The World Matchplay Darts Tournament has been held annually in Blackpool since 1994 and the event takes place in the Winter Gardens at the Empress Ballroom.  It is run by the Professional Darts Corporation and is distinctive in that it involves a format where the winner has to win by a margin of two legs, rather than finishing with a deciding leg.  The tournament sponsors are Stan James and they are the third company to have sponsored the event, the others being Proton Cars and Websters.  The present champion is Phil Taylor who has won the tournament a total of nine times and in 2009 will be aiming for his tenth championship with an opening match against Robert Thornton.  Other famous players including, Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade, Gary Anderson, Mervyn King, Dennis Priestley and Denis Ovens will also be competing in the Blackpool 2009 tournament. Since its inception it has been won by six different competitors - nine times champion Phil Taylor, twice winner Rod Harrington, and four players who have taken the title once each:  Larry Butler, Peter Evison, Colin Lloyd and James Wade. The Tournament has been sponsored by Stan James since 2000. Blackpool has been associated with some great achievements in the history of darts including Phil Taylor’s 2002 nine dart finish which was referred to as the greatest darting moment ever by Sky Sports. The Stan James World Matchplay is numbered among the biggest darts competitions in the world, and is the second most important organized by the PDC.