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Nicky Virachkul
Personal information
Full name	Nicholas Virachkul
Nickname	"The Thailand Cowboy"
Born	June 3, 1948 Thailand
Died	April 17, 1999(1999-04-17) (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Darts information
Playing darts since	1968
Darts	21gr Accudarts
Laterality	Right-handed
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	1975–1988
WDF major events – best performances
World Ch'ship	3rd Place 1978
World Masters	Semi Final 1980
Other tournament wins
Tournament	Years
Windy City Open WDF World Cup Singles North American Open Dallas Open Camellia Classic	1978 1979 1982 1983 1986, 1987
Other achievements
1996 National Darts Hall of Fame inductee

Nicholas "Nicky" Virachkul (June 3, 1948 – April 17, 1999) was an American professional darts player who competed in the 1970s and 1980s.

Personal life

Virachkul was born in Thailand, studied in the United States and became a naturalized citizen.

Career

Virachkul represented the United States internationally in dart tournaments.

He competed at the first Embassy World Darts Championship in 1978, losing narrowly by 7–8 in the semi-final to eventual champion, Leighton Rees. He won third place in a play-off by defeating Stefan Lord. Virachakul reached the quarter-finals on three other occasions: in 1981 (losing to Eric Bristow), 1982 (losing to Bobby George) and 1984 (losing to Dave Whitcombe). Despite his respectable record, it was nevertheless a surprise when he defeated the defending World Champion, Keith Deller, in the first round of the 1984 World Championship. Deller had his revenge in the first round the following year. The 1985 championship was Virachkul's last appearance in the final stages. Despite competing in the first eight World Championships, he never again qualified after the tournament moved to the Lakeside Country Club in 1986.

Virachkul competed in the third WDF World Cup darts tournament in 1979 and won the singles title. In 1980 he reached the semi-finals of the Winmau World Masters. He also won the 1978 Windy City Open, the 1982 North American Open and the 1983 Dallas Open.

Nicky Virachkul was inducted into the National Darts Hall of Fame in 1996.^[1]

Death

Suffering from cancer, Virachkul died in 1999 at the age of 50.^{[citation needed]}

World Championship results

BDO

1978: 3rd Place (beat Stefan Lord 4–5) (legs)
1979: 2nd Round (lost to Alan Glazier 1–2) (sets)
1980: 2nd Round (lost to Bill Lennard 0–2)
1981: Quarter Finals (lost to Eric Bristow 0–4)
1982: Quarter Finals (lost to Bobby George 1–4)
1983: 1st Round (lost to Keith Deller 1–2)
1984: Quarter Finals (lost to Dave Whitcombe 0–5)
1985: 1st Round (lost to Keith Deller 0–2)

Career finals

WDF major finals: 1 (1 title)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Winner	1.	1979	World Cup Singles	Ceri Morgan	4–3 (s)