La Triviata

Stats update: post Altofts GP 4th Feb 2012

2012-02-27T14:14:00.002Z

Altofts Grand Prix

2012-02-05T16:18:00.002Z

Stats update following Coventry GP

2012-01-16T21:12:00.002Z

BQA Coventry GP Results, 7 January 2012

2012-01-09T16:13:00.002Z

2011-12-20T16:47:00.002Z

‎240 question Quiz of the Year now available - with option to increase to 332 questions, and a Christmas Quiz too. Discover how to get your hands on a copy... HERE.

Updating Order of Merit and UK Rankings

2011-12-19T18:06:00.006Z

As at 4 December 2011, i.e. post British Open Grand Prix.

British Champions

2011-12-06T17:11:00.003Z

British Open GP : 3rd Dec 2011 : Global results

2011-12-06T01:59:00.004Z

Early results from British Open - UK only results

2011-12-04T12:54:00.006Z

The results below reflect only those competitors gathered in Rolleston on Dove, England. Shown in the table are the points garnered towards the UK's order of Merit. We will hopefully publish global results later today.

Please note, a slight amendment to the scores (affecting places 28-31) had to be made when it was pointed out that Ian Clark scored 15 on Physical World, not 13. The error was down to my misreading a "five" for a "three". Apologies all...

UK rankings and Order of Merit Update

2011-11-28T21:14:00.007Z

We publish here the results of the 2011 European Quizzing Championships - as they relate specifically to individuals ranked by the British Quiz Association and on the Quizzing.co.uk Order of Merit. So, however, the very top placings on this table reflect the actual outcome, all three medals going to the Brits.

You'll note a number of non-UK players are included in the results, this is because they appear on the UK Order of Merit and All Time Rankings by virtue of having taken part either in a UK GP, the British Championships, or have sat the WQC at the UK venue.

The tariff for this event is 1.5 (i.e. +50% greater points allocation than for an ordinary Grand Prix event).

Current Season / Order of Merit

All Time Rankings / Last 25 (of 84) events

Operation Standardise, Part 1

2011-10-04T02:14:00.020+01:00

Updating Order of Merit and UK Rankings

2011-10-03T16:05:00.011+01:00

Updating BQA roll of honour

2011-10-03T13:09:00.009+01:00

Rainhill Grand Prix : 1 October 2011

2011-10-02T17:56:00.004+01:00

International Quiz Rankings

2011-09-24T17:39:00.005+01:00

BQA/UK Rankings and Order of Merit

2011-09-17T20:10:00.014+01:00

17 September 2011

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BQC 2011 Specials (updated)

2011-09-11T00:17:00.007+01:00

The British Quizzing Championships 'Super Saturday' saw an Individual Quiz, a Pairs Quiz (won by Ian Bayley and Pat Gibson - who also won the inagural British and European Events in 2006 and 2005, respectively) and two 'Specials'. These last named took the form of two half size quizzes (120 qestions each), one on 'Highbrow' topics, the other on 'Pop Culture'. Each was worth half the ranking points that would normally available at a Grand Prix.

Herewith the results for these two quizzes. The right hand column shows a notional combined tally of ranking points for both events, where appropriate. [Please note, the ranking points for the Lowbrow quiz were overstated due to an error in my use of the spreadsheet. Correction completed 19.00hrs 17.9.11]

BQC2011: Individual Results

2011-09-10T13:24:00.005+01:00

Flitwick Grand Prix: 06.08.11 : Results

2011-08-07T19:09:00.004+01:00

Flitwick Grand Prix: 6 August 2011

2011-07-15T13:52:00.002+01:00

Flitwick Grand Prix - venue, schedule and travel

August 6th sees the British Quiz Association & Quizzing.co.uk’s Grand Prix circuit make a welcome return to Flitwick in Bedfordshire for what promises to be one of the best attended events of the year.

The individual quiz has been prepared by Rob Hannah (Rob's quizzes are typically 'very accessible' and always enjoyable) and the afternoon's team quiz has once again been prepared for the Flitwick GP by local host Gareth Kingston. The foregoring elements, combined with the well appointed venue contribute greatly to expectation of a very big turn-out for this one!

The sign-up thread for the event can be located by following THIS LINK, but please continue reading here for details of the venue, schedule, travel by road, rail and air and details of suitable accommodation.

Venue:
Flitwick Village Hall,
Dunstable Road,
Flitwick,
Bedfordshire, MK45 1HP

Tel: 01525 712120 (only after 10am on 6th August) otherwise ring 07949 874685

Schedule:
11.00 - 11.30 Registration
11:30 - 13:00 Individual quiz
13:00 - 13:45 Individual quiz answers and scoring
13:45 - 15:00 Buffet Lunch
15:00 - 17:30 Team Quiz (equitable random draw, based on Order of Merit)
17:30 - 17:45 Prize giving and closure of formal event
17:45 - 22:00 Curry, carousing and après quiz.

Where is Flitwick?

Flitwick is approximately 30 miles North of London. It is very close to the M1 and a short distance from the A1.

DIRECTIONS

The venue is easy to find and there is ample car parking.

From the North or South via the M1

1) Exit the M1 at Junction 12.

2) Turn Left (from the North) or Right (from the South) onto the A5120.

3) Follow signs for Flitwick and/or Ampthill.

4) At the first roundabout take the 1st exit.

5) WARNING - As you enter the small village of Westoning there is a speed camera shortly after the 30mph zone starts. It is semi-hidden by the bend of the road.

6) Continue through Westoning taking the 1st exit at mini roundabout 1 and the 2nd exit at mini roundabout 2. In both cases you are simply staying on the main road.

