The point was their first in their last five matches against the fifth-placed side, but they could easily have had more in a better display than that against Rushall at the weekend.
Chorley had a chance in the first minute when the ball was crossed from the left for Warren Clarke, who was standing near the penalty spot, to head wide of the right-hand post.
But Quakers steadily weathered that early pressure, and took the lead on 13 minutes.
Sam Hetherington was fouled 30 yards out and Caden Kelly skilfully fired the free-kick over the wall and into the bottom right corner of the net with Chorley keeper Matt Urwin helpless.
It was the Sunderland loanee’s fifth goal of the season, and the first that Quakers had scored against Chorley in five matches.
Darlington’s confidence clearly increased and they had a good spell of pressure which ended with Jack Maskell, with his back to goal, chesting the ball down, swivelling and then firing straight at Urwin.
But Chorley levelled after 31 minutes when Billy Whitehouse crossed deep from the left to the far post where Kole Hall headed past Peter Jameson.
Maskell nearly restored the home side’s lead on 37 minutes when he headed another Kelly free-kick towards goal and the ball looped high into the air and hit the face of the crossbar before the Chorley defence cleared.
And there was another chance on 44 minutes when Kelly swung a corner over from the right and Maskell evaded his marker and got in a powerful header that was deflected over the bar by a defender.
Kelly was always a danger at set-pieces, and he nearly scored again on 47 minutes.
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Cedric Main won a free-kick about 20 yards out on the left and once again Kelly fired towards the bottom-right corner, but the ball shaved the post.
A good flick on by Maskell sent Main away, but a defender just managed to get back goal side and block his shot.
Quakers were then forced to make another sub, with Ben Andreucci, who had come on at half-time for Hetherington, going off injured to be replaced by Hazeem Bakre.
The game started to get niggly, with Hall booked for simulation, and then a minor skirmish involved several players.
In stoppage time, Nelson tried his luck with a 25-yarder that Urwin held on to.
