Curling Shot is a free online curling game that runs in your browser with no download and no account. You throw four stones an end over six ends against a rival rink, and every stone is three decisions and one live one. Pick the handle — in-turn or out-turn — which decides which way the stone bends. Pick the line, knowing the stone will not travel down it: a curling stone curls more as it slows, so it finishes on a hook and the line you aim is never the line it takes. Pick the weight, from a guard that stops short of the house to a takeout that removes what is sitting in it. Then, once the stone is already on its way and nothing else can be changed, hold Sweep. Sweeping polishes the ice: the stone runs about a fifth further and curls far less, which is how you rescue a light stone and how you keep a heavy one straight. Scoring is real curling scoring, and it is what makes the shots worth choosing: only one rink scores in an end, the one with the stone nearest the button, and they score a point for every stone of theirs nearer than the other rink has managed. So one guarded stone on the button beats three scattered around the rings, and the hammer — the last stone of the end — matters enough that giving up a single point to keep it is a real decision. Six rinks take you from a club bonspiel to an Olympic final, and each one chooses its stones by throwing them on the same ice you do.
How to play Curling Shot
- You throw four stones an end, the rival throws four, and there are six ends. The rink with the stone nearest the button at the end of an end scores.
- Pick the handle first. In-turn bends the stone one way, out-turn the other. It is the same throw; only the direction of the curl changes.
- Set the line with the slider. The dashed line shows where the stone starts out, not where it finishes — the curl takes it sideways from there.
- Set the weight. Low weight leaves the stone short of the house as a guard, middling weight draws into the rings, and full weight is a takeout that drives a stone out of play. Too light and it never reaches the hog line, which takes it off; too heavy and it runs through the back of the house, which does the same.
- Press Throw. From that moment the line, the weight and the handle are fixed and there is exactly one thing left you can do.
- Hold the button down to sweep while the stone is running. A swept stone travels about a fifth further and curls much less, so sweeping is both the rescue for a light stone and the way to keep one straight. It is also the way to throw one straight through the back of the house, so a stone already on the pace should be left alone.
- Let go to stop sweeping. You can sweep for part of the slide and not the rest, which is how you make a stone finish in a particular place rather than simply further on.
- Only one rink scores in an end. Whoever has the nearest stone scores one point for each of their stones nearer than the other rink has managed — so a single well-guarded stone can be worth more than four bad ones.
- The team that gives up points throws last in the next end. That last stone is the hammer, and it is the biggest advantage in the game.
- An end where nobody has a stone in the house is blanked: no points, and the hammer stays where it is. Win more points than the rival rink over six ends to take the game and unlock the next one.
Tips
- Aim wide of where you want the stone to finish. A draw at normal weight bends about six stone-widths across the sheet — close to two metres — so aiming straight at the button leaves you well to one side of it.
- Throw a touch light and sweep. It is much easier to add distance with the brush than to take it away, and a stone you have to sweep is a stone you still have control over.
- Sweeping straightens as well as lengthens. If a stone is curling into trouble, sweeping it holds the line — that is often more useful than the extra distance.
- A guard is a stone you deliberately leave short. It cannot score, but it sits in front of the house where the rival has to throw around it, and around is much harder than through.
- Count before you throw the last stone of an end. If you are already lying two, a draw that adds a third is worth more than a takeout that risks the two you have.
- Giving up a single point when you have the hammer is a bad trade; the hammer goes to the other rink and it is worth more than the point. Blanking the end keeps it.
- The later rinks miss by less, and their crews start work the moment a stone falls behind the pace rather than once it is obviously dying. The other difference is what they are willing to try: the club rink only draws, the middle ones add takeouts and guards, and the last two will come around a guard rather than go through it.
FAQ
Is Curling Shot free to play?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no download, no plugin, no sign-up and nothing to buy. The first rink is open straight away and the rest unlock by winning games.
What does sweeping actually do?
Two things, both measured in the game rather than decorative: a swept stone travels about a fifth further than an unswept one, and it bends far less. That is why it can rescue a stone thrown light, and why it is used to hold a stone on a straight line.
Why does my stone not go where I aimed it?
Because it curls, and it curls more as it slows down. The handle you choose decides which way it bends, and a draw bends most in its last few metres — so you aim out to one side and let it come back.
How does the scoring work?
Only one rink scores in an end: the one whose stone is nearest the centre. They get a point for each of their stones that is nearer than the other rink has managed. Stones outside the rings never count.
What is the hammer?
The last stone of an end, which goes to the rink that gave up points in the end before. It is a real advantage, which is why giving up a single point while holding it is a poor trade and blanking an end to keep it is a reasonable one.
Can I play with a keyboard?
Yes. The left and right arrows set the line, up and down set the weight, and the space bar throws — then hold it down to sweep and let go to stop. If you have tabbed onto one of the sliders, its own arrow keys take over, which is the normal behaviour of a slider.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The sheet is long and narrow, which suits a portrait screen, and everything is a slider or a button. Sweeping is holding the big button down while the stone runs.
How good are the rival rinks?
Each one chooses its stone by throwing the candidates on the same ice you play on and keeping whichever leaves the end in the best state for it. What separates them is how far off their throws land, when their crew decides to sweep, and how many kinds of shot they will consider at all. Measured over twelve rounds each, the club rink finishes 29 percent of its stones in the house and the Olympic rink 85 percent.