Elite curlers adapt to new 'no tick' rule designed to inject more suspense into games

No tick is here to stay in curling.

Canada has adopted the new rule the World Curling Federation tested at the women's and men's world championships earlier this year.

The "no tick" rule will be played at the 2023 Canadian men's and women's championships and in the playdowns to get there.

The tick shot as a strategy emerged from the implementation of free-guard zone. Stones in front of the rings, or guards, can't be removed from play in an end until five rocks are thrown.

A well-executed tick shot pushes those guards to the wings, but keeps them in play while opening up access to the house.

Now, a guard on or partially on the centre line can't be touched until five rocks are delivered.

The chances of a team winning with hammer in a tied game coming home, or in an extra end, approach 90 per cent, according to the WCF.

So the rationale for the change is to make outcome less predictable, and thus keep eyeballs on a game until the last rock is thrown, and reduce the number of blank ends in a game.

No tick gives the team without last-rock advantage in an end the chance to draw around that centre guard into the rings, and potentially force the opposition to execute more difficult shots to score with hammer.

"Certainly on the men's side, where teams have become so proficient at making the tick and if they don't, make a double or triple peel to take away any chance of a steal, it's probably not a bad idea to have.

"We look at the statistics, some of the top teams are 95 per cent when they have the hammer coming home. It doesn't give a team much hope, or a spectator that's watching... it's not going to provide much entertainment when 95 per cent of the time, it's going to be a certain result."

The WCF approved no tick at its