What is a side guard in curling?

Answer 1

A "corner guard" is a rock placed in front of the house, but a few feet off to one side or the other of the center line. Corner guards are a strategic move used by the team with the hammer when they are behind in the game, to try to "split the house," which means having a rock in scoring position on each side of the house, so that they both can't be taken out in one shot, and the middle of the house is kept clear to get a point if all else fails.