You must have watched curling in the Olympics, and I come to know this game a couple of years ago. Though the game looks so easy to understand, the curling scoring does not. Previously we have discussed the curling rules. You can check this out to learn the basic rules of curling. In this article, we will be talking about how scoring works in curling. Let’s find out.
How Does Curling Scoring Work?
The basic concept of this game is to slide stones on the ice toward the “House.” The bullseye made with three different concentric circles is called the House. If a player is able to throw their stone in the house or bullseye, they will score a point or points. Here is how you score points in curling.
Two teams consist of four players who face each other to see who can score the maximum point. Every player gets the opportunity to throw stones two times, so in a single round, there will be a total of 16 stones being thrown.
After a player throws a stone, another player from the other team throws it. Teams alternatively throw the stone. After throwing 16 stones, a round ends. And then the points are tallied. To understand the curling scoring, you need to understand a couple of scoring in this game. Let’s get into this one by one.
Read more: Cricket Rules: How To Play Cricket?
House Scoring
Players also call this curling house. After every end, only one team is qualified to score. Let me start with an example. Suppose 16 stones have been thrown. Then the team with the most stone or stones closest to the button will get the point/points at every end. The button is at the center of the house.
A score counts when stones are inside the house and are also close to or in the button. Suppose there are no stones in the button area. And a stone or stones touching the house and closer to the center area will reward the team. In this case, reward means points.
You may think that the closer the stone is, the higher the point will be, so let me tell you, a team will only get a single point for a single stone. No matter how close it is to the center. One stone is equal to one point.
Maximum, a team can score upto eight points in one round or one end. So, though the situation is rare if someday you watch something like this, and the commentator calls it a snowman or eight-ender, you don’t have to confuse. After an end, if only one stone is left in the house, then there will be only one point. And the location of the stone is not important as long as it stays or touches the house.
Now, I will give you two different examples. Suppose a team has eight stones in the house, and the opponent team has only one stone that is closer to the center than the eight stones. Then the team with one stone closer to the center will win and get the point. In another example, suppose a team has four stones in the house, and another team has one if that stone is more close to the center than two out of four stones. Then the opposing team will only get two points.
And if there is no stone in the house after an end. Then there will be zero points rewarded. And that will be a “black end” game.
Read more: Badminton Rules & Regulations: How To Play Badminton?
Ends
Here, I am giving you an example of how a scoresheet looks after a match ends.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total | |
| Team A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | X | 4 |
| Team B | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | X | X | 8 |
Points are calculated after every end/round and at the end of a match. So, how many ends in curling? There are ten ends in a match. If a team scores one point in the first end and then three points in the second, then after two ends, the team will have a total of four points. Most matches last for eight or ten ends. The team with the maximum points at the end of the match will win. Sometimes, a team surrenders before the end if they find it impossible to win.
Important Things To Know
Normally, a game consists of basic things. But there are a couple of things that you should know if you want to understand curling scoring.
Last Stone Advantage
Players alternatively throw stones, so the game continues with stones knocked in and out of the house. So, there is no clear point after throwing one or two stones, and only after every end, there will be clear points. As you can see how the game runs, the last team that throws a stone will get a scoring advantage. This is called a “hammer,” in most games, the team with the hammer can expect a win. After every end, the hammer switches, and if there is no point, then there will be no change in the hammer.
Read more: Volleyball Rules: How To Play Volleyball?
Score Determination
Here are the basic rules of score determination.
- After an end, only one team can score point/points.
- If there is no stone inside the house and a stone is touching a little part of the house, then the team can earn a point.
- Every stone is accountable for scoring, regardless of the location. It is worth one point if a stone is located in the house.
- The team that has stone/stones closer to the button after an end is likely to get the point.
- There is an additional point system. If a team has more than one stone closer to the button, the opponent has no stone closer to it. Then the first team will get additional points.
To Conclude
I hope now you have understood the scoring for curling. I know it seems to look easy, but Scoring in curling is tough. When you see that a player is able to put the stone in the button, the opponent knocks it off. And the process continues for sixteen throws. You will get that it is not easy.
If you find anything that you haven’t understood, feel free to let us know in the comment section below.
Thank You.
Read Also:
