Editing Curling (section)

=== Free guard zone ===
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2019}}
The ''free guard zone'' is the area of the curling sheet between the hog line and tee line, excluding the house. Until five stones have been played (three from the side without hammer and two from the side with hammer), stones in the free guard zone may not be removed by an opponent's stone, although they can be moved within the playing area. If a stone in the free guard zone is knocked out of play, it is placed back in the position it was in before the shot was thrown and the opponent's stone is removed from play. This rule is known as the ''five-rock rule'' or the ''free guard zone rule'' (previous versions of the free guard zone rule only limited removing guards from play in the first three or four rocks).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldcurling.org/competitions/rules/|title=Rules of Curling|website=World Curling Federation|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-02-04|archive-date=16 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216194406/https://worldcurling.org/competitions/rules/|url-status=live}}</ref>

This rule, a relatively recent addition to curling, was added in response to a strategy by teams of gaining a lead in the game and then ''peeling'' all of the opponents' stones (knocking them out of play at an angle that caused the shooter's stone to also roll out of play, leaving no stones on the ice). By knocking all stones out the opponents could at best score one point, if they had the last stone of the end (called the [[Hammer (curling)|hammer]]). If the team peeling the rocks had the hammer they could peel rock after rock which would ''blank the end'' (leave the end scoreless), keeping the last rock advantage for another end. This strategy had developed (mostly in Canada) as ice-makers had become skilled at creating a predictable ice surface and newer brushes allowed greater control over the rock. While a sound strategy, this made for an unexciting game. Observers at the time noted that if two teams equally skilled in the peel game faced each other on good ice, the outcome of the game would be predictable from who won the coin flip to have last rock (or had earned it in the schedule) at the beginning of the game. The 1990 [[Tim Hortons Brier|Brier]] (Canadian men's championship) was considered by many curling fans as boring to watch because of the amount of peeling and the quick adoption of the free guard zone rule the following year reflected how disliked this aspect of the game had become.

The free guard zone rule was originally called the Modified Moncton Rule and was developed from a suggestion made by [[Russ Howard]] for the Moncton 100 cashspiel in [[Moncton]], New Brunswick, in January 1990. "Howard's Rule" (later known as the Moncton Rule), used for the tournament and based on a practice drill his team used, had the first four rocks in play unable to be removed no matter where they were at any time during the end. This method of play was altered by restricting the area in which a stone was protected to the free guard zone only for the first four rocks thrown and adopted as a four-rock free guard zone rule for international competition shortly after. Canada kept to the traditional rules until a three-rock free guard zone rule was adopted for the 1993–94 season. After several years of having the three-rock rule used for the Canadian championships and the winners then having to adjust to the four-rock rule in the World Championships, the [[Canadian Curling Association]] adopted the four-rock free guard zone in the 2002–03 season.

One strategy that has been developed by curlers in response to the free guard zone ([[Kevin Martin (curler)|Kevin Martin]] from Alberta is one of the best examples) is the "tick" game, where a shot is made attempting to knock (tick) the guard to the side, far enough that it is difficult or impossible to use, but still remaining in play while the shot itself goes out of play. The effect is functionally identical to peeling the guard, but significantly harder, as a shot that hits the guard too hard (knocking it out of play) results in it being replaced, while not hitting it hard enough can result in it still being tactically useful for the opposition. There is also a greater chance that the shot will miss the guard entirely because of the greater accuracy required to make the shot. Because of the difficulty of making this type of shot, only the best teams will normally attempt it, and it does not dominate the game the way the peel formerly did. [[Steve Gould (curler)|Steve Gould]] from Manitoba popularized ticks played across the face of the guard stone. These are easier to make because they impart less speed on the object stone, therefore increasing the chance that it remains in play even if a bigger chunk of it is hit.

With the tick shot reducing the effectiveness of the four-rock rule, the [[Grand Slam of Curling]] series of bonspiels adopted a five-rock rule in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/curling/what-is-the-five-rock-rule/ |title=What is the five-rock rule? |publisher=Grand Slam of Curling |date=19 September 2017 |access-date=10 October 2018 |archive-date=11 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011203817/http://www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/curling/what-is-the-five-rock-rule/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, the five-rock rule was adopted by the World Curling Federation and member organizations for official play, beginning in the 2018–19 season.<ref name="natpost20180203">{{cite news |url=https://nationalpost.com/sports/curling/curlings-new-five-rock-free-guard-zone-rule-designed-to-generate-offence |title=Curling's new five-rock free guard zone rule designed to generate offence |work=National Post |first=Murray |last=McCormick |date=3 February 2018 |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="curlcan20180615">{{cite web |url=https://www.curling.ca/blog/2018/06/15/thiessen-blog-five-rock-fgz-a-positive-change-for-curling/ |title=Thiessen Blog: Five-rock FGZ a Positive Change for Curling |publisher=Curling Canada |first=Nolan |last=Thiessen |date=15 June 2018 |access-date=10 October 2018 |archive-date=7 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007111506/https://www.curling.ca/blog/2018/06/15/thiessen-blog-five-rock-fgz-a-positive-change-for-curling/ |url-status=live }}</ref>