About Curling
Slide rune stones across a frozen lake and finish closer to the centre than your rival. Set your aim and curl, hold to build throwing power, then sweep to keep the stone travelling farther and straighter. Each lake has different ice to learn.
How to play
- Goal
- Finish the match with more points than the rival crew.
- How it ends
- After the last end the higher score wins; a tie plays extra ends, and a match still level after three extra ends is a draw.
- Record
- The widest win and the fastest win for each match.
- Each end, one stone of each side is placed first; then you and the rival throw three each. Finish the match with more points than the rival crew.
- Tap or drag the ice to place the skip's broom: your stone leaves straight at it and curls away from that line as it slows, to the side you pick with the curl buttons. A gentle draw curls far more than a fast hit.
- Hold Throw (or Space) and the weight builds: a dashed line runs up the ice to where the stone would stop if nobody swept it, and the meter names the spot, from Guard through the rings of the house to Hit and Peel. Let go when the line reaches your mark. There is no hidden error: the stone goes where your broom, curl and moment of letting go send it.
- While your stone slides, hold the ice, the Sweep button or Space: swept, it slides further and curls less. The status line says where it would stop unswept.
- After the last stone only the side with the stone nearest the button scores, one point for each of its stones nearer than the other side's best, and only stones touching the house count. The first three stones of an end may not knock any stone out of play: if one does, the stones go back and the thrown stone is removed.
Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Tap or drag the ice | Place the skip's broom |
| Hold Throw, let go | Deliver the stone: the weight builds while you hold |
| Arrow keys across the sheet | Move the broom (Shift for 1 cm steps) |
| Q · E | Curl left · curl right |
| Hold Space · Enter | Deliver; let go at your mark |
| Hold Space, the ice or Sweep | Sweep your sliding stone |
| H | Hurry: show the slide faster |
| P · Escape | Pause; Restart and Leave are there |
Good to know
Ranked results are checked by replaying your moves. Your progress stays in this browser.
Watch how to play
Did you know?
Olympic curling stones have a Scottish island connection: their granite comes from Ailsa Craig. Different granite types are used for the running surface and the body to cope with water and collisions.
