a = ['3 - 1', '', '0 - 0']

>>> a = [123, 456, 789]
>>> a[0]
123
>>> int(str(a[0])[0])
1
>>> a = ['123', '456', '789']
>>> a[0]
'123'
>>> a[0][0]
'1'

>>> a = ['3 - 1', '', '0 - 0']
>>> a[0][-1]
'1'
>>> a[0].split(' - ')[-1]
'1'
>>> a[0].split(' - ')[1]
'1'
>>> a[0][4]
'1'