116 Checkout in Darts — T20 → 16 → D20
The 116 checkout uses a three-dart route through T20, 16 into D20. At this score, controlling the first dart is the central challenge — everything else in the route depends on where T20 lands. A clean execution through T20 → 16 → D20 leads directly into D20, one of the strongest finishing doubles on the board and a consistent closer under match pressure.
The miss geometry on the opening dart favours the 5 side. A drift from T20 in that direction leaves 111, which preserves a working route. The 1 side produces 115, a harder position to continue from. That asymmetry is useful information: the pre-throw setup can subtly bias the release toward the 5 side without altering the fundamental mechanics of the throw. Knowing which direction is the preferred miss before stepping to the oche removes a decision that would otherwise be made reactively — and reactive decisions under pressure rarely favour the better outcome.
The decision about which route to use from 116 should be made before stepping to the oche — not at it, and not during the visit. Arriving at the line already having chosen T20 → 16 → D20 removes an entire category of thought from the throw. Players who are still weighing options as they step forward introduce a kind of cognitive load that does not appear in practice but is consistently present in match conditions. Deciding the route in advance and committing to it completely is the structural version of pressure management — it reduces the number of decisions that need to be made while throwing.
The gap between practice performance and match performance on 116 is always a pressure gap. Closing it requires training the pressure response, not just the throw. High-range finishes like 116 expose impatience faster than any other finish structure. The players who drop these scores are almost always players who stopped trusting the route mid-visit. The players who finish 116 reliably in competition have stopped treating it as a pressure situation. For them, it is just the next throw in a sequence. Tension changes the release point. A tighter grip means the dart leaves the hand later and lands lower. That is the miss that pressure creates, and it is preventable. Slow the approach down, not the throw. Walking to the oche deliberately creates time to settle. The throw itself should be exactly as fast as it always is.
The strength of this route against match pressure is its lack of weak links. T20 scores aggressively, D20 closes reliably, and even imperfect darts in the middle still produce a workable position.
Route Comparison & Target Selection
Primary: T20 → 16 → D20
treble 20 (60), single 16, closing on double 20 — high-percentage close
Alternate: T19 → 19 → D20
treble 19 (57), single 19, closing on double 20 — high-percentage close
From 116, the primary (T20 → 16 → D20) and alternate (T19 → 19 → D20) offer two equally valid paths to the close. The miss geometry on T20 is asymmetric — the 5 side leaves 111 and the 1 side leaves 115, so the preferred drift direction is toward 5. The primary is the default by convention and structure. The alternate is the in-match adjustment — use it when the primary's approach is not producing the right grouping. Both close on comparable doubles, so the trade-off between them is neutral on close quality and positive on approach flexibility.
The key miss geometry: 5 leaves 111 (workable), 1 leaves 115 (harder). Bias toward 5.
Miss Geometry, Route Structure & When to Use the Alternate
The geometry around treble 20 is the most punishing on the board for missed triples. The 5 and the 1 sit either side of it — neither useful as a recovery segment from 116. A miss left into 5 leaves 111; a miss right into 1 leaves 115. The route opens on treble 20 because the scoring efficiency justifies it when the darts are landing in the bed. When they are not — when grouping drifts low consistently — switching to treble 19 corrects the geometry. The 3 and 7 that flank the 19 score more than the 5 and 1, and more often leave a position from which the leg can still be closed cleanly. That structural upgrade is the reason the switch is taught as a deliberate skill, not a fallback. Making the decision before stepping to the oche, and executing it with full commitment, is the competitive standard. For the structure from here, from 116 the route needs three darts: T20 → 16 → D20. T20 is the scoring dart, 16 is the positioning dart, and D20 is the close. That structure exists because the score does not allow a shorter path. The positioning dart (16) is particularly critical: arriving at D20 in control of the close requires that 16 lands exactly where the route requires, not approximately there. Understanding why each dart appears in the sequence — rather than treating the route as a single action — is part of executing three-dart finishes reliably in competitive play. As for the alternate route, the alternate (T19 → 19 → D20) and the primary (T20 → 16 → D20) are both genuine routes from 116 — they reach the close through different approaches and comparable finishing doubles. The alternate is not a lesser option; it is a different structural line that may suit the throw better on specific visits. Default to the primary and use the alternate when the primary's sequence — particularly the opening dart at T20 — is not landing as the route requires.
When and Why to Use This Route
This route is correct whenever this score appears. The decision has already been made — T20 into D20 is the route, and the job is to execute it. There is no tactical calculation left to do at the oche.
The strength of this route is that it does what the best checkout routes always do: solves two problems at once. It scores efficiently enough to maintain pace and finishes on a double forgiving enough to close under pressure. T20 handles the first problem. D20 handles the second. Neither dart is a weak link.
Why Players Miss This Finish
The most common pattern in a missed 116 checkout: T20 lands cleanly, 16 is rushed or slightly off, D20 is either unavailable or approached under recovered tension. The sequence breaks down in the middle, not at the close. Players who are aware of this pattern and deliberately slow their approach to 16 — giving it the same deliberate attention as the opening dart — close 116 significantly more often. The route is three committed throws, not a strong opener followed by two consequences.
The fix is specific: before stepping to the oche on 116, decide the full route, decide the preferred miss direction on T20, and commit to both before throwing the first dart. Players who make these decisions at the line rather than before it are making them while moving — which means they are made reactively rather than deliberately. A decision made before the approach is a decision that holds under pressure. A decision made mid-approach changes the throw.
Practice
Run T20 → 16 → D20 in sets of five attempts and track how many convert cleanly in two visits or fewer. That number is more informative than raw completion rate because it reflects whether the route is working or whether legs are being closed through recovery. A high raw completion rate with low two-visit conversion means the route is closing eventually but not efficiently — the visits are running long, which means first or second dart quality needs work. A low completion rate with decent two-visit conversion means the close is the problem. The metric reveals where to focus practice.
Include recovery reps in every 116 practice session. When T20 drifts into 5, the leave is 111 — practise that score until it feels routine, because it is the most likely leave after an imperfect first dart. When T20 drifts into 1, the leave is 115 — that one deserves practice too, because a leave that has never been practised becomes a source of hesitation in a match. Building familiarity with both miss outcomes means the visit continues automatically rather than stalling after a drift on the opener.
