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About Curling

Curling is the winter sport often called chess on ice: teams slide heavy granite stones down a long sheet toward a target of rings called the house, and only the side with the stone closest to the centre scores. It grew up on frozen Scottish lochs and is now a fixture of the Winter Olympics, which is usually when people go looking for a way to try it themselves.

This version trims the sport to a head-to-head duel that fits in about six minutes. Each player throws four stones per end, alternating, and a match lasts four ends. The physics is the interesting part: a thrown rock loses speed gradually on the ice, bends sideways according to the handle you give it and curls hardest late in its run, and it knocks other stones around on contact, so draws, guards and takeouts all behave the way they should. A stone that stops short of the hog line or slides out the back is removed from play.

There is no sweeping here, so every shot is decided at release. That makes it a good fit for beginners who want to understand how curling scoring and the hammer work, and for anyone who enjoys a slow, tactical aiming game rather than a twitchy one.

How to play Curling

1. The aim is to finish each end with your stones closer to the button, the centre of the rings, than your opponent's best stone.
2. Players alternate throws, four stones each per end. The player without the hammer throws first, so the hammer always delivers the last stone.
3. Drag to set your aim and throwing weight, use the handle slider to choose how much and which way the rock curls, then release to throw.
4. A stone must travel past the hog line to stay in play. Stones that stop short, slide out the back or leave the side of the sheet are removed.
5. Moving stones collide with everything in their path, so you can knock opposing rocks out of the house or tap your own closer.
6. When all eight stones are thrown, the player with the closest stone scores one point for every stone they have nearer the button than the opponent's best. Only stones touching the rings count.
7. The player who did not score takes the hammer for the next end. If nobody scores, the hammer stays where it was.
8. After four ends the higher total wins. Level scores finish as a draw.

Rules checked against the game on 2026-09-01.

Curling tips and strategy

• With the hammer, keep the centre of the sheet open and aim to score two. Without it, park an early guard on the centre line so your opponent has to curl around something.
• Use lighter weight than you think for draws. A rock that drifts through the back of the house is gone, while one that stops a little short of the rings can still serve as a guard.
• Aim to the side of your target and let the handle bring the stone back. The curl is strongest in the last part of the slide, so slow shots bend far more than heavy takeouts.
• When your opponent is sitting shot behind cover, a firm hit that removes the guard and their stone together is worth more than a delicate draw you might miss.
• On the last stone of an end, count before you throw. Sometimes the best play is to throw the stone through without touching anything and keep the hammer for the next end.