Full schedule for the 2016 William Hill World Darts Championship

Darts' biggest tournament will be played from December 17-January 3 as 72 players do battle for £1.5 million in prize money and the prestigious Sid Waddell Trophy, live on the Sky Sports Darts channel.

The pre-Christmas action features the preliminary and first round matches, which begin on Thursday December 17 as reigning champion Gary Anderson kicks off the event against either Andy Boulton or Per Laursen.

A bumper opening night also sees world number four Peter Wright, the 2014 runner-up, taking on former World Youth Champion Keegan Brown and emerging prospects Jamie Lewis and Daryl Gurney do battle.

A double session of action on Friday December 18 will include two-time semi-finalist Mark Webster in the afternoon and 2014 World Champion Michael van Gerwen - the world number one - opening his challenge to win back the title.

Former finalist Kevin Painter and former Lakeside Champion Steve Beaton are in action in the afternoon session of Saturday December 19 before 16-time World Champion Phil Taylor, 2010 runner-up Simon Whitlock and Holland's Vincent van der Voort enter the fray in the evening.

Sunday's final pre-Christmas double session includes in-form Austrian Mensur Suljovic and 2012 finalist Andy Hamilton in the afternoon session and five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld's all-Dutch clash with Dirk van Duijvenbode in the evening session.

The action on Monday December 21 includes three of the top eight seeds, with Robert Thornton, James Wade and Michael Smith all in action as the preliminary round concludes.

The final two nights of first round games feature four matches per session, including former major finalists Terry Jenkins, Dave Chisnall and Wes Newton on Tuesday December 22 and two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis on Wednesday December 23.

Following the Christmas break, the second round kicks off on Boxing Day evening, potentially including reigning champion Anderson, and continues with double sessions on Sunday December 27 and Monday December 28.

Tuesday December 29 sees the second round conclude in the afternoon session as the third round commences, with the last 16 games being concluded on Wednesday December 30.

The tournament's final eight players then return on New Year's Day for the quarter-finals, with the semi-finals on Saturday January 2 and the final on Sunday January 3.

Schedule:

Thursday December 17 (7pm-11pm).

Andy Boulton v Per Laursen (P).

Jamie Lewis v Daryl Gurney.

Peter Wright v Keegan Brown.

Gary Anderson v Boulton/Laursen.

Friday December 18.

Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm).

Qiang Sun v Mick McGowan (P).

John Henderson v Darren Webster.

Justin Pipe v Christian Kist.

Mark Webster v Sun/McGowan.

Evening Session (7pm-11pm).

Thanawat Gaweenuntawong v Rene Eidams (P).

Brendan Dolan v Kyle Anderson.

Kim Huybrechts v David Pallett.

Michael van Gerwen v Gaweenuntawong/Eidams.

Saturday December 19.

Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm).

Kim Viljanen v Sven Groen (P).

Steve Beaton v Koha Kokiri.

Ian White v Dimitri Van den Bergh.

Kevin Painter v Viljanen/Groen.

Evening Session (7pm-11pm).

Keita Ono v Alex Tagarao (P).

Simon Whitlock v Ricky Evans.

Vincent van der Voort v Laurence Ryder.

Phil Taylor v Ono/Tagarao.

Sunday December 20.

Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm).

Michael Rasztovits v Rob Szabo (P).

Andy Hamilton v Joe Murnan.

Mensur Suljovic v Jermaine Wattimena.

Jamie Caven v Rasztovits/Szabo.

Evening Session (7pm-11pm).

Aleksandr Oreshkin v Paul Lim (P).

Stephen Bunting v Jyhan Artut.

Raymond van Barneveld v Dirk van Duijvenbode.

Mervyn King v Oreshkin/Lim.

Monday December 21 (7pm-11pm).

Warrick Scheffer v John Michael (P).

Robert Thornton v Alan Norris.

Michael Smith v Jeffrey De Zwaan.

James Wade v Scheffer/Michael.

Tuesday December 22 (7pm-11pm).

Dean Winstanley v Ronny Huybrechts.

Wes Newton v Cristo Reyes.

Dave Chisnall v Rowby-John Rodriguez.

Terry Jenkins v Darin Young.

Wednesday December 23 (7pm-11pm).

Andrew Gilding v Gerwyn Price.

Benito van de Pas v Max Hopp.

Adrian Lewis v Jan Dekker.

Jelle Klaasen v Joe Cullen.

Second Round.

Saturday December 26 (6pm-10pm).

Whitlock/Evans v Caven/Rasztovits/Szabo.

Chisnall/Rodriguez v Pipe/Kist.

G Anderson/Boulton/Laursen v J Lewis/Gurney.

Sunday December 27.

Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm).

Smith/De Zwaan v Beaton/Kokiri.

White/Van den Bergh v van de Pas/Hopp.

Van der Voort/Ryder v Dolan/K Anderson.

Evening Session (7pm-11pm).

van Barneveld/van Duijvenbode v Bunting/Artut.

Wade/Scheffer/Michael v Newton/Reyes.

van Gerwen/Gaweenuntawong/Eidams v Henderson/D Webster.

Monday December 28.

Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm).

Thornton/Norris v Hamilton/Murnan.

Jenkins/Young v M Webster/Sun/McGowan.

K Huybrechts/Pallett v Suljovic/Wattimena.

Evening Session (7.30pm-11.30pm).

A Lewis/Dekker v Gilding/Price.

Wright/Brown v Winstanley/R Huybrechts.

Taylor/Ono/Tagarao v Painter/Viljanen/Groen.

Tuesday December 29.

Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm).

King/Oreshkin/Lim v Klaasen/Cullen.

Third round.

Smith/De Zwaan/Beaton/Kokiri v White/Van den Bergh/van de Pas/Hopp.

Wade/Scheffer/Michael/Newton/Reyes v Whitlock/Evans/Caven/Rasztovits/Szabo.

Evening Session (7pm-11pm).

A Lewis/Dekker/Gilding/Price v K Huybrechts/Pallett/Suljovic/Wattimena.

G Anderson/Boulton/Laursen/J Lewis/Gurney v van der Voort/Ryder/Dolan/K Anderson.

van Gerwen/Gaweenuntawong/Eidams/Henderson/D Webster v van Barneveld/van Duijvenbode/Bunting/Artut.

Wednesday December 30 (7pm-11pm).

Wright/Brown/Winstanley/R Huybrechts v Chisnall/Rodriguez/Pipe/Kist.

Thornton/Norris/Hamilton/Murnan v Jenkins/Young/M Webster/Sun/McGowan.

Taylor/Ono/Taragao/Painter/Viljanen/Groen v King/Oreshkin/Klaasen/Cullen.

Friday January 1

Quarter finals.

Afternoon Session (1pm-4.30pm).

TBC.

Evening Session (7.30pm-11pm).

TBC.

Saturday January 2 (8pm-11.30pm).

Semi-finals.

TBC.

Sunday January 3 (7pm-10pm).

Final.

Format.

Preliminary Round - Best of three sets. No tie-break.

First Round - Best of five sets.

Second Round - Best of seven sets.

Third Round - Best of seven sets.

Quarter-Finals - Best of nine sets.

Semi-Finals - Best of 11 sets.

Final - Best of 13 sets.

All sets are the best of five legs.

In the Preliminary Round there will be no tie-break, and should a game go to the third set, the fifth leg would be the deciding leg.

In all other rounds, a tie-break would apply in the final set only, where a player must win by two clear legs. Should the score in the final set reach 5-5, a sudden-death leg would be played.