7) In less than a mile you will enter Flitwick. The venue is approximately half a mile away.

8) Continue up a hill. You will pass one set of lights at a pedestrian crossing.

9) The venue is on the left before the next set of lights. If you go past the venue you will shortly arrive at a roundabout where you can turn around and approach the venue from the other direction.

From the North via the A1

1) Exit the A1 at the Black Cat Roundabout (just South of Wyboston) and take the A421 towards Bedford.

2) Exit the A421 and join the A6 heading towards Luton.

3) WARNING - there are numerous speed cameras on the A6.

4) At a roundabout in the village of Clophill (the only 40mph zone on the A6) take the 3rd exit and join the A507 towards Ampthill and Flitwick.

5) At the first roundabout take the 2nd exit and keep on the A507.

6) At the second roundabout take the 1st exit and enter Flitwick on the A5120.

7) Continue on this road until you reach a mini-roundabout. Turn right onto the bridge over the railway.

8) Turn left at the next roundabout. The village hall is on the right just after the traffic lights.

From the South via the A1

1) There are slightly quicker routes. But the simplest is to exit the A1 at the junction with the A507. Follow signs for Ampthill and/or Bedford.

2) Keep on the A507. At the roundabout with the A6 take the 2nd exit. Then follow the instructions above (From the North via the A1) from point 5 onwards.

By train

1) Flitwick is on the Thameslink line (operated by First Capital Connect) that runs between Bedford and Brighton

2) From St Pancras it takes approximately 50 minutes to get to Flitwick

3) For train services from the North, changing at Bedford, Luton or Luton Airport Parkway will leave a connection of no more than 10 minutes

4) Alternatively, direct trains into Kings Cross require a short walk and a transfer to a First Capital Connect

5) From the North West it is more convoluted. You can change at Bletchley, get a train to Bedford and from Bedford to Flitwick. However it is probably quicker to go to Euston and walk to St Pancras for a train to Flitwick.

6) Upon arrival at Flitwick head up the stairs. There is an exit to the road. To your right is a roundabout. The safest way to get to the venue is to head right (towards the Tesco petrol station) and cross the roundabout using the traffic island. Then walking anti-clockwise round the roundabout cross the road again towards a parade of shops that includes a Barclays, Estate Agents, Bookmakers and Co-Op).

7) Head along the main road (Dunstable Road) and the venue is on the right.

By air

Quizzers flying into Luton Airport require a simple bus transfer from the terminal to Luton Airport Parkway station, followed by a 10 minute rail journey to Flitwick

Quizzers flying into Gatwick Airport can catch a train direct from Gatwick Airport to Flitwick (check with National Rail Enquiries in case there are service alterations for the cross London portion of the journey)

Accommodation - please see the British Quiz Association WEBSITE.

Local Attractions

There is plenty to do in Bedfordshire. This website provides details on what else you or family members can do in Bedfordshire. Highlights include Woburn Abbey and Woburn Safari Park. These are both less than 10 miles from Flitwick.

Slightly further afield, Bletchley Park code-breaking museum is less than a 30 minute drive away.

For golfers, Millbrook offers an interesting and physically challenging course with fine views of Bedfordshire's countryside.

Updating records and honour rolls post Rochester

2011-07-05T11:35:00.005+01:00

Rochester Results (amended)

2011-07-03T18:24:00.003+01:00

Data, results and format Copyright Quizzing Ltd 2011

UK quiz rankings and Order of Merit

2011-06-16T22:40:00.007+01:00

As well as being the highlight of the season, each year's World Quizzing Championship event (see relevant posts from earlier this month) marks the end of the season for UK Order of Merit purposes. Herewith then are the Order of Merit standings at the close of the 2010-11 season, and the overall UK quiz rankings covering the last 25 events organised by the British Quiz Association and Quizzing.co.uk.

Congratulations to Pat Gibson on topping the Order of Merit once again, for his being ever-present at the top of the UK all-time rankings, and of course for the British and World titles, which he currently holds. Pat stands over the domestic and international quiz scene like a colossus.

While the likes of Kevin Ashman, Jesse Honey, and Olav Bjortomt represent strong contenders for his titles, Pat is currently firmly gripping his perch, being without question the No1 quizzer in the British Isles. But for Olav's win at the European Championships in Derby in November 2010, Pat would hold every available title.

WQC in Bangladesh

2011-06-09T18:41:00.011+01:00

For the third year running quizzers gathered at the 'Future Group' premises in Dhaka to take part in the World Quizzing Championships. The venue was supervised by Mr Aneek R Haque (he's the smiling guy in the red shirt and glasses appearing in half of the images appended below).

As the Bangladeshi iQa group posting on Facebook reported...

"... We had an absolutely wonderful day and we are all so proud of you! ... We thank Aneek Bhai for being at his best form that evening. I personally thank Zafir and all the teammates for all the dedication and effort. ... Despite the political instability 84 Quizzers Participated. For the first time, two Quizzers scored three figures!

Ahmed Fayezi-Bin-Saad, the top scorer of 2009 came back strongly with 117 points! He secured 148th position in the Global Ranking and 15th in the Under 30 Category worldwide! This is the first time any Bangladeshi made it to Top 150. Overall scores have been incredible! We all are so proud of you!

The Nation score of Bangladesh is 312 and we have achieved the 18th position! We have left behind countries like Hungary, Singapore, Russia, Sri Lanka and 10 more countries! Take a bow Quizzers! ..."

Well, our friends in Dhaka obviously enjoyed themselves - as can be seen in some of these images - reproduced with the kind premission of Mir Shahrukh Islam.

