How to Play the JDC Challenge
The JDC Challenge is named after is creators of Steve Brown and the Junior Darts Corporation. It was originally made as a scoring system for the youth in “JDC Academies” in the United Kingdom. This game has since seen popularity all over the world as a great practice routine for all as it exercises all areas of the game. It also comes with its own karate based ranking system – that anyone can get. This has since also become the game used on JDC Virtual and can be played online exclusively on godartspro.com.
Rules of JDC Challenge
- You start by throwing three darts at the given target and record your score.
- If on the target you score a shanghai you get one hundred extra points
- On the doubles segment each double is worth fifty points if hit.
Scoring JDC Challenge
The Scoring of this game is complicated. Therefore, it comes with its own printable scoring sheet that you can find online as well as exclusive apps for the game to score it.
The game itself is also rather complicated so I have broken it up below to make it easier to follow and understand.
First Shanghai (10 – 15)
The start of the game is on the number ten. You throw three darts at this target in an attempt to score as many points as possible. However, to encourage more than just going for the treble target this game adds in a bonus wherein if you hit a shanghai of any number (Treble, Single and Double) you will score an additional one hundred points. This rewards the player for accuracy. After this happens you then move on to the next number.
Double Around the World
The game then transitions into an around the board type game. However, unlike in the traditional game you do not need to hit the double to progress instead each player gets one dart at every double and you are scored based on the double you hit. It should be noted that unlike most other games if you are to hit a double in this game you do not score the numerical value of the double. Instead, however you score fifty points and if you hit the bullseye you score one hundred points.
Final Shanghai (15 – 20)
Now you return to shanghai and following the exact same rules as before except this time you start on 15 (You do 15 twice in this game) and progress on to 20. There is an additional score of one hundred points if you hit a shanghai.
At the end of this point you can add up your score and get the following rankings based off that score.
White: Beginner – 0 to 150 points
Purple: – 150 to 300 points
Yellow: Improver – 300 to 450 points
Green: League Standard – 300-450
Blue: League Division 1 – 600 to 700 points
Red: Super League Standard – 700 to 850 points
Black: County Standard – 850+ points
Professional Standard: – 1500+ points
Strategy in JDC Challenge
The game requires little strategy and a lot of accuracy however there are two main tips I can give you to play this game at the highest level possible and to move up the ranking system.
Doubles are Important
As each double you hit is worth fifty points it makes it vital to hit as many of them as possible. There are 1000 points available on doubles alone and 1100 if you hit the bullseye also. Just hitting plenty of doubles is enough to put you far up the rankings and will improve your score greatly.
Doubles are not Important
While that seems to counter what I just said this is in a different context. On shanghai doubles are not important IF you have already missed the treble. A mistake made by many beginners is that after missing the treble they are still focused on getting the double. Just try and hit one treble and score as much as you possible can. This is about scoring highly. You do not need to be disheartened if you miss loads of Shanghai’s. As you get better, they will begin to become more frequent when you practice.
Despite this being great accuracy and consistency practice, it is also great finishing practice. Not only does it have you hit as many doubles as possible, but it helps with combination finishing as it is training you to hit as many of the trebles and doubles as possible. This game is similar to Chase the Dragon however less strict on what you have to hit. In this game not hitting a target just means a score of zero and you move on.
Finding Flaws
Perhaps more importantly once you are done playing this game it will give you an extremely clear picture of what areas of you game need further practice. For instance, if you hit shanghai on twenties you do not need to focus on that segment as much in practice. You can take the time to practice on the segments which you did not do so well on.
This game also sheds light on another major issue within darts, everyone likes to think they are perfect on doubles, and given the chance they will hit them. This game puts the ultimate pressure on giving you only one dart to hit it. This increases pressure which can help in the long run. It is also great match practice because in a match you may not always have to blanket of 3 darts at a double. So, you need to be able to master hitting each double with only one dart in hand.
Final Thoughts on the JDC Challenge
The JDC Challenge is a great all round practice game. It will help anyone get better at the game. As of now, no one has achieved a maximum score. As you practice it and improve your score will go up as well. The highest score by a professional was just over 2000 by Kyle Anderson. If your practice and improve enough, who knows maybe one day you could beat his score yourself. Regardless, have fun with this challenge and keep practicing!
