Curling is the ice sport where you slide a heavy stone down a long sheet and try to finish closer to the centre of the house, the button, than the other team. Curling (2 players) on Cantong puts a full sheet on one phone, tablet or PC that two people share: you take turns throwing on the same screen. No account, no install. Grab the stone at the near end of the ice, drag it toward the house and let go to throw. While it slides, tap the screen to sweep and carry it farther. Stones bounce off each other, so knocking the other team out of the house works just like on real ice. Pick 1, 3 or 5 ends, and whoever has the higher total when the last end is finished wins.
How to play
- On the title screen choose the number of Ends: 1, 3 or 5. Three is the default and your choice is remembered on this device. Skim the four rule lines, then tap Play together. The share button next to it sends the app link to a friend.
- The sheet appears as a tall strip of ice. The hack, where stones are thrown from, is at the bottom; the house, with its blue, white and red rings, is at the top, and the very centre of the house is the button. On a wide screen such as a PC the sheet lies on its side automatically, so you throw from the hack on the left toward the house on the right. Above the ice, the player card of the team on turn glows lime, the number in the middle shows the current end, and the message line reads something like End 1 ยท Red 3 left ยท Drag the stone to throw. Red throws first in end 1.
- Press the stone waiting in the hack (its handle is your team colour) and drag toward the house. A dotted line shows the direction, and the ring around the stone fills from green to red to show how hard you are pulling. Drag length is power: a short pull is a gentle draw, a long pull a heavy hit. Release to throw. Pulling backward or barely moving does nothing, so just grab it again.
- While the stone is sliding, tap anywhere on the screen repeatedly to sweep. The message changes to Tap to sweep!, a white glow appears in front of the stone, and the ice gets faster so the stone travels farther. Each tap adds 0.35 seconds of sweeping, up to 0.9 seconds in total, so a couple of taps is usually enough.
- Once the stone stops it is the other team's turn. Each team throws four stones per end, eight in all, alternating. Stones that collide bounce apart with a shower of sparks, and a hard hit shakes the screen. A stone that slides off the side of the sheet or past the back line behind the house drops out and is removed, and a freshly thrown stone that stops short of the red hog line is removed too.
- After all eight stones the score is worked out automatically and a card shows End 1 โ Red scores 2 (or End 1 โ blank end) together with the running total. Tap Next end to carry on. When the final end is over the totals decide the game: a trophy for the winner, or a handshake for a tie, with the score such as 7 : 5 as the reason, plus Series today. Play again starts a fresh game at once, and Share result sends the result line and the link to a friend.
Rules
Only stones inside the house count, and a stone counts as in if any part of it overlaps the outer ring. The team with the stone closest to the button is the only team that scores in that end, and it scores one point for every one of its stones that is closer to the button than the opponent's best stone. Two teams never score in the same end.
| Scoring | The team closest to the button scores one point per stone that beats the opponent's closest stone, up to four |
|---|---|
| Blank end | No stone in the house means nobody scores |
| Throwing order | Red throws first in end 1. After that, the team that scored throws first, so the team that did not score throws last and holds the hammer. A blank end keeps the order as it was. After a blank end the order stays the same |
| Removed stones | A new stone that stops before the hog line, any stone that leaves the sheet at the side, any stone that crosses the back line |
| Result | Higher total after the last end wins; equal totals are a tie |
- Four stones each per end, thrown alternately. The last stone of the end is the hammer.
- A throw cannot be taken back. There is no undo button; the tools under the ice are New game and Resign only.
- New game restarts from end 1 and asks for confirmation if a game is in progress.
- Resign turns into Really resign? and a second tap within 2.5 seconds resigns for the team on turn.
- Series today is the win, loss and tie count for as long as this page stays open; reloading clears it.
Tips
- Use your first stone as a guard. Get it past the hog line and park it in front of the house, and the other team can no longer draw straight to the button, while your later stones can hide behind it.
- If an opposing stone sits on the button, do not try to squeeze in beside it. Throw hard and hit it head-on: collisions are elastic, so your stone tends to stay put while theirs is pushed out of the house. That is a takeout.
- A hard throw sails through the house and off the back line. Start around half the gauge for a draw and add distance with sweeping rather than power.
- Sweeping is for draws. When a stone looks like it will die just short of the house, two or three quick taps carry it in. A stone thrown too hard should not be swept at all.
- The team with the hammer, the last stone of the end, has the edge because it gets the final say on the house. Score big when you hold it, and when you do not, try to limit the damage to a single point or force a blank end.
FAQ
How do I sweep?
Tap the screen quickly, anywhere, while your stone is still sliding. Every tap makes the ice faster for 0.35 seconds, up to 0.9 seconds in total, and a white glow in front of the stone shows that sweeping is working. Once the stone has stopped there is nothing to sweep, so tap the moment you think it will come up short.
What is the hog line?
The red line drawn across the sheet in front of the house. A freshly thrown stone that stops before crossing it is removed, so a very gentle throw is the same as no throw. Spend your first few stones learning how much pull it takes to get over it.
How is the score counted?
Automatically at the end of each end. Look at the stones inside the house: the team owning the one nearest the button scores, and the score is the number of its stones that are nearer than the other team's nearest stone. If two red stones are closer to the button than any yellow stone, Red scores 2. If the house is empty it is a blank end.
What is the hammer, and who throws first?
The hammer is the last stone of an end. Red throws first in end 1, so Yellow holds the hammer. From then on the team that scored in the previous end throws first and the team that failed to score throws last. After a blank end the order does not change.
Why does the ice lie sideways on my PC?
The sheet is much taller than it is wide. On a landscape screen an upright sheet would be tiny, so the game rotates it to fit and you throw from the left hack toward the house on the right. Everything else is identical, and on a phone held upright you throw from bottom to top.
Can I play on my own?
Curling (2 players) is built for two people taking turns on the same device. You can throw for both teams to practise, but there is no computer opponent and no online play.
More two-player games
- Alkkagi ยท Stone Flicking (2 players) โ the same flick-and-collide feel, on a go board instead of ice.
- Chinese Checkers (2 players) โ race ten marbles across the star board.
- Gomoku (2 players) โ five in a row on a 15ร15 board, quick and sharp.
- Reversi ยท Othello (2 players) โ one move can flip the whole board.
- Chess (2 players) โ full-rules chess with a face-to-face mode for one shared screen.