Curling: A Game of Inches!

Curling is not only one of the world’s most popular sports, nor is it one which is likely to receive much television coverage or be something many people will ever play. Though it is, a fascinating game, its nickname is also “chess on ice”. Invented in Scotland in the 16th century it is popular in the UK (mainly Scotland) as well as countries to which Scots have exported it, including Canada, the US, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland. In addition curling is now played in a number of other countries, including many other areas of Europe, China, Japan and Korea.
Curling has similarities to bowls and shuffleboard (deck) and involves sliding granite stones, also called rocks, into a target area at the other end of a long, thin, strip of ice which constitutes the “pitch”. The team that propels their rocks closest to the centre of the target scores points accordingly, with the path of the stone influenced by team members who sweep and brush the ice ahead of the stone to change its speed or curl.
Curling is played between two teams each of four players using eight granite stones each. The “pitch” is a flat, smooth area of ice measuring 45-46m long and 4.4-5m wide. There is a “house” at each end and a circular target made up of a blue outer circle with a 12ft diameter and a white circle inside that with a diameter of eight feet along a red circle with a diameter of four feet.
The stones themselves weight between 17 and 20kg, are at least 11cm high with a maximum circumference of 91cm and have a handle attached to the top. They are made of granite and the handles are usually red for one side and yellow for the other.
Scoring is done after each “end” with whichever team is closest to the centre of the house being awarded a point. Further points are awarded for each stone of theirs that is closer than the best of the opposition’s. In order to score any points at least one stone must be “in the house”, which is to say touching any of the circles or overhanging them.
The game is won by the team that scores the most points after all the ends are complete. Most of the curling matches take place over ten or sometimes eight ends. If the scores are level after the allotted number of ends then an extra sudden-death end is played.

By: Saksham Gupta
Content: https://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/curling.html