THREE St Helens darters will compete in the year’s 13th and final European Tour event which takes place at the PVA EXPO in Prague from October 18-20, as the race for European Championship qualification concludes in the Czech capital.
Michael Smith, Stephen Bunting and Dave Chisnall are all in action.
The top 32 players on the European Tour Order of Merit following this weekend will qualify for this year’s showpiece in Dortmund, with Nathan Aspinall currently occupying the final qualification place.
Aspinall will be among the headline acts in Friday's first round, which will be broadcast through PDCTV, Viaplay and DAZN – with 16 matches taking place across two sessions.
Reigning champion Peter Wright also opens his title challenge on Friday evening, as he faces an all-Scottish showdown against Menzies, who is £750 adrift of European Championship qualification.
Dimitri Van den Bergh also faces a fight to seal his place in Dortmund, and the UK Open champion will go head-to-head with world number six Jonny Clayton for a place in round two.
World number two Michael Smith will aim to cement his European Championship qualification when he faces Kevin Doets, while Aspinall kicks off his campaign against a Host Nation Qualifier.
Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney will meet Dutch icon Raymond van Barneveld, as newly crowned World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker returns to big stage action against Brett Claydon.
German duo Gabriel Clemens and Florian Hempel will play Brendan Dolan and Alan Soutar respectively, while Callan Rydz – also hunting down Aspinall in the race for European Championship qualification – faces Martin Lukeman.
The 16 seeded players enter the fray in Saturday’s second round, as top seed Dave Chisnall begins his bid for a third European Tour title of 2024 against Robert Owen or Niels Zonneveld.
World number one Luke Humphries will play Ritchie Edhouse or a Host Nation representative for a place in Sunday’s third round, with second seed Ross Smith pitted against Hempel or Soutar.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler could renew his rivalry with Aspinall in Saturday’s second round, while fifth seed Gerwyn Price will play either Gurney or Van Barneveld in his opener.
Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen will also feature in the Czech capital, as he begins his bid for a record-extending 38th European Tour title against Krzysztof Ratajski or Madars Razma.
De Decker and Claydon will battle it out for the right to take on sixth seed Danny Noppert, as Stephen Bunting meets either Van den Bergh or Clayton in a blockbuster tussle.
Martin Schindler currently tops the European Tour Order of Merit heading into Prague, and the German number one will face Scottish opposition in the form of Wright or Menzies.
Gian van Veen could meet James Wade in a repeat of last year’s European Championship semi-finals, while Ryan Searle plays Doets or Michael Smith for a last 16 berth.
Following Saturday’s second round, the last 16 will take place on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a blockbuster evening session.
Live coverage of the Czech Darts Open will be streamed through Viaplay, and through DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Coverage will also be shown on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers' worldwide.
NB: From the original entries, Gary Anderson and Ryan Joyce have withdrawn from the event and are replaced from the Reserve List by Madars Razma and Florian Hempel.
Tournament Draw Bracket - Second Round Onwards.
Players seeded based on ProTour Order of Merit position.
(1) Dave Chisnall v Robert Owen/Niels Zonneveld.
(16) Ricardo Pietreczko v Martin Lukeman/Callan Rydz.
(8) Stephen Bunting v Dimitri Van den Bergh/Jonny Clayton.
(9) Ryan Searle v Kevin Doets/Michael Smith.
(4) Josh Rock v Joe Cullen/Host Nation Qualifier 3.
(13) Rob Cross v Luke Woodhouse/Marko Kantele.
(5) Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney/Raymond van Barneveld.
(12) Chris Dobey v Jermaine Wattimena/Patrik Kovacs.
(2) Ross Smith v Florian Hempel/Alan Soutar.
(15) Michael van Gerwen v Krzysztof Ratajski/Madars Razma.
(7) Damon Heta v Brendan Dolan/Gabriel Clemens.
(10) Luke Littler v Host Nation Qualifier 4/Nathan Aspinall.
(3) Luke Humphries v Ritchie Edhouse/Host Nation Qualifier 2.
(14) Gian van Veen v James Wade/Host Nation Qualifier 1.
(6) Danny Noppert v Mike De Decker/Brett Claydon.
(11) Martin Schindler v Cameron Menzies/Peter Wright.
Schedule of Play.
Friday October 18.
First Round.
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST).
Robert Owen v Niels Zonneveld.
Jermaine Wattimena v Patrik Kovacs.
Ritchie Edhouse v Host Nation Qualifier 2.
Florian Hempel v Alan Soutar.
Krzysztof Ratajski v Madars Razma.
Brendan Dolan v Gabriel Clemens.
Martin Lukeman v Callan Rydz.
Joe Cullen v Host Nation Qualifier 3.
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST).
Luke Woodhouse v Marko Kantele.
James Wade v Host Nation Qualifier 1.
Mike De Decker v Brett Claydon.
Host Nation Qualifier 4 v Nathan Aspinall.
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Jonny Clayton.
Daryl Gurney v Raymond van Barneveld.
Cameron Menzies v Peter Wright.
Kevin Doets v Michael Smith.
Saturday October 19.
Second Round.
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST).
Ricardo Pietreczko v Lukeman/Rydz.
Damon Heta v Dolan/Clemens.
Chris Dobey v Wattimena/Kovacs.
Josh Rock v Cullen/Host Nation Qualifier 3.
Rob Cross v Woodhouse/Kantele.
Ross Smith v Hempel/Soutar.
Danny Noppert v De Decker/Claydon.
Ryan Searle v Doets/M Smith.
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST).
Gian van Veen v Wade/Host Nation Qualifier 1.
Dave Chisnall v Owen/Zonneveld.
Gerwyn Price v Gurney/Van Barneveld.
Stephen Bunting v Van den Bergh/Clayton.
Michael van Gerwen v Ratajski/Razma.
Luke Littler v Host Nation Qualifier 4/Aspinall.
Luke Humphries v Edhouse/Host Nation Qualifier 2.
Martin Schindler v Menzies/Wright.
Sunday October 20.
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST).
Third Round.
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST).
Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Final.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here