During Bantam practice yesterday, a number of situations arose where properly utilizing the Free Guard Zone would change both the strategy of play and the tactics used at the beginning of the end. So here’s a brief explanation of the Free Guard Zone rule, re-printed here from the Elmira and District Curling Club website.
The Free Guard Zone (FGZ) rule was invented to encourage more aggressive play by ensuring that, if a team desires, a lead’s two stones could be in play (and not removed by the opposing team) at the beginning of each end. The FGZ can be used effectively by a team without last rock to place guards on or near the center line, in front of the rings, that can be used to promote or draw behind.
Free Guard Zone Defined
The free guard zone is the area between the hog line and the tee line, excluding the house. A rock that comes to rest past the hog line, but entirely outside the house and entirely ahead of the tee line is in the free guard zone. A rock that comes to rest biting or ahead of the hog line after making contact with a stone in the free guard zone is considered to be in the free guard zone. A rock that comes to rest biting the house is not in the free guard zone. A rock that comes to rest outside the house but biting the tee line is not in the free guard zone.
Free Guard Zone Rule
Any stationary rock located within the free guard zone may not be removed from play by the opposing team until after the fourth rock of the end has been delivered and all rocks have either come to rest or gone out of play.
Violations of the Free Guard Zone Rule and Remedies
If a rock in the free guard zone is removed from play by the opposing team prior to the delivery of the fifth rock of the end, the non-offending team may either:
- allow the play to stand, or
- remove the rock just delivered from play and replace the displaced stationary rocks in their original positions.
If the delivered fourth rock of an end initially hits a rock not in the free guard zone and, as a result, a rock of the opposing team in the free guard zone is removed from play, the non-offending team may:
- allow the play to stand, or
- remove the rock just delivered from play and replace the rock removed from the free guard zone in its original position. The rock that was initially hit remains where it finally came to rest.
For an animated illustration of the Free Guard Zone rule, see the Curling Basics website.
Update: The 5-rock Free Guard Zone Rule
When I first wrote this article in 2011 the 4-rock FGZ was in effect, and had been used in Tour events since 2002. In December of 2011, the Grand Slam of Curling began experimenting with a more aggressive 5-rock FGZ rule that meant that an opposition stone(s) could not be removed from the FGZ until after the 5th stone of the end was played. The 5-rock rule was officially adopted for Grand Slam events in the summer of 2014, and adopted by the World Curling Federation and Curling Canada ahead of the 2018-2019 season. The change to a 5-rock rule meant that teams without last rock had the ability to throw a third stone in the end with their two previous shots “protected” from peels if they were in the FGZ. This more aggressive attempt to produce more scoring has led to an increased skill level in front-end players and a greater variety of shots with more complex ends.
In addition to changing the FGZ rule to 5 stones from 4, a significant change to the application of the FGZ rule was made as well. With the 5-rock rule, the non-offending team no longer has an option about a stone in the FGZ being removed from play and permitting that result to stand. The rule (Curling Canada Rule 12(2)(b)) now states “When an opposition stone(s) is removed from play from the FGZ prior to the sixth stone of the end, directly or indirectly and without exception (my italics), the delivered stone must be removed from play and any other displaced stones replaced as close as possible to their original position(s).”
If one of the first three stones is raised in to the house , can it be removed by the opposition’s stone?
Yes, it can, and this is a strategy used by some teams that you will see in major events.
4 guard rule:
All rocks are on the center line, there are two yellow rocks one just in the rings at 12 oclock and one in front in the Free guard zone. there is a red rock in front of the free guard zone rock. Player #4 hits the red rock and drives it onto the red in the free zone and it splits both yellows out of the house. which rocks remain?
If by saying “and it splits both yellows out of the house” you mean that the yellow stone that was in the FGZ is removed from play then all of the rocks are replaced and the red shooter (stone #4 of the end) is removed from play as if it was never thrown.
With the 5 rock rule, you take more of the skill level out of the game and reward the team that is not playing well. Stick with the 4 rock rule.
the opponent hits your guard in the free guard zone which removes one of your rocks in the house and the driven rock stays in the house – what is the ruling?
Hi Lloyd – This situation is covered explicitly in the Rules of Curling for General Play. The applicable rules are rules 12(2), 12(3), and 12(4). In your example, there is no infraction; the opposition stone in the FGZ is not removed from play, as it now sits in the rings, and so the play stands.
do the rocks remain as is or are they put back in the original position.
A question about the free guard zone. A rock was in the house and I hit it. The thrown rock stayed out of the house in the free guard zone. Can that rock be hit because it hit the rock that was in the house?
Hi Steve – whether or not the rock hit another rock in or out of the rings is immaterial. If a stone comes to rest in the FGZ and the FGZ rule is still in effect (the fourth stone of the end has not yet been thrown) then that rock cannot be removed from play.
Can you peel your own guards out with the 4-rock rule?
Hi Andrea – Yes you can.
opposing team first rock is in the house . we tried to take out but missed then opposing second rock is in the free zone guarding just short of the house. Can we play a double take out ?
