The first dart:
The first dart was a heavy tungsten wide-body with a number 11 flight. The throw had a slightly sideways arcing trajectory and it hit the board solidly, landing in the double 13 in the outer ring. The official time of this first throw was recorded as 8.46. The throw clearly took Uncle Sam, Qaeda's opponent, by surprise.
The oche:
Although he took his first throw from well behind the oche, some observers were of the opinion that the first throw was taken from too far behind it and that this somehow gave Qaeda a distinct advantage over Uncle Sam. However, no official action was taken initially and he continued to throw from that position.
The second dart:
The second dart was also a heavy tungsten wide-body, but with a 175 flight. The throw's trajectory was a little lower than the first one, but it still hit the board solidly. It also landed in the double 13 in the outer ring, just below the first dart. The official time of the second throw was recorded as 9.02.
Score:
The resulting score of the first two throws was 52, which gave Qaeda a slight lead.
The third dart:
The third dart was another heavy, wide-bodied tungsten, but with a 77 flight. The dart hit the double 10 firmly. Officials have recorded the throw as taking place at 9.37.
The crowd:
By now, with Qaeda's score at 62, the home crowd was restless and getting angry, with most of them deriding Qaeda's time-wasting game plan as immoral, if not illegal. He was not a popular player and many of the crowd showed outright hostility. There were calls to have him disqualified because of his delays, but due to there being no set time between throws, officials refused to disqualify him from the game.
Then Al Qaeda threw a fourth dart.
Rules:
This was obviously a highly illegal move. Each player must only use 3 darts. The rules are quite clear on this. Below is the relevant extract from the most recent edition of The Rules of Darts:
Each player throws three darts in his turn. Then the darts are retrieved. Darts must stay on the board for at least five seconds after a player's final throw. A throw does not score if it sticks into another dart or if it falls off the board.
The fourth dart:
For the record, the illegal fourth dart was a tungsten wide-body, like the others used by Qaeda. This one had a 93 flight.
Replay:
The slow-motion action replay shows that Qaeda was aiming for the 18, but the hurried nature of the illegal throw gave the dart a poor arc of trajectory. Apparently, this caused it to hit the board incorrectly, bounce off the wire shank next to the 4 and cause serious injury to Uncle Sam. Officials have recorded the time of the throw as taking place at 10.03.
Injuries:
Physical and psychological.
- Physical: Uncle Sam was hit by the illegal fourth dart to the extent that major surgery was necessary. He has subsequently had to permanently retire from the game of darts.
- Psychological: The impact of the injury, Al Qaeda's illegal use of 4 darts, the delaying tactics, and the often-voiced contempt in which Qaeda held Uncle Sam, have contributed to Uncle Sam's current mental state, and his subsequent criticism of Qaeda's participation in the game.
During the match, Uncle Sam was so completely demoralized by Qaeda's time-wasting mode of attack that he was unable to continue playing. Instead, he forfeited his turn and began to carefully examine the dartboard.
Investigation:
The official after-match investigation, which has subsequently become known as the 9/11 report, revealed that Qaeda's oversized darts had caused "serious and significant damage" to the sisal fibres and the boar bristles of the brand new standard tournament board. This damage was considered to be so serious as to render the dartboard no longer usable. It has since been recycled.
Delays:
Between the first and second throw there was a recorded delay of 16 minutes. Between the second and third throw was a recorded delay of 35 minutes. Between the third and (illegal) fourth dart was a delay of 26 minutes.
There is no clear reason for Qaeda's long delays between throws, other than it being an attempt by him to unnerve Uncle Sam and put him at a psychological disadvantage, and thereby hinder and inhibit his game.
The winner:
The official result is that there was no "real" winner. Only one player took a turn, and he cheated. The match was declared null and void. Qaeda has demanded a rematch.
Merchandise:
Due to the controversial nature of the game, the film, the soundtrack, the screenplay, the novel, the play, the musical, the graphic novel, the posters, the lunchboxes, and the action figures are all selling in vast quantities. Shareholders in the 9/11 franchise are now some of the world's richest investors.
Overview:
Despite the confusion caused by the outraged crowd after the use of the illegal fourth dart, which resulted in Qaeda's instant disqualification and Uncle Sam's psychological defeat, it has been suggested that Uncle Sam clearly expected to win.
It seems that Qaeda knew he was facing a superior player, and therefore used the fourth dart as an attempt to humiliate Uncle Sam in front of his supporters. After he had thrown the illegal fourth dart, Qaeda immediately attempted to leave the building and was subsequently apprehended by officials.
Size:
A puzzling aspect remains; the size of Qaeda's darts. They were hugely oversized, despite complying with tournament weight standards. Although such darts are not illegal in a tournament, their use is certainly unusual.
Without doubt, Qaeda cheated. But one question still remains unanswered: Where did he get his darts from?