WQC in Lithuania

2011-06-09T18:23:00.008+01:00

Almost 60 Lithuanians took part in this year's World Quizzing Championships. The website of the iQa in Lithuania carries images of their contestants in two venues, a bar in Vilnius and a bookshop-cafe in Panevėžyje. ENJOY.

Quizzers in Vilnius

Quizzers in Panevėžyje

Top Lithuanian, Aidas Puklevicius.

WQC2011 - UK venue results

2011-06-08T01:36:00.011+01:00

Note: "<31" means player is the 21 to 30 "Junior" age bracket.
">60" means player is the 60 to 70 "Veteran" age bracket.

Pat Gibson retains World crown!

2011-06-07T03:36:00.009+01:00

There were 1,483 competitors in total for the 2011 World Quizzing Championships on Saturday 4 June (a better than 25% increase over 2010), results of top 200 follow (blue bold = age 20 and under, blue = 30 and under, green 60 and over, bold green = 70 and over).

Mahaquizzer 2011

2011-05-29T16:42:00.003+01:00

Thanks to everyone who came and made this a success at our UK venue - and to Rolleston Club for hosting us (and feeding us so well), and thanks of course to the BRILLIANT setters in India. Here are the UK scores... (main score followed by scores for one and two-star tiebreakers)

95/5/5 Pat Gibson
69/4/3 Iwan Thomas
65/2/2 Chris Jones
64/3/3 Barry Simmons
63/4/3 Diane Hallagan
62/1/4 Scott Dawson
61/2/2 Martin Croke
57/1/1 Gareth Kingston

And congratulations to everybody who finished in the Top 10 :)

Updating BQA/Quizzing.co.uk Roll of Honour etc. (May 2011)

2011-05-09T19:21:00.010+01:00

Current season rankings by Order of Merit Rank

'All time' rankings by points: i.e. rankings over last 25 events

Altofts Grand Prix: 7 May 2011

2011-05-09T11:28:00.003+01:00

Ian Bayley is BBC Mastermind

2011-04-17T12:44:00.004+01:00

One of the stalwarts of the Grand Prix quiz circuit, joined by three friends in the final (Diane Hallagan, Julia Hobbs and Paul Steeples) was officially crowned with the BBC Mastermind title in the final broadcast of the 2011 series. We wish him well and bow down at his completion of a Brain of Britain and Mastermind double!

Recorded as long ago as October 2010, Ian Bayley's triumph was somewhat overdue - especially when you also have regard to the fact he first made the final of the competition in 2008, on that occasion only losing narrowly to Nancy Dickman. Ian's triumph will be so warmly welcomed in the UK quiz community (and wider) in light of the fact he is so well liked and respected. A UK Order of Merit Grand Master and England international, a former holder of the Brain of Britain title and dubbed 'the Machine' for his uncanny speed in buzzer quizzes, there's scarcely anyone more worthy of the title 'Mastermind'.

Congratulations and commisserations also to the gallant five who joined Ian in the final. All proved themselves worthy of their place. Special warm regards to Diane Hllagan, Julia Hobbs, and to Paul Steeples, whose blistering 18 in the General Knowledge round meant that for most of the second half of the quiz, his was the score to beat.

And finally, a thank-you to the BBC production staff, everyone involved in the preparation of questions, and of course all the 'Contenders', for once again serving us up with another fabulous season of quizzes. Here's to the next series, which begins shooting soon!

Updating BQA/Quizzing.co.uk Roll of Honour etc. (April 2011)

2011-04-05T00:12:00.003+01:00

UK's 'Euro-style' results from Norway Open

2011-04-03T14:35:00.003+01:00

These second set of UK results show the position when all 40 questions per genre count for full marks (i.e. as oposed to the standard UK version wherein a genre is 30 standard value questions plus 10 tiebreaks worth 0.1 mark each).

Norway Open (Rolleston GP) - early UK system results

2011-04-02T20:46:00.004+01:00

Herewith... (will post 'international style reults' later).

Updating BQA/Quizzing.co.uk Roll of Honour etc.

2011-03-07T15:36:00.009Z

Duston Grand Prix, Northampton 5th March 2011

2011-03-06T14:49:00.002Z

Quizzing.co.uk is back!

2011-02-21T20:52:00.004Z

I'm delighted to report that the quizzing.co.uk website, under the guise of the official British Quizzing Association website is now back up and online.

You'll find LOTS of new features on the site:

- Games! There are FOUR games to play on the site. Two are played on your own and two allow you to compete against each other.

- Online Quiz Leagues! Playing the games will earn you points towards the online leagues. You have 20 playing days each month and you can choose when those are (the remaining days are training days that don't count towards your ranking). You get four FREE games every day with paid members getting an additional four games per day. Annual membership works out at as little as 3p per extra game.

- Friends! The new site works a little bit like Facebook. You can have friends on the site and will be told when they are online and you will be able to chat to them too.

- Profiles! Your profile allows you to add information about yourself and a picture.

- Stats! Your profile will also hold information on how you're doing when you play the online games. You'll be able to see which subjects you’re strongest and weakest in at a glance.

- Questions! You will also be able to submit questions for everyone to play and you'll be able to discuss and amend questions too. The questions get graded for difficulty based on how many people answer them correctly too.

- Tournaments! Once you've had chance to familiarise yourself with the site, we'll be holding online tournaments too :)

So hopefully this gives you some idea about what the new site can do, and of course, most of the old stuff is still there too. Have a play around with it and please bear in mind that we still have a bit of work to do, so we know that some bits are still in German. The functionality is all there, and so we just didn't want to keep you out any longer!