You can play a runback on the stone in the rings, yes, but the opposing team’s stone in front of the rings may not be removed from play.
Last night in a game two rock in the free guard zone one from each team. So team throws their rock and hits their own rock onto opposing teams stone and removes it from play. Which resulted in opposing teams rock removed and the throwing team stayed in free guard zone and the stone hit rolled into the house. They removed the last stone throwen and put both rock back in the free guard zone as a result. Is this right or should the one rock stay in the house.
This is correct. You are entitled to remove from play your own stones that lie in the FGZ, but if any opposition stone in the FGZ is removed from play because of the shot, then all of the stones are replaced to their original positions and the shooter is removed from play.
Can you sweep out an opposition stone in the FGZ if it is inadvertently put in play?
Tim – I’m not sure what you mean by “put in play” since a stone resting in the FGZ is “in play”. However, what I can say is that the usual rules of curling apply for sweeping opposition stones even if the FGZ is in effect – opposition stones may be brushed only by the acting skip and only once the stones have touched the far tee-line.
What is the ruling, if the opposing team hits their own rock in the FGZ out of play, as well their thrown rock. Are they allowed to put their rock that was in FGZ back to its original position? Or are both rocks taken out of play.
Hi Janice – the FGZ rules applies only to opposition stones. Nothing prevents a team from peeling out their own stone in the FGZ on that team’s second shot of the end. To be clear, if they do so, they cannot “put back” the stones as they were beforehand.
I’m having a tough time understanding when the guards can be removed. Is it only the lead’s rocks that can’t be removed by the other lead (I.e. four rocks including both teams)? Or are the free guard zone stones safe until the third shooter (after four rocks of each team)?
The rule is that opposition stones lying in the Free Guard Zone (FGZ), that is, between the hog line and the tee line but not touching the circles, cannot be removed from play until after the fourth stone of the end comes to rest. One can always eliminate your own team’s stone, even if it lies in the FGZ, whenever one likes. For next season, the WCF has changed the rule, so that in 2018-2019 the rule will be such that opposition stones cannot be eliminated from play until after the fifth stone of the end has come to rest. This is what the tour teams are currently using in Slam events.
Can anyone of the four players sweep their own rock that is in the FGZ that has been contacted so as to get it out play so it can then be replaced?
Great question, Pat. This one is covered explicitly by rule 11(4) under Sweeping: During the delivery of the first four stones of any end, only the person in charge of play for the non-delivering team may sweep their stone when set in motion.
With the 5 rock rule, can you remove your own guard in the free guard zone?
Yes – you can remove your own stones from play at any time during an end.
If you try to peel your own guard out, and inadvertently peel your guard and an opposition guard out of play, do both guards go back to the original position or only the opposition rock? what happens to the throwing team’s own guard?
Thanks for the question, Jim. If the FGZ is in effect, and ANY opposition stone in the FGZ is removed from play, then ALL stones are replaced to where they were before the shot was thrown, and the thrown stone is removed from play. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Hey Glenn, during FGZ play, if I have my 1st stone resting just past the hog line, and my 2nd stone hits it to advance it, but prevents the 2nd stone from passing the high line. Is the 2nd stone burned?
Thanks for the question, Josh. The answer is no – the rules of curling handle this by stipulating that any thrown stone that makes contact with a stone “in play” remains in play as long as it does not touch the sidelines of the sheet, nor go past the back line. So it is possible during an end to have a guard end up being on, or in front of, the hog line.
Is the area behind the T-line to the back line part of the fgz?
If a rock is promoted from the fgz in front of the rings to one of these back corners is it moved back to its original position?
Tks
No, in four-person play the FGZ is ahead of the tee-line, outside of the rings. It is permitted to tap a stone from the FGZ into an area (like the house) that is not in the FGZ as long as the stone is not removed from play. In mixed doubles the FGZ is a bit different.
If an opponent’s rock is bumped from the free guard zone, past the tee line and through one of the back corners of the house but not across the back line and out of play, what is the ruling? Some in our club say the rocks must be put back, and some say because the rock isn’t across the back line and out of play, everything stays. If these rocks must be replaced, was this rule changed after the initial implementation of the free guard zone?
With either the 4-rock rule or the newer 5-rock rule, the stone must be removed from play in order to be replaced to its initial position. If the stone is “bumped” to the back of the sheet, but not completely over the back line, then the stone is still “in play” and the play will stand.
Hi Glenn. This situation came up recently in one of our games. Sometimes it is difficult to determine if a rock is biting the rings or not. So if that rock is in front of the rings, do we use the six foot measuring stick at that point to determine if the rock can be removed? Also, should we always measure such a rock in case it is removed accidentally?
Hi Peter. Yes – once that stone has come to rest, the skips should agree whether or not the stone is in the FGZ or not. If there is a question, then the six-foot measure can be used. It is not a bad idea, especially in competitive play, to ensure there is agreement (using the measure if necessary) before play continues, just so that there are no misunderstandings later in the end while the FGZ is still in effect.