German Darts Championship Changes

THE PDC ProTour returns to action this weekend with the year's sixth European Tour event, the German Darts Championship at Halle 39 in Hildesheim.

The 64-player, £100,000 tournament will be the first ranking tournament since July's BetVictor World Matchplay in Blackpool, and will see play across three days at Halle 39, which is staging its first event.

The first round will be split across two sessions on Friday, with play held on two stages at the venue. The second round will be held on Saturday, with the third round on Sunday afternoon before the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final take place on Sunday evening.

World Champion Phil Taylor has withdrawn from the event following his return from the Sydney Darts Masters, and with James Wade suspended there will now be two additional places available in Thursday night's European and Host Nation Qualifiers.

The ninth European Qualifier will replace Wade in the draw, with the fifth Host Nation Qualifier to take Taylor's place, while Andy Hamilton's first round game with a European Qualifier now moving onto the main stage on Friday evening.

The UK Qualifier was held in Crawley earlier this year, producing 20 players who joined the top 32 from the ProTour Order of Merit in winning spots in Hildesheim.

The revised draw bracket and schedule of play is available below. For ticket information, visit www.pdc-europe.net.

2013 German Darts Championship
September 6-8, Halle 39, Hildesheim
Schedule of Play
Friday September 6

First Round
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Main Stage
Ronnie Baxter v Michael Smith
Colin Lloyd v Daryl Gurney
Kim Huybrechts v European Qualifier 1
John Part v Darren Webster
Mark Walsh v Host Nation Qualifier 4
Dave Chisnall v Dean Winstanley
Kevin Painter v Kevin Dowling
Wes Newton v European Qualifier 4

Stage Two
Colin Osborne v Nigel Heydon
Steve Beaton v John Henderson
Arron Monk v John Scott
Justin Pipe v European Qualifier 6
Stuart Kellett v Matthew Edgar
Mark Webster v Mark Dudbridge
Andy Smith v Michael Barnard
Gary Anderson v Steve Brown

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Main Stage
Mervyn King v Host Nation Qualifier 1
Paul Nicholson v Host Nation Qualifier 3
Raymond van Barneveld v Dennis Smith
Adrian Lewis v European Qualifier 3
Andy Hamilton v European Qualifier 7
Michael van Gerwen v Terry Temple
Simon Whitlock v Alan Tabern
European Qualifier 9 v Host Nation Qualifier 2

Stage Two
Host Nation Qualifier 5 v David Pallett
Terry Jenkins v European Qualifier 8
Peter Wright v Ricky Evans
Jamie Caven v Darren Johnson
Brendan Dolan v European Qualifier 2
Robert Thornton v European Qualifier 5
Richie Burnett v James Richardson
Ian White v Matt Clark

Saturday September 7
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Huybrechts/EQ1 v Jenkins/EQ8
Part/D Webster v A Smith/Barnard
Caven/Johnson v Walsh/HNQ4
King/HNQ1 v Beaton/Henderson
White/Clark v Anderson/Brown
Baxter/M Smith v Lloyd/Gurney
Chisnall/Winstanley v Monk/Scott
Nicholson/HNQ3 v Kellett/Edgar

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Whitlock/Tabern v M Webster/Dudbridge
Newton/EQ4 v Painter/Dowling
van Barneveld/D Smith v Pipe/EQ6
van Gerwen/Temple v Osborne/Heydon
Wright/Evans v EQ9/HNQ2
HNQ5/Pallett v Hamilton/EQ7
Lewis/EQ3 v Dolan/EQ2
Thornton/EQ5 v Burnett/Richardson

Sunday September 8
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)

Third Round
As per draw bracket

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
As per draw bracket

All games the best of 11 legs.

First Round Draw & Tournament Bracket
Michael van Gerwen (1) v Terry Temple
Colin Osborne (32) v Nigel Heydon
Host Nation Qualifier 5 v David Pallett
Andy Hamilton (17) v European Qualifier 7
John Part (8) v Darren Webster
Andy Smith (25) v Michael Barnard
Mervyn King (9) v Host Nation Qualifier 1
Steve Beaton (24) v John Henderson
Wes Newton (5) v European Qualifier 4
Kevin Painter (28) v Kevin Dowling
Raymond van Barneveld (12) v Dennis Smith
Justin Pipe (21) v European Qualifier 6
Dave Chisnall (4) v Dean Winstanley
Arron Monk (29) v John Scott
Paul Nicholson (13) v Host Nation Qualifier 3
Stuart Kellett (20) v Matthew Edgar
Simon Whitlock (2) v Alan Tabern
Mark Webster (31) v Mark Dudbridge
Ronnie Baxter (15) v Michael Smith
Colin Lloyd (18) v Daryl Gurney
Kim Huybrechts (7) v European Qualifier 1
Terry Jenkins (26) v European Qualifier 8
Peter Wright (10) v Ricky Evans
European Qualifier 9 v Host Nation Qualifier 2
Jamie Caven (6) v Darren Johnson
Mark Walsh (27) v Host Nation Qualifier 4
Adrian Lewis (11) v European Qualifier 3
Brendan Dolan (22) v European Qualifier 2
Robert Thornton (3) v European Qualifier 5
Richie Burnett (30) v James Richardson
Ian White (14) v Matt Clark
Gary Anderson (19) v Steve Brown