NISKU, Alta. — Get ready for Round 2 as the Grand Slam of Curling season continues with the CO-OP Tour Challenge, running Tuesday to Sunday at the Silent Ice Center.

Full tournament and weekend passes, plus single draw tickets, are available. Visit GSOCtickets.com to purchase yours today.

To download a printable version of the CO-OP Tour Challenge draw schedule, click here.

Can’t make it to Nisku? Stream every game online for free at rockchannel.com. Broadcast coverage in Canada on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ begins Thursday.

Here is a complete rundown of what you need to know before the event begins.

FIRST END: The CO-OP Tour Challenge features 16 of the top men’s teams and 16 of the top women’s teams from around the world.

Teams were invited based on the world rankings as of Sept. 15, with Alberta’s own Team Koe receiving a sponsor’s exemption.

Both men’s and women’s divisions were slotted into four pools of four teams using a snake order of the rankings. Teams will play four games during the preliminary round: three against their pool opponents, plus one crossover game.

Crossover games were pre-determined based on the world rankings as of Sept. 29, with Pool A teams facing Pool D teams and Pool B teams facing Pool C teams. Teams ranked No. 1-4 will play their crossover game against teams ranked No. 9-12 in their opposing pool. Teams ranked No. 5-8 will play their crossover game against teams ranked No. 13-16 in their opposing pool.

Preliminary play runs through to Friday, with the top eight teams qualifying for the playoffs. If necessary, one tiebreaker round will be staged Saturday morning to determine the final berths. The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, with both finals on tap Sunday.

SECOND END: The AMJ Masters in London, Ont., kicked off the Grand Slam of Curling season last month with a few new rules, and the CO-OP Tour Challenge offers more twists.

The biggest change is that teams are allowed to blank only one end per game. If a team blanks a second time at any point of the game, they will lose the hammer for the following end. The rule is meant to discourage teams from blanking multiple ends, particularly at the start of the game, and generate offence. Teams that wish to blank will now have to be selective.

Thinking time has also been tightened to 30 minutes per team per game, down from 31 minutes at the AMJ Masters and 33 minutes in previous seasons.

There will be no extra ends during the event, including playoffs. If a game is tied after eight ends, a draw-to-the-button shootout will determine the winning team. Teams receive three points for a regulation win (in eight ends or fewer), two points for a shootout win, and one point for a shootout loss.

THIRD END: The CO-OP Tour Challenge is the youngest of the five events on the Grand Slam of Curling circuit. The inaugural event took place in 2015 in Paradise, N.L., with Koe capturing the men’s title with a win over local favourite Team Gushue, while Switzerland’s Team Tirinzoni stole the victory against Canada’s Team Homan in the women’s final.

Scotland’s Team Mouat and Canada’s Team Einarson enter as the defending champions, winning the titles last season in Charlottetown. Mouat downed Gushue, and Einarson edged Team Homan in the finals.

The Silent Ice Center hosted the Canadian Open last season, with Mouat defeating Gushue in a rematch and Homan beating Tirinzoni in the finals.

Brad Gushue may have lost the game, but he won style points on his last shot before shaking hands.

FOURTH END: Team Homan remains red-hot in the women’s division. After claiming the AMJ Masters, the Ottawa-based club captured the PointsBet Invitational for a third straight season, posting a perfect 5-0 record earlier this month in Calgary.

Skip Rachel Homan, who lives one town over from the Silent Ice Center in Beaumont, helped bring the Canadian Open to the venue last season, and she can’t wait to play in the building once again.

“I’m excited,” Homan said after defeating Tirinzoni 6-4 in the AMJ Masters women’s final. “Hopefully, it’ll be a sold-out crowd, and it’s just a great venue and such a fun atmosphere there, so we’re really looking forward to it.”

Homan and second Emma Miskew earned their 18th Grand Slam of Curling titles at the AMJ Masters, tying men’s skip Kevin Martin for the most among all players. The team also matched Einarson’s record of six consecutive Grand Slam final appearances from 2022-23.

Can Homan reach a seventh straight Grand Slam final and win a 19th title?

FIFTH END: Silvana Tirinzoni was riding a 12-game winning streak until her team ran into Homan in the AMJ Masters women’s final. Tirinzoni has been busy since. Her team finished runner-up in the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard and is currently in the playoffs of the Autumn Gold Curling Classic in Okotoks, Alta., with the event set to wrap up Monday.

South Korea’s Team Gim had a nice rebound in the Grand Slam of Curling at the AMJ Masters by making the semifinals after missing the playoffs in four consecutive events in the series last season. Gim is also in the playoffs in Okotoks.

Xenia Schwaller and her Swiss squad qualified for the playoffs in a Grand Slam event for the first time at the AMJ Masters. Although Schwaller fell to compatriot Tirinzoni in an extra end during the quarterfinals, it was a big step in her team’s progression with more to come.

SIXTH END: Skip Matt Dunstone and his Winnipeg-based team also maintained their electric run from the AMJ Masters by taking the men’s title at the PointsBet Invitational.

Can the team extend its trophy run?

Dunstone needed extra ends to solve Team Jacobs in the semifinals and Team Whyte in the final of the AMJ Masters. With no extra ends in this event, it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out when it comes down to the wire.

SEVENTH END: Scottish teams swept the men’s titles in the Grand Slam of Curling last season, but Dunstone’s victory in the AMJ Masters ensured that wouldn’t happen again. Could we see another Canada vs. Scotland clash for the championship? Both Whyte and defending champ Mouat should be in the mix once more.

Jacobs is not competing in the CO-OP Tour Challenge, as the Calgary-based club is set to compete in the Pan Continental Curling Championships early next week. Watch out for the two teams Jacobs eliminated from the AMJ Masters en route to the semifinals.

Italy’s Team Retornaz appeared to be back in championship form at the AMJ Masters, going undefeated through preliminary play before running into Jacobs in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Canada’s Team McEwen fell to Jacobs in a tiebreaker. Skip Mike McEwen’s knee wasn’t 100 per cent during the event, but he should be closer to top form this week.

Yannick Schwaller’s Swiss squad had Whyte on the ropes in the quarterfinals but gave up a steal in the eighth end and was eliminated. Schwaller, who is a two-time Grand Slam finalist, is hungry to win his first title in the series and should contend again — as long as he has his lucky Blue Jays hat.

EIGHTH END: While past years of the event have included a Tier 2, this time the CO-OP Tour Challenge will feature Jr. GSOC Under-25 men’s and women’s tournaments, plus an Under-15 mixed tournament.

The action begins Thursday at the Beaumont Curling Club in Beaumont, Alta., with the finals played alongside the CO-OP Tour Challenge finals Sunday at the Silent Ice Center.

Since announcing the teams in August, and highlighting some of the second-generation talent in the field, a new contender has been added to the U15 division: Team Hellman, featuring twins Tucker and Carter Hellman, plus Luke Shuster (son of 2018 Olympic gold medallist John Shuster) and Marissa Gushue (daughter of 2006 Olympic gold medallist and 15-time Grand Slam champion Brad Gushue).