The odd account from the old site has been lost when we moved the data over, and doubtless many of you will have forgotten your passwords. But worry not, if you can recall your user name (you could always browse the site to spot one of your old posts for a reminder) you'll be OK, just go through the login process and the site will help you create a new password - sending you a reminder to the mailbox you created your initial account with. If all else fails, just create a new account.

Have fun!

You can access the site HERE.

Event roll to 2010 (end)

2011-02-17T19:27:00.001Z

Order of Merit and Rankings update

2011-02-11T14:00:00.006Z

Following last weekend's well attended Bristol Grand Prix, we are pleased to announce the updated UK Order of Merit (season 2010-11) and all time Quizzing.co.uk rankings (based on the last 25 events).

Clockwork Quiz, Leuven

2011-02-08T01:25:00.003Z

This year's annual Clockwork quiz will be on May 21st at 20.00 in the usual venue (Achturenhuis, Leuven). During the Saturday afternoon (14.30 onwards) there will be a pairs "trash" quiz.

Those quizzers traveling to Belgium on Friday can look forward to an evening's entertainment in the Cafe Amedee, with quizzing provided by our 'Clockwork' friends.

If you've never been to Leuven for one of these quiz weekends then, my friend, you've been missing a real treat. If I don't attend myself in 2011 it will only be for lack of sufficient funds.

Bristol Grand Prix: 5 February 2011

2011-01-26T02:24:00.004Z

Fifty people took part in Saturday's quiz, with 48 completing their score cards. It doesn't happen often but yesterday each of the six genre papers making up the quiz was won by a dfferent quizzer! The overall title went to Pat Gibson, a quizzer who has an almost vice-like grip on events these days. Well done Pat, and well done all six genere winners.

2011 Quizzing Grand Prix Schedule/Venues

2011-01-26T02:24:00.003Z

5 Feb: Bristol, Cotham Parish Church Hall. Cotham Road, BS6 6DR (see also previous post)

5 March: Duston, St Crispin’s Social Club, Berrywood Road, Duston, Northampton, NN5 6XA

2 April [Norway Open]: TBA (considering Burton-on-Trent and Hednesford Town FC, nr. Cannock)

7 May: Altofts, Lee Brig WMC, 1 St Mary's Rd, Normanton WF6 2JH

4 June [WQC]: TBA (considering Burton-on-Trent and Hednesford Town FC, nr. Cannock)

2 July: Kent, The Vines, Victoria Street, Rochester, ME1 1XN

6 August: Flitwick, Village Hall, Dunstable Road, Flitwick MK45 1HP

3 Sept [BQC]: TBA

1 October: Rainhill, St Ann's Millennium Centre, Prescot, Merseyside L35 0LE

4-6 Nov [EQC]: Brugges http://www.eqc2011.be/site/championship

3 Dec: TBA

Bristol Quizzing Grand Prix: Arrive 11.00am for a 11.30 start: Sat 5th February 2011

2011-01-24T16:30:00.003Z

I'm very grateful to Neil Harrison for putting the following information together.

Getting to Cotham Parish Hall (Cotham Road, Bristol, BS6 6DG)

Welcome to Bristol! And welcome to the beautiful Georgian suburb of Cotham, with its tree-lined avenues, beautiful buildings and bustling mixed community. It’s one of the most popular parts of Bristol, with very high ratings for quality of life in Britain’s happiest city (apparently!). Slightly more laid back than its uptight, snooty and more famous neighbour of Clifton, Cotham is home to many of the students, scholars and other staff that make the University of Bristol tick. It has a vibrant nightlife, with a wealth of pubs, bars and restaurants. I also hear that it has a pretty good local councillor (though the Hall itself is technically just outside Cotham, for the benefit of political nerds). I hope these notes help...

By rail

This is generally the easiest way to get into and around Bristol.

Cotham Parish Hall is 250m (2 min walk) from Clifton Down station, which is part of Bristol’s branch line network. You can pick up connections from Bristol Temple Meads, which is the main city centre station – avoid Bristol Parkway, which is 6 miles out to the north of Bristol. Trains from Temple Meads to Clifton Down run roughly every 40 minutes, but the timetable is irregular, so you’ll need to check and plan. The journey takes 15 minutes.

If the connection at Temple Meads doesn’t work out, you can take a bus instead. Quite a few buses will take you close to Cotham Parish Hall, but the best one is the number 9. The journey will take 18 minutes and it’ll dump you pretty much outside – ask for ‘Cotham Hill’. Going back, the reverse service is called the 8. This is slightly confusing, but 8 and 9 are clockwise and anti-clockwise versions of a circular route. DO NOT GET ON THE WRONG ONE – or you’ll get a very extensive tour of Bristol!!!

If the 8/9 doesn’t work out, you can get the 1 or 54. Ask for ‘Clifton Down’ and it’ll drop you outside Sainsbury’s. Cotham Parish Hall is a 250m walk up Cotham Hill.

By bus

Bristol has very good long distance bus services from most other cities and this can be much cheaper than the train. From the bus station, the easiest way to Cotham Parish Hall is actually to walk. It’ll take you 15-20 minutes, though it is up a steep hill. Otherwise grab a taxi from outside the bus station, which will cost you less than £5. If you want to walk, see the “from the M4” directions below and pick them up from where it mentions the Bus Station – i.e. past the BRI Hospital, right up St Michael’s Hill and so on.

By car

If you're coming via the M4 (from the east or west), switch to the M32 at junction 19 and follow this all the way into Bristol. At the end of the M32, you’ll come to what is effectively a T junction (though it looks more complicated) and take the right turn towards the City Centre. Follow the dual carriageway for about 500m and you’ll come to a large roundabout. Take the second exit (i.e. straight-on, though it doesn’t feel like it as most traffic goes left), which is signposted as Bus Station, Hospital, University and Clifton. Do not take the third exit to Cotham – it’ll get you there, but it’s more complicated, badly signposted and further.

