Curling Strategy: Hammer, Guards, and Draws

Curling Strategy Basics: Thinking Three Ends Ahead

Curling’s nickname — “chess on ice” — isn’t hyperbole. Every stone delivered is part of a multi-end strategy that considers the current end, the score, the hammer position, and the opponent’s tendencies. The World Curling Federation (WCF) rules create a framework, but the strategy is what makes curling endlessly complex.

The Two Fundamental Approaches

Offensive strategy: placing stones in the house and in front of it (guards), building a scoring setup, and protecting it with more guards. Offensive play aims for multiple points.

Defensive strategy: keeping the house clean, removing opponent stones, and minimizing the opponent’s scoring chances. Defensive play aims to hold the opponent to one point (if they have the hammer) or blank the end.

The hammer determines which approach a team takes:

• With the hammer: typically play offensively, aiming to score two or more.
• Without the hammer: typically play defensively, hoping to steal (score without the hammer) or force the hammer team to only score one.

The Free Guard Zone Rule’s Impact

The free guard zone (FGZ) rule — which protects guards in front of the house for the first five delivered stones — fundamentally shapes strategy. Before the FGZ rule, teams could simply blast guards away immediately. Now, the team without the hammer can set up guards that must be played around, creating more complex end dynamics.

Strategic implications of the FGZ:

• Guard placement: early stones are often thrown as guards in the FGZ, knowing they can’t be removed immediately.
• Come-around draws: a stone curled behind a guard into the house is extremely difficult to remove.
• Peel attempts: once the FGZ protection expires (after the fifth stone), teams can start removing guards — but by then, the setup may be too complex to peel cleanly.

Common Shot Types

• Draw: a stone that comes to rest in a desired position (in the house or as a guard).
• Takeout: removing an opponent’s stone from play.
• Hit and roll: removing an opponent’s stone while rolling your own to a favorable position.
• Guard: placing a stone in front of the house to protect stones behind it.
• Freeze: drawing your stone to rest directly against an opponent’s stone, making it nearly impossible to remove without also removing your own.
• Raise: hitting your own guard to promote it into the house.
• Double takeout: removing two opponent stones with one shot.
• Peel: a takeout where both the opponent’s stone and your thrown stone leave play — used to simplify the end.

Score Management

Elite curling strategy is driven by the score:

• Leading by 1–2 with the hammer: play conservatively, force blank ends to preserve the lead.
• Trailing without the hammer: play aggressively, stack guards, and aim for steals.
• Tied game: the team with the hammer often tries to set up a two-point end; the team without plays to force a hold to one.

Thinking Multiple Ends Ahead

Top teams consider not just the current end but the next two or three:

• If you’re leading 4-2 with the hammer in End 8, is it better to score one (going to 5-2, giving up the hammer) or blank (staying 4-2 with the hammer in End 9)?
• The answer depends on how many ends remain, your opponent’s strengths, and whether you trust your end-game.

This multi-end calculus is what elevates curling from a stone-throwing game to a genuine strategic sport. At Beijing 2022, Bruce Mouat’s British team pushed Sweden’s Edin to an extra end in the gold medal game precisely because of superior end-management strategy — though Sweden ultimately prevailed.

The Skip’s Role

The skip (team captain, usually throwing last) reads the ice, calls the shots, and sets the strategy. The skip stands at the far end of the sheet, using a broom to indicate the target line for the thrower. Communication between skip and thrower — about weight (force), line (direction), and ice conditions — is constant and essential.