Introduction to Curling Strategy Paperback – February 2, 2026

Have more fun watching and playing curling with this newly updated guide to Chess on Ice!“Introduction to Curling Strategy” is a complete guide to curling strategy fundamentals - now with the 5 Rock & No Tick Rules. It uses an intuitive approach to make curling strategy easy to understand, even for people who are totally new to the sport. It works through classic scenarios that commonly occur at all levels of curling. And, it shows advanced curlers how to pick tactics based on goals and “intent,” rather than play shot-to-shot.The book is organized into five parts:Part 1: Curling Basics - A brief introduction to curling for people who are new to the sport, plus basic information you must know to understand the rest of the bookPart 2: Strategy Basics - Fundamental concepts that underlie all curling strategyPart 3: Tactics in Depth - Opens and endings. Decide how you want an end to finish, then pick the right opening moves to get you there.Part 4: Strategy Scenarios - Navigating the nebulous middle of an end. This section uses interactive puzzles to show you how to stay focused and steer play towards the ending you want.Part 5: Playing in the Real World - Follow real games, shot by shot, and see how skips make—and stick with—plans. Learn tricks for other real world situations, like curling on hockey ice and playing with new curlers who are still learning to make basic shots. The book also makes a great textbook for curling classes!The second edition ebook is now available! It is fixed-format to improve the relationship between the text and graphics. (This book focuses on 4-person curling, but the same general strategy principles apply to Mixed Doubles.) Read more