Having gone over the roundabout, follow the road as it bends around to the left. It will pass first the Bus Station (to the left) and the BRI Hospital (to the right) – get into the right hand lane as soon as possible. Immediately after the BRI Hospital, there is a double set of traffic lights with a staggered left turn and then a right turn. Take the right turn, which is signposted to St Michael’s Hospital and Redland. This will start you up a steep hill with an almost immediate fork in the road. Take the left fork, which is actually a turning, though it will feel like straight-on – this is again signposted to St Michael’s Hospital and Redland. Follow this road (St Michael’s Hill) up the steep hill and through a parade of small shops until you get to a mini-roundabout. Cotham Parish Hall is on the right at the roundabout as you approach it.

If you're coming via the M5 (from the north or south), come off at junction 17 and take the A4018 towards “Bristol (West)”. Do not come off at junction 18 whatever your sat nav might say – a long-term road closure means that you’ll get in a right mess! Stay on the A4018 for about four miles. You’ll go over a range of roundabouts and traffic lights that I won’t bother to describe, but keep following signs for Bristol or City Centre.

You’ll know when you’re getting close when the houses disappear and you have green space first to your right and then to your left too. After the green space, you’ll come to the top of Whiteladies Road (still the A4018), which is a rather grand Georgian street that runs down the hill into the centre of Bristol. Go down Whiteladies Road for about 1km until you come to a set of pedestrian lights just after Clifton Down station on your right and before a big Sainsbury’s, also on your right. Take the left turn just after the lights which the signposted (on a small olde worlde sign) to Cotham. This will take you up a gentle hill (Cotham Hill) with a mini-roundabout at the end. Cotham Parish Hall is in front of you on your right as you cross the roundabout.

Parking

There is very little dedicated car parking at the Hall itself, but parking on the streets nearby is usually pretty easy at weekends. There is a residents parking scheme here, but it doesn’t operate at weekends (or after 5pm on Friday if you’re arriving early), so you can park in the marked bays without any problem. You might have to have a little drive around to find spaces, but there are lots of side streets and you should find something pretty quickly.

Places to stay

Unfortunately, this part of Bristol is not overrun with hotels and guest houses.

The ones near to the Hall tend to be quite expensive as you are in the posh-ish part of town. For a nearby and relatively inexpensive place, I would suggest Arches House (www.arches-hotel.co.uk) for £35 single and £55 double. I’ve never stayed there, but I’ve never heard anything bad from those people who I have pointed in that direction. It’s a 10 minute walk from the Hall.

Grove Cottage (www.grove-cottage-bristol.co.uk) looks very nice and is also about 10 minutes away. Ditto Downs View (downsviewguesthouse.co.uk‎), though this is more like 15 minutes walk or a short bus hop. These are a little more expensive (£50-60), but still pretty good value.

There is (at least) one place near Cotham Parish Hall to avoid. I am not going to say which for fear of being sued, but read the reviews if you’re looking at somewhere not mentioned in this note!

If you’re staying for two or more nights, Alderman Apartments (alderman-apartments.co.uk‎) have places very near to the hall from £60 per night. Never used them, but the reviews look good. As they are serviced apartments, they have a minimum stay.

If you want to go a little upmarket, perhaps with a view to exploring Georgian Clifton on Sunday, any of the ones run by Clifton Hotels (www.cliftonhotels.com) are pretty good and a 15-20 minute walk away. For a stunning view right by the Suspension Bridge, it would have to be the Avon Gorge Hotel (www.theavongorge.com) and the 8/9 bus route would take you to and from Cotham Parish Hall.

For more basic fare, there is the Premium Inn (www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/BRIMTI/bristol-city-centre-haymarket), which is tastefully located on a major roundabout near the Bus Station, but it is soundproofed and clean and tidy. Rooms are £65 at weekends and it’s a 15-20 minute walk.

If you’re coming in by train to Temple Meads, there are a whole raft of chain hotels nearby. These tend to be quite good value at weekends as they mainly serve the business district. Some examples:

Novotel - accorhotels.com‎
Holiday Inn - holidayinnexpress.com‎
Mint - minthotel.com‎
Mercure Brisgstow - accorhotels.com‎

Friday night

The Hall is in the university district of Bristol and so it is very close to a wide range of pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs. I am happy to organise one or more Friday night outings if people let me know that they are going to be around and what they broadly fancy doing. Ditto Saturday night, if people want to continue after the quiz has closed.

Note: We actually have the hall for the evening so any 'post closure' activities are likely to be suited just to those staying over in Bristol on the Saturday night. Thanks, Ed.

Rothwell Grand Prix Team Quiz (Amended)

2011-01-15T17:24:00.003Z

The three-way tie for first place saw a member of each team involved invited-up to see which of them was quickest to identify a character from opera - while listening to an audio excerpt. The tiebreak was won by Pat Gibson for Team 1.

Order of Merit and Rankings update

2011-01-10T18:26:00.010Z

Following last weekend's well attended Rothwell Grand Prix, we are pleased to announce the updated UK Order of Merit (season 2010-11) and all time Quizzing.co.uk rankings (based on the last 25 events).

Kettering (Rothwell) Grand Prix: Individual Results

2011-01-09T16:48:00.002Z

Kettering Grand Prix, Saturday 8th Jan 2011

2011-01-03T18:05:00.003Z

Thus far we have 64 people pre-registered for this event, taking place at Rothwell Conservative Club, Market Hill, Rothwell, NN14 6EP. These are...

