The World Darts Championship is up and running as all eyes turn to Alexandra PalaceThe world’s best will battle it out over the next three weeks before the Sid Waddell trophy is handed out on January 3Defending champion Luke Humphries eased to a 3-0 victory over Thibault Tricole on the opening nightLuke Littler is the favourite in just his second appearance at Ally Pally, having reached the final as a 16-year-old last yearThe teenager has won the Premier League and Grand Slam of Darts in a remarkable season since thenGary Anderson has been in superb form this year and the two-time world champion is eyeing another deep run at the age of 53Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith are among the former Ally Pally winners going under the radar as Littler and Humphries dominate headlinesDemand for this year’s tournament was at a record high with 90,000 tickets sold out in just 15 minutesThe field could be expanded to 128 players next year and a move to a bigger venue is also being considered.
