Bonspiel

This article is about bonspiels in general. For the Scottish curling tournament known as The Bonspiel, see Grand Match.

A bonspiel (pronounced /ˈbɒnspiːl/ or /ˈbɒnspil/ or /ˈbɑnspil/) is a curling tournament, consisting of several games, often held on a weekend. Until the 20th century most bonspiels were held outdoors, on a frozen freshwater loch. Today almost all bonspiels are held indoors on specially prepared artificial ice.

As curling became more popular and curling clubs were established, clubs began to play against each other, for example in the first Grand Match in January 1847. As curling spread to North America with Scottish immigrants in the 18th and 19th centuries, bonspiel culture continued to evolve from informal matches to structured tournaments hosted by curling clubs, celebrated with social gatherings and banquets.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.