Alan Gibbs
Andrew Hunter
Andrew Rowe
Andrew Teale
Andy Crane
Aneek R. Haque
Anne Hegerty
Audrey Doyle
Barry Humphrey
Barry Simmons
Beth Maclure Webster
Bob Thompson
Chris Quinn
Dag Griffiths
Dave Bill
David Buckle
David Edwards
David Hesp
David Lea
David Smith
David Stainer
Diane Hallagan
Dick Cribb
Eb Saxton
Gareth Aubrey
Gareth Kingston
Gary Grant
Glenys Hopkins
Graham Barker
Ian Welham
Iwan Thomas
James Dodding
Jesse Honey
John Porcella
John Wilson
Kathryn Johnson
Keith Pointon
Ken Owen
Kevin Butterfield
Lisa Hermann
Mark Grant
Mark Kerr
Michael McGreavey
Michael McPartland
Mike Abbott
Neil Macaskill
Neil Phillips
Nic Paul
Nick Mills
Pat Gibson
Paul Philpot
Paul Sinha
Paul Steeples
Pete Daniel
Pete Tesseyman
Phil Harvey
Quentin Holt
Scott Dawson
Scott Douthwaite
Simon Webster
Stephen Dodding
Strangely Brown
Tim Westcott
Will Howells

The day kicks off at 11.00am and runs to the usual format, starting with the individual quiz, then lunch (provided), followed by the team quiz and then socialising. The teams are put together on the day, so don't worry if you're coming along for the first time and don't know anyone. Cost of entry is £25 (£10 for first timers). Please let us know you're coming by dropping me a line at chris@worldquizzing.com (it would help if you could let me know by Wednesday tea time so we can make sure food is ordered for you).

After the close of the Grand Prix (around 5.30) a number of informal quizzes will be staged - probably lasting till early evening, when folk are quite likely to go en masse to a curry house. Do come!

Cheers

Chris

Now for some levity...

2010-12-09T14:57:00.004Z

La Triviata Quizzing Lookalike #1

Pat Gibson or Henri-Marie Beyle, aka Stendhal

Quizzing.co.uk All Time Honour Roll

2010-12-07T02:19:00.002Z

Summary of Grand Prix and Genre winners and winning scores in 2010

2010-12-07T01:49:00.004Z

The following graphic (click on image to enlarge) should be pretty self explanatory. Tabulated thus, each GP can be measured against others in the same year to asses relative difficulty levels of the questions etc.. What is clear from the graphic is how dominant Pat Gibson has been in 2010. The only word to describe his performance is "Imperious".

UK Order of Merit and BQA All-time Rankings, at 6 December 2010

2010-12-07T01:23:00.008Z

The first three graphics show the current UK Order of Merit, by rank. Click on any of the images to have them display full size in your browser (you may need to click some a second time).

These are the 'all time' top 225 ranked players on the UK Quiz circuit.

British Open : Europe-wide results

2010-12-05T17:29:00.003Z

Click on the image below to have it open in a fresh tab/window and then click on it again (in the new tab/window) to have it display full-zize.

Many thanks to our friends in Estonia and Norway for getting their results to me so quickly, and for taking part of course!

British Open Quiz Grand Prix: Stafford 4th December

2010-12-05T16:16:00.004Z

51 UK-based competitors gathered in Stafford to take part in yesterday's British Open Grand Prix. Later this afternoon I'll post results including scores for 21 competitors at two Norwegian and one Estonian venue also. This will be followed by the updated UK Order of Merit standings and 'all-time UK rankings'. Many thanks to all those who took part, especially those competitors who had to overcome adverse weather conditions to reach their competition venue.

NB All data and formatting Copyright Quizzing Limited.

British Open Quiz Grand Prix: Stafford 4th December.

2010-11-28T18:26:00.009Z

Quizzing's December Grand Prix takes place in Stafford on 4 December. The schedule runs to the usual format of individual quiz, lunch, team quiz and then socialising.

The teams are put together on the day, so don't worry if you're coming along for the first time and don't know anyone.

Cost of entry is £25 (£15 for first timers). Note: there is a 3-course lunch hence the £5 price increase. Those not fond of 'South Asian' food and who do not want to take the Ashiana's 'set menu banquet' can opt for Italian instead.

Venue:

Ashiana Kashmiri Restaurant
42 Foregate Street (Paul Reynolds Centre)
Stafford, United Kingdom
ST16 2PJ

Schedule:
‎11.00-11.30 Registration
11.30-13.00 Individual quiz
13.00-13.30 Marking the quiz
13.30-14.30 Lunch
14.30-17.00 Team quiz
17.00-17.30 Results/prizes and close of formal event
17.30-18.00 Adjourn to the bar and make plans for home/later.

Directions:
The Ashiana sits on the A34, the main road leading Northwest from the town centre towards junction 14 of the M6. Stafford railway station is circa half a mile from the venue (see map, the restaurant is marked with a cross on a pink spot - above and slightly to the left of the Google Map marker labelled A, which merley marks the centre of town).

The Ashiana is at the front of the 'Paul Reynolds Centre', which is a collection of linked businesses/buildings whose central courtyard has been covered-over to form a parking area. The various business' back doors etc. have been modified to collectivey resemble a row of shop fronts - sort of an cross between a shopping mall and an Edwardian street! The rear entrance to the restaurant (the one people arriving by car will use) is clearly marked.

The image above shows in dark green the route drivers arriving via Jct 14 of the M6 will take.

The following images below show a 'driver's-eye-view of the approach to the venue. Click on any of these to expand them.

