In curling, a guard is a stone that comes to rest properly in play, in front the house. The role of the guard is usually to protect another of your stones (or the place where one will be, later) from an opponent's takeout attempt. A guard may also be used to block opponents from shooting for the button. Guards are usually thrown early, by the Lead or Second. Guards may be targetted with a Peel by the opposing team, in order to clear access to a rock behind it in the rings, or to the button.