Curling is often called “chess on ice” for good reason. The Olympic sport blends strategy, physics and teamwork as two teams slide 42-pound granite stones down a 150-foot sheet of ice toward a target called the house — a set of concentric circles with the center known as the button.

Each team has four players: the lead, second, vice-skip and skip. The skip acts as captain and strategist, calling shots and delivering the final stones. A match consists of 10 ends (similar to innings in baseball), with each team throwing eight stones per end.

How Curling Scoring Works

Only one team scores per end. Points are awarded for every stone closer to the button than the opponent’s nearest stone. A perfect end — all eight stones scoring — is called an “eight-ender,” a rare feat in elite play. If no

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