his post-match press conference, he was asked why his floor form hadn’t carried over. “I don’t think it’s pressure at all,” he said. “I think sometimes it’s confidence. If you’re not getting the results, your confidence can go.”

The first-to-five group games at the Grand Slam give him little time to put things right mid-match. “It’s tough. If things aren’t going right up on stage, it’s a lonely place,” Dobey said. “You’ve got the breaks to work on things, but in these games here there are no breaks. You’ve just got to power through on your own.”

On Saturday, he had a friend and his management team in the crowd. “In those moments when you need that little boost, you turn to one side and see them,” he said. “It gives you that little extra five or ten per cent that you need. I’m happy with where my game’s at. I think it’s in a good place, so fingers crossed this week’s my week.”

After his third floor title of the year, Dobey had spoken about switching darts just before travelling to Den Bosch. After playing Schmidt, he explained that he’d tried a different prototype set from the one he had initially picked. An hour or so of practice was enough to persuade him to take it to the Netherlands and leave his usual darts at home.

“I’d had a few bad performances on TV and I thought, ‘I want to switch something. I want a change and to try to bring that confidence back,’” Dobey said. Asked whether he knew which prototypes he’d picked up, he said: “Of course. I knew they were the wrong ones, but I took them out of the wrapper and they were going great in practice at home. I thought I’d just leave the rest at home and take them.”

Dobey beat Tommy Morris 8-4 in the final to win Players Championship 32, averaging 103.15 across his seven matches. By the following day, he was on the phone to his darts manufacturer. “I had to call Target the next day and say, ‘Make them ones instead.’” He said the switch had brought back some of the confidence he’d been missing.

There was a practical reason for fresh barrels, too. “Sometimes the grip had worn off,” Dobey said. “I’m one of those who don’t often change, but now I think I’m going to change every so often so I can feel that fresh grip. I don’t want to get used to one set of darts like I’ve done in the past.”

Dobey’s first sight of Schmidt had been on the European Tour, and he had since seen the German’s name in the late rounds of the World Youth Championship. Schmidt beat Henry Coates and Charlie Manby on his way to setting up a final against Cam Crabtree.

“To get to the World Youth final, you’ve got to be some player,” Dobey said. “Those days are long. I went to watch a couple of years back and saw it for myself. Fair play to him for coming through a tough field, because the standard is only getting better.”

Schmidt had also been in Hildesheim the night before his Grand Slam opener. He led Paul Krohne 6-0 in the PDC Europe Super League final and lost 8-7. Dobey had seen the result. He hadn’t watched the match, but thought the previous night might have taken something out of Schmidt. “He would have been gutted,” he said. “From my point of view, that might have played a key part, but I still knew I had to dig deep and get off to a good start, and I’m glad I did.”

Schmidt missed four darts to level in the second leg. Dobey broke throw and followed it with an 11-darter, taking out 96 to go 3-0 up. Schmidt got on the board on double two, then picked up his second leg on double one after Dobey missed match darts at 4-1. Dobey pinned tops in the seventh to close out the final match of Saturday night.

Asked if he’d switched off towards the end, Dobey said he’d felt comfortable throughout. “You’re always going to get one or two legs where you miss chances,” he said. “He missed a lot of doubles early on and let us in, but overall it was a good performance. There was only one leg where I was a bit shaky on the doubles.”

Asked whether it had felt like a 99 average, Dobey pointed to the 11-darter and how well he had scored early on. One spell stuck with him. “Then I had that scrappy leg where I was going 58, 59. I always seem to find one of those legs from somewhere and it annoys us at times, but you’ve got to stay focused,” Dobey said. “He missed a lot of chances, let me in and I punished him.”

Dobey said he preferred the old format and was still getting his head around when he would play again. On qualification, he was clear. “They’ve made us work for our money this time, knowing you’ve got to win the group,” he said. “You don’t want to rely on other results going your way. You want to do the job early.”

Dobey said his floor game had been there for the past few years. “I know there’s money in it, but you get nothing for doing it on the floor. You want to be doing it on TV. That’s where you get noticed and recognised,” he said. Asked if this could be the week, he replied: “I hope so. There’s no reason why I can’t. It’s a good time to come good at the back end of the year.”

The win over Schmidt leaves Dobey with one group match against Martin Schindler on Tuesday. Schindler plays Schmidt first, on Sunday evening. A second win would send Dobey through to the last 16 regardless of that result.