71 Checkout in Darts — T13 → D16
Finishing 71 in darts is about controlling the visit from the first throw. The route — T13 → D16 — is the most efficient path to D16 from this score, and it relies on T13 landing cleanly to keep the finish window intact. Two-dart routes at this score are efficient but unforgiving — the first dart either creates the right leave or it does not.
Controlling the dart toward the 4 side on the opening throw from 71 is the miss management available here. A drift into 4 leaves 67 (T17 → D8) — a manageable recovery position. The 6 side leaves 65, which creates a significantly harder continuation. The difference between those two outcomes is not small, and it is within the player's control to influence which one is more likely by building a slight directional preference into the throw preparation rather than aiming straight and hoping the miss falls the right way.
The sequence on 71 needs to be treated as three separate committed throws (or two, in this case) rather than as one connected action. Each dart in T13 → D16 should receive its own approach and its own full commitment — T13 thrown to T13, and D16 thrown to D16. Players who think about the double during the setup darts are splitting their attention across the visit in a way that reliably degrades the quality of the throw that needs it most.
On 71, the match state can influence decisions in ways that hurt the route. Stay committed to the structure regardless of the opponent's position. On 71, pressure is visible — both players know a finish is on. The ones who close it treat it as just another dart in the leg. The most reliable predictor of a missed checkout on 71 under pressure is a grip that tightened at some point between the previous throw and the current one. Keep breathing steady before stepping to the oche — shallow breath before a throw is one of the most consistent physical signs of grip tension building. Handling pressure is one of the core skills in competitive darts finishing, and deliberate practice creates a measurable and lasting advantage here.
Back this route hard when the opponent is on a finish. T13 gives real scoring power and D16 is exactly the double to be closing on under pressure.
Route Comparison & Target Selection
Primary: T13 → D16
treble 13 (39), closing on double 16 — high-percentage close
Alternate: 13 → 18 → D20
single 13, single 18, closing on double 20 — high-percentage close — no triple required on opener
The primary (T13 → D16) is the standard route — T13 scores hard and D16 closes the leg with the route's full structure intact. The alternate (13 → 18 → D20) replaces T13 with 13, a single that does not require a 6mm triple bed on the opening dart. From 71, that trade makes sense when holding a significant lead: the leg is already likely to be won, and the wider first-dart target reduces the chance of a breakdown on the opener. Use the primary when scoring matters; use the alternate when the lead justifies reducing risk.
On T13, avoid drifting into 6 — it leaves 65, which is a significantly weaker position than the 4 side which leaves 67.
Miss Geometry, Route Structure & When to Use the Alternate
Treble 13 opens this route with 4 and 6 as its immediate neighbours. From 71, a drift into 4 produces 67 remaining and into 6 produces 65. The asymmetry between those two leaves — 67 on the 4 side versus 65 on the 6 side — is the miss geometry that matters on this score. The better leave is toward 4, and the pre-throw setup is where that preference gets expressed. Players who understand miss geometry on every opening dart they throw are building a positional advantage that accumulates across a match. For the structure from here, from 71 only two darts stand between the current position and the close: T13 to create the leave, and D16 to finish. The simplicity of the structure is real, but it concentrates the execution requirement rather than distributing it. A poor T13 has nowhere to hide — it immediately produces a harder close or a bust, with no third dart to soften the problem. The approach that produces the most reliable two-dart finishes is to isolate each throw as its own committed decision: throw T13 completely before thinking about D16. As for the alternate route, the alternate — 13 → 18 → D20 — is built for the match situation where the triple on the primary route asks for more risk than the current position warrants. Opening on 13 is a deliberate reduction in first-dart precision requirement while preserving the close on D20. Use it when ahead comfortably and protecting the leg is the priority. Use the primary when pressing or when the match requires maximum scoring efficiency from every visit. The distinction between the two is strategic, not technical — the choice should be made before approaching the oche and executed with full commitment once made.
When and Why to Use This Route
Apply this route when the opponent is on a finish and immediate scoring matters. T13 is the most efficient first dart available and D16 provides the close — there is no weaker link in this route. It is the right call under any level of pressure.
The route works by giving the player two strong darts rather than one strong dart and one compromise. A route that opens aggressively but finishes on a weak double gives power without reliability. A route that opens cautiously but closes on a strong double gives reliability without power. This route has both — T13 provides the power and D16 provides the reliability — which is why it is the strongest structure available from this score.
Why Players Miss This Finish
The miss on 71 is almost always on the opening dart, not the close. A drift on T13 into 4 leaves 67 — a position that requires recalculating the route under time pressure. Players who do not practise their recovery from that leave find themselves improvising at a moment when improvisation is most expensive. Knowing the best continuation from both miss positions before starting the visit removes the cognitive load that creates the miss on the recovery dart.
Improving on 71 in competition comes from accepting that the throw will not always be perfect and building an automatic response to imperfection. The players who drop this score are usually players who need everything to go right. The players who close it are the ones who have practised enough variants of the route — clean first dart, slightly off first dart, both miss directions — that the visit runs on autopilot regardless of the opening outcome.
Practice
The simplest effective practice format for 71 is a completion drill: attempt T13 → D16 repeatedly, require three consecutive successful completions before finishing the exercise, and restart the count every time a dart misses. This format produces more useful practice than fifty relaxed attempts because the final dart in each set carries real consequence. That consequence is what trains the composure that match finishes require — not just the accuracy.
Add consequence to the end of every 71 practice block. After completing the route a set number of times cleanly, throw T13 deliberately off-line and practise continuing from 65 and 67 without resetting. This forces the continuation habit — the automatic response to a miss on the opener that keeps the visit running rather than stalling. Players who have practised their recovery positions finish more legs from imperfect visits than those who only ever practise the clean route.
