THE schedule of play for the 2012 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship has been confirmed.
The £1 million tournament - screened live on Sky Sports HD - will begin on Thursday December 15 at Alexandra Palace in London, with reigning champion Adrian Lewis taking on Nigel Heydon amongst one of five matches to be played on the opening night.
Phil Taylor, the 15-time World Champion and number one seed, will play the winner of the preliminary round clash between Japan's Haruki Muramatsu or Sweden's Dennis Nilsson on Friday December 16, while Saturday's play sees two sessions take place at Alexandra Palace.
Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld is in action against debutant James Richardson on Sunday December 18, while number three seed James Wade begins his challenge on Monday December 19.
Gary Anderson, last year's World Championship runner-up, meets Germany's Jyhan Artut, while the preliminary and first rounds conclude on Wednesday December 21 with three-time World Champion John Part and 2010 finalist Simon Whitlock in action.
The second round is played either side of the Christmas break, with the third round and quarter-finals also being played before a break on New Year's Eve.
The semi-finals will then be held on New Year's Day, with the final being held at 8pm on Monday January 2 - with both the semi-finals and final being shown live on Sky 3D.
The PDC have enjoyed record pre-event sales for the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship, with only tiered seating remaining on sale. Tickets can be purchased from www.seetickets.com/darts or via 0844 871 8807.
Ladbrokes World Darts Championship
Schedule of Play
Preliminary (P) and First Round
Thursday December 15
7.10pm Jamie Caven v Roland Scholten
8.15pm Paul Barham v Scott MacKenzie (P)
9.00pm Mark Webster v Richie Burnett
10.00pm Adrian Lewis v Nigel Heydon
11.00pm Wayne Jones v Barham/MacKenzie
Friday December 16
7.10pm Justin Pipe v Sean Reed
8.15pm Haruki Muramatsu v Dennis Nilsson (P)
9.00pm Co Stompe v Michael Smith
10.00pm Wes Newton v Kurt van de Rijck
11.00pm Phil Taylor v Muramatsu/Nilsson
Saturday December 17
12.10pm Peter Wright v Jelle Klaasen
1.15pm Dietmar Burger v Christian Perez (P)
2.00pm Ronnie Baxter v Steve Farmer
3.00pm Robert Thornton v Ian White
4.00pm Alan Tabern v Burger/Perez
7.10pm Steve Beaton v Magnus Caris
8.15pm Kevin Munch v Lee Choon Peng (P)
9.00pm Vincent van der Voort v Mark Hylton
10.00pm Paul Nicholson v Mensur Suljovic
11.00pm Denis Ovens v Munch/Choon Peng
Sunday December 18
7.10pm Brendan Dolan v Kim Huybrechts
8.15pm Connie Finnan v Warren French (P)
9.00pm Mark Dudbridge v Dave Chisnall
10.00pm Raymond van Barneveld v James Richardson
11.00pm Mark Walsh v Finnan/French
Monday December 19
7.10pm Andy Hamilton v Antonio Alcinas
8.15pm Per Laursen v Petri Korte (P)
9.00pm Mervyn King v Geoff Kime
10.00pm Kevin Painter v Arron Monk
11.00pm James Wade v Laursen/Korte
Tuesday December 20
7.10pm Colin Lloyd v Darin Young
8.15pm Joe Cullen v Oliver Ferenc (P)
9.00pm Colin Osborne v Michael van Gerwen
10.00pm Gary Anderson v Jyhan Artut
11.00pm Terry Jenkins v Cullen/Ferenc
Wednesday December 21
7.10pm Andy Smith v Scott Rand
8.15pm Devon Petersen v Jose de Sousa (P)
9.00pm John Part v John Henderson
10.00pm Simon Whitlock v Dennis Smith
11.00pm Steve Brown v Petersen/de Sousa
Second Round
Thursday December 22
7.10pm Jones/Barham/MacKenzie v Caven/Scholten
8.30pm Lewis/Heydon v Thornton/White
9.50pm Newton/de Rijck v Pipe/Reed
Friday December 23
7.10pm Walsh/Finnan/French v Painter/Monk
8.30pm Wade/Laursen/Korte v Wright/Klaasen
9.50pm Baxter/Farmer v Ovens/Munch/Choon Peng
Tuesday December 27
1.10pm Jenkins/Cullen/Ferenc v Stompe/M Smith
2.30pm Webster/Burnett v Part/Henderson
3.50pm van der Voort/Hylton v Hamilton/Alcinas
7.10pm van Barneveld/Richardson v Dolan/Huybrechts
8.30pm Taylor/Muramatsu/Nilsson v Dudbridge/Chisnall
9.50pm Nicholson/Suljovic v Tabern/Burger/Perez
Wednesday December 28
1.10pm King/Kime v Osborne/van Gerwen
2.30pm Whitlock/D Smith v Beaton/Caris
3.50pm Lloyd/Young v A Smith/Rand
7.10pm Anderson/Artut v Brown/Petersen/de Sousa
Third Round
8.30pm Lewis/Heydon/Thornton/White v Jones/Barham/MacKenzie/Caven/Scholten
9.50pm Newton/van de Rijck/Pipe/Reed v Jenkins/Cullen/Ferenc/Stompe/M Smith
Thursday December 29
1.10pm Webster/Burnett/Part/Henderson v Walsh/Finnan/French/Painter/Monk
2.30pm Wade/Laursen/Korte/Wright/Klaasen v Baxter/Farmer/Ovens/Munch/Choon Peng
3.50pm van Barneveld/Richardson/Dolan/Huybrechts v Nicholson/Suljovic/Tabern/Burger/Reed
7.10pm Whitlock/D Smith/Beaton/Caris v King/Kime/Osborne/van Gerwen
8.30pm Taylor/Muramatsu/Nilsson/Dudbridge/Chisnall v van der Voort/Hylton/Hamilton/Alcinas
9.50pm Anderson/Artut/Brown/Petersen/de Sousa v Lloyd/Young/A Smith/Rand
Quarter-Finals
Friday December 30
Order of Play TBC
2.10pm
3.40pm
7.40pm
9.10pm
Semi-Finals
Sunday January 1
7.40pm
9.15pm
Final
Monday January 2
8.15pm
Format
Preliminary Round - Best of seven legs (no tie-break)
First Round - Best of five sets
Second Round - Best of seven sets
Third Round - Best of seven sets
Quarter-Finals - Best of nine sets
Semi-Finals - Best of 11 sets
Final - Best of 13 sets
All sets are the best of five legs.
All matches using the sets format will have a tie-break situation in the deciding set only, where the final set must be won by two clear legs until the score in that set reaches 5-5. Should that situation occur, then a sudden-death leg will be played, before which the players will throw for the bull to determine who throws first in the sudden-death leg.
Ticket Information
Tickets for the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship are on sale through www.seetickets.com/darts or by calling 0844 871 8807 (calls cost 6p per minute from BT landline plus standard network charge).
Fans who have been unable to secure a ticket for a sold-out session can still purchase tickets through viagogo, the Official Ticket Exchange Partner of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship - click here to visit the viagogo website for further information and availability.
Hospitality packages are available to watch the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship in style, including two-course meal, complimentary drinks and exclusive reserved seating, and can be purchased from the PDC Head Office on 08712 501 180.