2013 Continental Cup of Curling The first side to win a majority of the points available wins the cup. Teams compete in four formats: team games, mixed doubles games, singles competitions, and skins games. Team games are regular curling games, with two teams of four playing against each other. Mixed doubles games involve two teams, each consisting of one male and one female, playing against each other. Mixed doubles teams use only six stones per end, one of which is positioned prior to the start of the end. This is in contrast to the eight stones per end used by teams of four in regular
Curling four rocks, known as the "three-rock rule" and "four-rock rule" respectively). This rule, a relatively recent addition to curling, was added in response to a strategy of "peeling" opponents' guard 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). A team in the lead would often employ this strategy during the game. By knocking all stones out, the opponents could at best score one point (if they had the hammer). Alternatively, the team with the hammer could peel rock after rock, which would