Imagine you are playing against an opponent that you regard much better than yourself, yet your match has seen him throw some really bad darts or maybe you are playing the game of your life and have sneaked in front of him. In many cases something pretty strange happens: The weaker player who actually is in front starts to get nervous and often blunders the match away.

What's happening is this: Everybody goes into a match with thoughts on how the match will go. That's okay, it is important to be prepared for what will occur whilst at the board within the next few minutes. If play against a strong opponent you expect to struggle, and normally this is true. But sometimes things are easier than we expect, and if this situation occurs, we are surprised, and when we are surprised we start to think. "Wow, what's happening now! I'm in the lead! I have a chance now! I'll HAVE TO DO IT NOW!!" Then you are suddenly in this "I have to - it's now or never!" mood, and by thinking that way you put yourself under pressure. Some may say that this will increase your concentration levels, however, putting yourself under pressure will allow tension to creep in to your game. We all know that tension is a bad feeling, and we normally recognise when we are tensed. And this is the tricky effect of the unexpected lead situation - you are that happy and surprised about being in front you don't notice the rise of tension, and this is exactly the reason why so many players fail in this situation.

The solution is to expect the unexpected. Always remember before the match that it can be easier than you might think. This situation often confuses inexperienced players. Usually they play better when they are behind than when they are in the lead - just because an inexperienced player is more used to being behind. And at last remember this: Don't think about your opponent's reputation. Even John Lowe can sometimes play like John Smith.