How to Play Chase the Dragon Darts
Chase the Dragon is a game of skill. It is generally not suited to beginners and stays more with the experts of darts. It has been growing in popularity due to its simple rule set however, it is extremely challenging to play. Unlike most games you will focus mostly on trebles. This alone separates it from most games targeted at beginners while simultaneously making it the perfect game for those looking to advance further.
Rules of Chase the Dragon
- The goal of the game is for each player to treble each segment starting on ten and ending on twenty.
- Following this is the outer and inner bullseye before claiming victory.
- All trebles must be hit in numerical order.
- If a player hits a treble out of numerical order that dart will score nothing.
- Double and Single scores are not valid in this game.
- The game ends when a player hits all the corresponding trebles and the inner and outer bullseye.
Scoring:
A typical game is only played between two players. Therefore, it is quite easy to keep score. The board is in a cricket-like setup with the number down the middle and every time a player hits a certain score a mark is placed next to their name to keep track of how you are doing.
Variations of Chase the Dragon:
Three Dart Rule – if the treble is hit give the player an extra three darts this encourages accuracy and rewards it accordingly.
Do not Miss Rule – In this version of the game if a player misses any target, they go back to the start of the game punishing inaccuracy. This is only recommended for those who are extremely good at the game as to hit the bullseye in one go even to a professional can be very difficult.
Extended Chase the Dragon – In this version of the game all trebles are included instead of just the 10-20 ones. This will extend the game further and add an extra challenge to hit trebles. You would not normally aim at, increasing accuracy and consistency.
Handicapped Game – If one player is considerably better than another then handicap the better player by having them start on a lower number. This will increase the number of targets they good player must hit and will therefore make the game easier for the worse player.
Strategy in Chase the Dragon:
There is no real strategy in Chase the Dragon as it is a game of skill. The best I can suggest is practicing more on your trebles. This can be achieved through using a combination of other practice games to increase your accuracy on trebles. This game when played competitively can lead to some very exciting moments between players.
However, if there is an obvious skill gap between the players the game is never going to be as enjoyable for a lower skilled player when playing against a higher skilled player. This can be fixed by using the Handicapped Game however, this skill may not be enough. This is not really a game for beginners and if you are just starting to play then you should consider alternative options to playing this game. Chase the Dragon is a test of skill and a new player needs a game to increase their skill level prior to playing a game like this. A good alternative would be the standard “Around the Board” game. Around the Board helps to increase accuracy when playing darts and getting you ready to play tougher games like Chase the Dragon.
In Practice:
While being a highly competitive game in itself, it could be used as a practice game to encourage accuracy and consistency. How this would work in practice is simple. You just have to remove the second player from the game and treat it as though you would be playing any other game by yourself. This can be incredibly useful game practice when used along with games that promote hitting doubles. If you enter a game able to hit most of your doubles and most of your trebles, you are simply not going to very often.
Chase the Dragon is a hugely popular game in America that is growing in popularity across the continent. However, it is rarely found in the rest of the world in favor of a similar practice game known as “The JDC Challenge”. The JDC Challenge is preferred by professionals as it promotes hitting more targets in one go.
