Curling
A Scottish winter sport in which teams of four slide granite stones down a sheet of ice, sweeping ahead of the stone to control its path.
What is Curling?
Curling is a strategic winter sport played on a long strip of pebbled ice. Two teams of four alternate delivering 20-kilogram polished granite stones toward a target — the 'house' — at the far end. Team-mates sweep the ice ahead of the stone with brooms to reduce friction and steer it. After all 16 stones are delivered (an 'end'), the team with stones closer to the centre of the house scores. Curling is a full-medal Winter Olympic sport since 1998; Canada and Scotland are the traditional powerhouses.
Quick facts
Category
Winter Sports
Type
Team sport
Players
4 per team
Duration
~180 min
Where played
indoor
Field / court
sheet
Country of origin
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Estimated origin
16th century
Olympic
Yes
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Score more points than the opposition over 10 ends by placing stones closer to the centre of the house than the opposition's best stone.
Match structure
Teams alternate stones — 2 per player, 8 per team per end. After all 16 stones are delivered, only one team scores (the team with stones closer than the opposition's closest). Ends are played on alternating houses; the team that scored delivers first in the next end.
Rules
Basic rules
Delivery
The player slides out of the hack with the stone in one hand and a broom or stabiliser in the other, releasing the stone before the hog line at the near end.
Sweeping
Team-mates sweep in front of the moving stone with brooms — reducing friction to make the stone go further and travel straighter.
The house
Only stones inside the house (12-foot outer circle) can score. Only stones closer than the opposition's closest count.
Free-guard zone
For the first 5 stones of an end, opposition stones between the hog line and the top of the house cannot be knocked out — protecting early tactical guards.
Advanced rules
Hammer
The 'hammer' is the last stone of an end — a huge tactical advantage, held by the team that did not score in the previous end.
Blank end
A team with the hammer may choose to remove all stones without scoring, retaining the hammer for the next end.
Thinking time
International matches use a thinking-time clock — 38 minutes per team per 10 ends.
Scoring
1 point per stone closer to the centre than the opposition's best stone.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Stone in the house closer than any opposition stone | 1 pt (max 8 per end) |
Win condition · Higher total after 10 ends. Ties go to an extra end with hammer to the team without in the 10th.
Playing area
Called
sheet
Dimensions
45.7 m long × 4.75 m wide.
Pebbled ice sheet with a house (target) at each end — concentric circles of 12-, 8-, 4-foot and centre 'button'.
A curling sheet
45.7 m long, 4.75 m wide. Only stones inside the house count — and only the ones closer than the opposition's closest stone score.
Equipment
Stone
Polished granite stone, 19.96 kg max, ~28.6 cm diameter — traditionally from Ailsa Craig, Scotland.
Broom
For sweeping ahead of the stone to reduce friction and steer it.
Slider & gripper
Two-shoe system — a Teflon slider on one foot, rubber gripper on the other.
Positions & roles
Lead
×1Delivers the first two stones — usually 'guards' (set outside the house).
Second
×1Delivers stones 3 and 4 — hitting and running.
Third (vice-skip)
×1Stones 5 and 6; helps the skip strategise, holds the broom while the skip shoots.
Skip
×1The captain and last shooter — delivers stones 7 and 8, and calls every shot.
Officiating
Curling is largely self-officiated at recreational level; umpires oversee international matches.
- Chief umpire
- Line umpires (hog-line and back-line)
- Timekeeper
Penalties & fouls
Penalties
Hog-line violation
Releasing after the hog line = stone removed from play.
Touching a moving stone (burned stone)
The non-offending team may replace or remove the stone.
Terminology
- Hammer
- Last stone of the end — a big tactical advantage.
- House
- The concentric-ring target at each end.
- Button
- The central circle of the house — closest stone here scores.
- Guard
- A stone placed short of the house to block the opposition.
- Draw
- A stone delivered gently to stop in the house.
- Takeout
- A stone delivered firmly to knock an opposition stone out of play.
- Freeze
- A stone that stops in direct contact with another.
Major competitions
Olympic Curling
quadrennial · worldwide · since 1998
World Curling Championships
annual · worldwide · since 1959
Continental Cup
annual · worldwide · since 2002
Brier (Canadian championships)
annual · Canada · since 1927
Where it is played
Governing bodies
World Curling FederationWCF
Founded 1966 · Perth, Scotland
Official site ↗
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Kevin Martin
- Jennifer Jones
- Rachel Homan
- Kevin Koe
- Peja Lindholm
Learn this sport
beginner
- 1What is curling?
Two teams take turns sliding stones down a sheet of ice toward a target.
- 2The house & scoring
Only stones inside the house score; you score 1 per stone closer than your opponent's best.
- 3Sweeping
Team-mates sweep in front of the stone to reduce friction and control its path.
- 4The hammer
Last stone of the end — the biggest tactical piece on the board.
Frequently asked
Why do the sweepers sweep?+
Sweeping melts a thin layer of ice, reducing friction — this makes the stone travel further AND straighter (less 'curl').
How heavy is a curling stone?+
19.96 kg (44 lbs) — polished granite, traditionally from Ailsa Craig off the Scottish coast.
Sources & provenance
- WCF Rules of Curling & Rules of Competition— World Curling Federation