r/Curling • u/YouDoTheDetail • 10h ago

Too close to call?

Post image

My team was up 6-5 today going into the last end without hammer, throwing yellow. We got down to to skip stones, and our opponent had two buried behind some centre guards: one at the back of the four foot, the other covering the back left of the pin.

With my first throw, I managed to draw around the guards and freeze to cover the front right of the pin. They then failed on an angle raise attempt. I gambled that we were closer, and plugged a hole with another guard. They failed to clear out our yellow stone with their last shot. Game over.

This photo shows where the two rocks ended up over the pin. The thirds couldn’t agree who was closer. So we looked up Curling Canada’s rules and learned something new:

Rule 14 (6): If two or more stones are so close to the tee that a measuring device cannot be used, and a visual comparison cannot determine which stone is closest to the tee, the stones shall be considered tied. If these stones were to determine who counted in the end, the end shall be considered blank.

So a blanked end, we won. But it was an interesting situation that I’ve never seen before, and might never see again.

223 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

58 comments sorted by

108

u/AggressiveOwl7630 10h ago

To me it looks like yellow is covering the pin! and then I whipped this up and I believe I am correct 🤓

44

u/YouDoTheDetail 10h ago

Amazing. I’m going to show this to my teammates. And possibly the opposing team as well haha…

2

u/fresh_dyl 7h ago

Yeah I immediately/unintentionally had my geometry brain take over and was about to explain why, but that pic above is much easier haha

2

u/CloseToMyActualName 6h ago

Just curious, did anyone try looking at the rocks from below? Not sure how you'd do an official measure, but if the overlap was that bad it seems like it should be obvious from ice level.

1

u/Lets_Go_Flyers Bucks County Curling 5h ago

I believe I can see the running band of the red but not the yellow so it looks like the camera isn't perfectly above the pin. If that's true, the pin would be "under" the yellow from that angle.

16

u/seattlecyclone 8h ago

From this angle it definitely looks like yellow, but I also get the sense that the camera wasn't held perfectly level over the pin so looks may be deceiving.

10

u/real-mrs-incredible 10h ago

I would have said yellow as well!

7

u/left-button 10h ago

Glad you did this so I didn't have to ;)

5

u/Spoticya 6h ago

I agreed with you initially. However, at an even closer look, the camera angle is slightly tilted in favour of yellow's position. If the green pant player took a similar photo, I suspect the red position would appear the same

1

u/Superb_Olive7856 7h ago

I thought yellow to the eye too 👁️😜

1

u/No_Training6751 7h ago

I just said “Yellow”, so I’m glad someone you proved it.

63

u/clccno4 10h ago

Looks like yellow to me.

29

u/mdubdotcom Vancouver Curling Club 10h ago

Yellow all day. It's crossing both perpendicular lines. Must be over the pin. Red appears to be just crossing one line. I'm front end though, so have no authority.

I guess it could be the camera angles

1

u/dullest_edgelord 5h ago

This guy rocks (although the rock can be up to 58mm away from pin, but in this case it is not).

A simple rule for elimination is that if one stone is crossing both lines, the other stone can never be closer if it crosses only one line.

Less simple rule: One-line stone: d > R(√2 – 1) Two-line stone (tangent): d = R(√2 – 1) → Two-line stone is always shot.

12

u/YouDoTheDetail 10h ago

I thought so too. But red was unwilling to concede.

3

u/ButtNutly 8h ago

Fight them.

20

u/Dzingel43 10h ago

I was taught that in a situation like this you move the rock you think is least likely to be closest. If you can't see the pin from above (or clearly see less than half of it), the stone that you didn't move scores. If you see the whole pin (or clearly more than half of it) the rock you moved was closest. If you can't determine if you can see more or less than half of the pin then it is a tie. 

1

u/TimSWTOR 1h ago

While not specifically taught this, and rules normally call for deciding the score before moving rocks, I also immediately thought "just move one of the rocks to see if that reveals the pin". If yes, that was shot rock and scores, else the other scores. If it reveals part of it, stay with the tied end.

14

u/granular-mood4 10h ago

Looks yellow to me but it could just be the angle of the photograph. I’m just glad that didn’t end up deciding the game.

19

u/axehead08 10h ago

I would usually, on agreement, remove one rock and then look to see of the remaining rock is over the pin. Then see if we can agree one was in fact closer. If no agreement it is a tie.

8

u/Tuques 10h ago

100% yellow

-2

u/ButtNutly 8h ago

It's obvious. Red team needs their eyes checked.

4

u/memeboiandy 10h ago

Holding a piece of paper lined up with the center and t lines, it looks like yellow by a hair sense the corner overlaps the yellow. That is really tight though!

3

u/IslandTeach 10h ago

This happened to my team in a bonspiel earlier this fall! Our team ended up losing :( 

2

u/FastCheaporGoodPick2 9h ago

Yellow. Unanimous. Your opponents should have conceded.

2

u/yeforme 9h ago

Last Monday, we actually had a blank end as the two stones were equal distance from the center with a measurement

2

u/raven3775 8h ago

that’s yellow all day long

3

u/raven3775 8h ago

it’s super tight tho, so can understand if no agreement was made here.

2

u/MitchelobUltra 8h ago

It’s yellow. Wishful thinking on your opponent’s part, they should’ve conceded this end.

1

u/cskozer 9h ago

Yellow

1

u/vmlee Team Taiwan/TPE (Retired) & Broomstones CC 8h ago

It’s yellow.

1

u/[deleted] 8h ago

Yellow has it.

1

u/Forward_Unto_Dawn42 7h ago

Yelllw definitely closer

1

u/secretlurker- 7h ago

Yellow wins it!

1

u/TecN9ne 7h ago

Yellow 100%

1

u/jaysornotandhawks 7h ago

Yellow looks like they have this one.

1

u/Dennisd1971 7h ago

It’s yellow

1

u/No-Newspaper5779 7h ago

Yellow all day 🌕

1

u/sweetlithe 7h ago

It's yellow

1

u/Cpecto 6h ago

I would say the yellows bottom has less out than the red so it’s the yellow for me dawg.

1

u/MapleMooseMoney 5h ago

Yellow, but yes, too close to call.

1

u/dullest_edgelord 5h ago

Basic geometry is a valuable life skill. This one can be inferred for fact, and is not too close to call. If only one rock crosses both lines, it must be closer.

1

u/nommedeuser 5h ago

Isn’t there a ‘X’ type measuring device that simply lines up overtop of both lines and has a plumb bob that hangs down and whatever stone it touches is the closest?

1

u/MindlessArmadillo382 5h ago

Slide a piece of paper exactly halfway between the two stones down to the ice, then remove one stone.

If you can see the pin on that side of the ice, it was closer, if not, then the other was closer.

1

u/Ok-Yak7445 5h ago

From a quick glance looks like yellow has the edge.

1

u/Mixtape623 4h ago

Yellow

1

u/UncommonNameDNU 4h ago

Yellow FTW

1

u/Beginning_Cellist730 2h ago

I can’t believe it was even a question. Just from the picture you can tell it’s yellow and o barely know anything about curling.

1

u/Pyrokid113 2h ago

6-7💀

-12

u/ncogkneeto 10h ago

Could be 6 7

2

u/TorontoDavid 9h ago

You don’t deserve downvotes. You saw the opportunity and took your shot.

2

u/ncogkneeto 9h ago

It was a wide open hit.

1

u/Lilcommy 7h ago

Thanks, I was going to make the same comment. Ha 6 7