Eight Ends: What you need to know for the 2023 KIOTI National

PICTOU COUNTY, N.S. -- The Grand Slam of Curling is ready for round two with its second event of the season, the KIOTI National, set to begin Tuesday at the Pictou County Wellness Centre.

Broadcast coverage starts Thursday at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT on Sportsnet.

Here's everything you need to know in Eight Ends.

First End: What's the format?

The KIOTI National features 15 of the top men's teams and 15 of the top women's teams from around the globe based on the WCF's world team rankings. The Grand Slam of Curling reserves the right to implement a sponsor’s exemption and has used it here to invite Owen Purcell's Halifax team to the men's division.

Both men's and women's divisions are divided into four pools of four teams for round-robin play. Teams play four games, one per day from Tuesday to Friday, against the teams in an opposite pool, i.e. Pool A teams play Pool D teams and Pool B teams play Pool C teams.

The top eight teams in both divisions, regardless of pools, advance to Saturday's quarterfinals. Any ties in the standings are broken via draw-to-the-button shootout totals.

The semifinals are also scheduled for Saturday with both finals on tap Sunday.

Second End: What's at stake?

The KIOTI National features a $400,000 purse, split equally between the men's and women's divisions.

Teams also earn points toward the WCF's world team rankings, so doing well in the KIOTI National will ensure teams receive invitations to future Grand Slam of Curling events.

Third End: Fun facts and stats

The National was first held in 2002 as a men's invitational with Glenn Howard capturing the inaugural title. Howard is also tied with Kevin Martin and Brad Gushue for the most National men's titles won by skips with all three holding four championships each.

Gushue, who could take sole possession of first place this week, also enters as the double defending men's champion having won the title in 2021 in Chestermere, Alta., and again in 2022 in North Bay, Ont. Team Gushue edged Niklas Edin's squad 5-4 in an extra end during last year's men's final.

The National expanded to include a women's division starting in 2015. Rachel Homan captured the inaugural title in Oshawa, Ont., and became the first two-time women's champion in the event in 2018 in Conception Bay South, N.L.

Anna Hasselborg is the only other women's skip to win multiple National titles, having captured back-to-back championships with her team in 2019 in Conception Bay South, N.L., and in 2021 in Chestermere, Alta. (The National was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Silvana Tirinzoni's squad enters as the reigning women's champion posting a perfect 7-0 record last year in North Bay including a 7-3 decision over Kerri Einarson's club in the final.

Fourth End: When we last left our heroes ...

It's only been two weeks since the HearingLife Tour Challenge in Niagara Falls, Ont., but here's a summary in case you missed it.

Joël Retornaz's team captured its second Grand Slam men's title with a 4-3 extra-end victory over Brendan Bottcher's crew. Retornaz faced two counters with his last shot in OT and pulled off the tricky double takeout to score the winning point.

The women's final featured a master vs. apprentice matchup as Jennifer Jones faced off against former teammate Kaitlyn Lawes, now skipping her own squad. Jones pulled off a hit and spilled her shooter into the house to score a critical early three points in the second end and never trailed from there en route to a 7-4 victory. It was the 10th women's title in the series for Jones and her first with third Karlee Burgess, second Emily Zacharias and lead Lauren Lenentine.

The HearingLife Tour Challenge was a double-sized event with a Tier 2 component featuring the next set of teams looking to fast-track up the rankings. Team Daniel Casper captured the men's title with a 6-2 victory over Team Yusuke Morozumi and Team Eun-Jung Kim took the women's title by defeating Team Madeleine Dupont 7-4. Both Casper and Kim received invitations for the Co-op Canadian Open later this season.

Fifth End: Men's Division primer

Can Gushue pull off the three-peat? Fatigue could be a factor as his St. John's, N.L., crew just claimed the gold medal at the Pan Continental Curling Championships for the second consecutive season. Gushue always arrives in top form at the Grand Slams though having qualified for the playoffs in 27 consecutive events in the series.

Retornaz has the upper hand right now after capturing the HearingLife Tour Challenge. You definitely don't want to underestimate this Italian club.

Bottcher is ranked No. 1 in the world for a reason and hasn't missed a beat following a strong finish last season. His Calgary-based club is on fire having already won three titles on tour plus a runner-up result at the HearingLife Tour Challenge.

Matt Dunstone should be hungry to deliver having just won the Soo Curlers Fall Classic and should have extra motivation to perform well here as KIOTI also sponsors his Winnipeg-based team.

Sixth End: Women's Division primer

Fresh from winning the HearingLife Tour Challenge, can Team Jones maintain the momentum? The club from Winnipeg and Altona, Man., had to tough it out through the round-robin going 2-2 but was dialled up in the playoffs knocking off two previously undefeated teams (Tirinzoni and Hasselborg) before defeating Team Lawes for the title.

Lawes is another one to watch. The HearingLife Tour Challenge was the first Grand Slam final for Lawes since returning to her skip roots. Will Lawes reach the top at the KIOTI National?

Tirinzoni and South Korea's Team Eun-Ji Gim should figure in the playoff picture once again as they've stayed strong on tour. Tirinzoni took the Stu Sells 1824 Halifax Classic title and Gim captured the gold medal at the Pan Continental Curling Championships this past weekend.

Nova Scotia's own Christina Black will play in her first Grand Slam major tournament as a skip and could be a wild card. Black's team upset Lawes and Homan in elimination games during the Scotties Tournament of Hearts last season and also ousted Jones during the PointsBet Invitational in September.

Seventh End: Must-see matches

While every draw features marquee matchups, here are five games you don't want to miss.

Dunstone vs. Edin (Draw 10): The last time these teams met in the Grand Slam of Curling was last year's HearingLife Tour Challenge men's final. Team Edin played as three, skip Niklas Edin had sustained a knee injury, and defeated Team Dunstone for the title.

Einarson vs. Homan (Draw 11): We saw Einarson and Homan clash in three Grand Slam women's finals last season with Homan holding a 2-1 edge. Einarson emerged victorious when they met in the HearingLife Tour Challenge round-robin to secure a playoff berth and oust Homan.

Bottcher vs. Gushue (Draw 12): The top two Canadian men's teams met twice during the HearingLife Tour Challenge. Gushue won in pool play while Bottcher took the rematch in the semifinals. This should be another close battle.

Jones vs. Tirinzoni (Draw 14): Tirinzoni was on a roll at 4-0 in the HearingLife Tour Challenge until running into Jones in the quarterfinals. We'll see what happens in the rematch.

Lawes vs. Black (Draw 16): The round-robin finale could see these two teams clash with elimination on the line once again. Grab the popcorn.

Eighth End: How to watch the KIOTI National

Can't make it to Pictou County? Broadcast coverage begins Thursday at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+. Visit sportsnet.ca/schedule for the full broadcast schedule.