Above: The view looking up the A34 coming out of the centre of Stafford. The restaurant is at the front of the Paul Reynolds centre (right middle ground), opposite the point between Halfords and the BP garage on the left. Drivers should take the right turn after the BP garage/Paul Reynolds centre (into Browning Street).

(Image above) The view looking towards Stafford (coming from the M6), the left turn you need to take (before passing the Paul Reynolds centre) is shown (i.e. you turn and pass in front of what appears to be an office block).

Turn right immediately before the New Victoria pub which takes you into an alley leading to a yard area. Driving slowly, as you turn left into the yard you should see the entrance to the covered parking are on your right.

2010-11-23T00:31:00.005Z

Here now is the CURRENT (at 23.11.2010) all-time standings for the top 225 rated on the UK quiz circuit. Everyone who has played in a UK Grand Prix or iQa World Quiz Championship event staged IN THE UK gets listed. Accordingly, Erik Deryke and Tom Trogh of Belgium, for example, picked-up points from the recent EQC in Derby to add to the points they scored at the Rochester Grand Prix in July 2010. In Tom's case, his 9th place finish in Derby powers him up the all-time UK circuit rankings.

UK Order of Merit, at 22.11.2010

2010-11-22T23:53:00.005Z

PLEASE NOTE: THESE CHART THE SITUATION AS IT STANDS AFTER THE EUROPEAN QUIZZING CHAMPIONSHIPS, HELD IN DERBY ON 13TH NOVMBER 2101.

Click on the image files to see expanded view. Apologies that the three here do not look neater -the website software seems to re-size them to suit it's own (rather than myown aesthetic) purposes.

British Quiz Association Top 225 (at 1.11.10)

2010-11-22T23:48:00.007Z

These were the all-time standings for the UK quiz circuit, immediately prior to the EQC, and taking into account the previous 25 major events (unlike the Order of Merit, which is concerned with the current year/season only). Everyone who has played in a UK Grand Prix or iQa World Quiz Championship event staged in the UK gets listed (on both). Accordingly, Erik Deryke and Tom Trogh of Belgium, for example, will have picked-up points from the recent EQC in Derby to add to the points they scored at the Rochester Grand Prix in July (this will become apparent when the post EQC Top 225 standings are published).

UK Order of Merit at 1.11.10 (pre EQC)

2010-11-22T22:38:00.006Z

Click on any one of the three images for an expanded version...

iQa European Rankings

2010-11-22T21:58:00.006Z

These are the official European Rankings post EQC2010. Please note that in error gareth Kingston is listed as English when he is in fact Welsh.

EQC2010 Part 4: European Pairs

2010-11-17T13:46:00.002Z

For the first time ever we had a winner who was forming part of a Pair (Pat Gibson) that previously won the title while playing with a different partner (Dr. Ian Bayley, Tallinn 2005). Pat emerged triumphant this year, alongside partner Kevin Ashman, only after beating off the strongest of challenges from a Finnish duo of Jussi Savanto and Tero Kalliolevo.

Warm and heartfelt commiserations go to Tero who must rate as the unluckiest player of the weekend - finishing runner-up in both the Pairs (by 2 points) and Individuals (by just 1 point) and a Bronze medalist too in the Nations event. Hard luck Tero, that Gold medal will come soon, I'm sure of it!

Third place went to last year's winners David Stainer and Olav Bjortomt. Doubtless they will make another strong challenge for the title when we all meet again in Bruges/Brugge next year.

EQC2010 Part 3: Club Team

2010-11-17T13:38:00.005Z

Milhous of Swindon, England regained the title they last won in Paris in 2006 (Broken Hearts had triumphed in Blackpool, 2007, Oslo, 2008, and Dordrecht, 2009). The field this year was tremendously strong, here's how they finished after 100 questions spread over 7 rounds.

The 'Milhous' team comprised Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Sean O'Neil and Tim Westcott. Reigning World and British Champion Pat Gibson took the place left vacant by the very sad demise of Mark Bytheway in July 2010. Mark had himself been World Champion (2007/08), and was reiging British Champion at the time of his death from cancer at the age of just 46. RIP Mark.

EQC2010 Part 2: Individual Competition

2010-11-17T13:15:00.004Z

The Individual Competition was held on Saturday 13th November. This began with a 100 question quiz, over 8 rounds. The top 10 players at the end of round 8 went into a finale, featuring 20 questions worth 2 points each.

At the conclusion of the 20 question finale the placings were as follows…

1st Olav Bjortomt (Eng) 96 points
2nd Tero Kalliolevo (Fin) 95
3rd Pat Gibson (Eng) 94
4th Kevin Ashman (Eng) 93
5th Ronny Swiggers (Bel) 90
6th Nico Pattyn (Bel)
7th Jesse Honey (Eng)
8th Tom Trogh (Bel)
9th Bernard Kreps (Bel)
10th David Stainer (Eng)

This is how the players had stood after the first 100 questions….

For the purposes of the UK Order of Merit, ranking points will be awarded per the following table (with the exception that Olav and Pat exchange places, in light of developments in the finale)...

Headline EQC2010 results: Part1, Nations

2010-11-17T12:29:00.004Z

The weekend of the 12th-14th November saw quizzers from 15 countries gather at the Derby Conference Centre, Derby, England, for the 7th annual European Quizzing Championships.

The first event of the weekend was a qualifier quiz for the main European (Nations) Championships. A 'table quiz' of 100 questions was played to rank all competing teams in order to settle the draw for a knock-out tournament. In each of the Nations and Aspirational Cups 1st placed finishers would play 4th and 2nd place would play 3rd. Teams finishing 5th to 8th similarly played a KO tourney to formally decide overall 5th to 8th finishes.

