An outdoor curling tournament in Naseby, New Zealand. The Curling World Cup begins today.

© David Wall/Danita Delimon

Rock on, curlers. ’Chess on ice’

Here in Naseby, in the southern portion of New Zealand’s South Island, harsh winters offer great conditions for outdoor curling, or what competitors call ‘chess on ice.’ And if there’s a multi-game tournament going on, in curling lingo, that’s a bonspiel. This year marks the first ever Curling World Cup. The second leg of the four-leg event brings the curlers to Omaha, Nebraska, today through to December 9. Canada’s teams won the first leg, but will they face stiffer competition in the US’ Cornhusker State?