Here are the scores after the Qualifier quiz:

From among the national teams (rows 1-9 above the bold line in the graphic above), the top 4 played semi-finals - England defeated Finland and Belgium beat Wales. In the final England beat Belgium, thus retaining the trophy they won in Dordrecht, Holland last year, and Finland defeated Wales in the 'Bronze' match. The top 4 non-national sides (below the bold line in the graphic) played semi finals: England B and Kramerica both beating sides from Belgium to reach the final, where England B triumphed. 'Smurfs' won the 'Bronze' play-off.

The formal placings for the nine nations who fielded a full side were as follows

1. ENGLAND
2. BELGIUM
3. FINLAND
4. WALES
5. NORWAY
6. NETHERLANDS
7. SCOTLAND
8. ESTONIA
9. GERMANY

Results of international semi-matches:

Belgium - Wales 61-60
England - Finland 75-55

Result of lower semi-finals:

Norway beat Estonia
Netherlands beat Scotland

Placing games:

1st place: England 97 - Belgium 74

3rd place: Finland 55 – Wales 51

5th place: Norway 63 – Netherlands 63

7th place: Scotland 59 – Estonia 59

Other countries represented at Derby who did not field a team of four were...

Croatia
Denmark
France
Hungary
India
Ireland
USA

Liverpool/Rainhill Grand Prix : 2 October 2010

2010-10-03T20:36:00.002+01:00

Norwegian Individual Championships, 2010

2010-09-25T22:28:00.003+01:00

It would appear from the Norwegian Quiz Association website that Trine Aalborg, edging out Thomas Kolåsæter, has retained her individual title. Click on heading above for a link to the results on the official Norwegian site.

Well done Trine, just the Team quiz now to repeat last year's hat-trick of titles!

Norwegian Quiz Championships, 2010

2010-09-25T12:51:00.003+01:00

What follows is a slightly tweaked Google translation of the article linked to in the headline above:

"This weekend arranged NM quiz. It consists of three quiz competitions. The first is a Pairs Competition (Friday night, 25.9). The other is individual, and takes place Saturday morning. But the big highlight is the Team Championship. There will be set between 100 and 125 questions in each competition to some of the best quizere.

For the occasion, we have Christer Falck as quiz master in the studio of Good Morning Norway, who will ask some questions to some of the biggest quiz profiles - "I think it's fun music quiz. I think it can be fun with the film quiz, but geography quizzes and such, where I come up short" says Falck.

Ole Martin Halck is president of the Norwegian Quiz Association. He is by creating questions to a championship, but he will also help it from quizere that are not in competition. Falck recalls school days together with Ole Martin. "He is probably the smartest person that ever set their feet in Drøbak" says Falck.

Trine Aalborg is the reigning Norwegian champion of Quiz. She says that the broad interests needed to be a great quizzes. "It's no use saying that you do not bother to read about sports because they are not interested in it. Moreover, it is an advantage if things stick a little, "she said.

Lars Heggland is the reigning European champion in Quiz for siblings. "There are not many siblings who lined up in just the competition. In fact, there were only two, us included. But there is still a prestigious title to have!" says Heggland.

Here are the questions that were posed. (Answers below)

1: What two James Bond films, has recorded the most and least translated into today's currency?
2: What was the first, and the last nation, to win the World Cup on home soil?
3: What is the all-time second best-selling music albums and what is the world's best selling single?
4: Which country in the world is what limits to most citizens, that the total number of inhabitants in neighboring countries? And what is the capital?

...."

[Note from Chris - Playing with Lasse Midttun, Trine Aalborg appears to have retained her Norwegiasn Pairs title on Friday 23.9]

Answers to those earlier five questions:
1. 'Thunderball' and 'Licence to Kill'
2. Uruguay and France
3. AC/DC 'Back in Black', and Elton John 'Candle in the wind'.
4. Burma, Naypyidaw

Quiz Rankings, post 2010 British Championships

2010-09-18T15:33:00.006+01:00

Every quizzer who attends a Quizzing.co.uk associated event earns ranking points according to their placing in the individual quiz. The bigger the field, and the greater its strength (calculated by reference to the UK Order of Merit rank), the more ranking points there are up for grabs.

After each event we are able to update two ranking tables...

The first of these is the Order of Merit table - showing players by rank and the points they have earned in the current season. Also indicated (at the foot of the graphic) is the 'promotion pace' target - being the number of points that would be required to achieve each rank (i.e. supposing the season ended now, rather than in early June 2011 when it is actually due to end).

[Right click on graphic and chose 'open in new browser' or simply click to enlarge]

The second graphic shows the top 225 ranked players by points secured over the last 25 events. As time passes players totals erode unless they are doing well in current events.

British Pairs Quizzing Championships 2010

2010-09-07T19:28:00.011+01:00

We offer our congratulations to David Edwards and Nic Paul, winners of the 2010 British Pairs Quizzing Championships. In our now traditional knock-out format they emerged triumphant from a field of 36 pairs to become the first pairing to regain the title. They did this thanks to top scoring in the final round, digging out 40% more correct answers than the highly fancied pairing of Kevin Ashman and Pat Gibson. Over the three knock-out rounds Ashman and Gibson outscored the eventual winners by two points, but could not maintain their momentum in the final round, garnering only the bronze medals behind the pairing of Jesse Honey and Sean Carey.

The KO stage was preceded by a preliminary round requiring 60 answers. The top scoring 30 pairs were then placed into six groups, with the top scoring sides kept apart (i.e. the quarter final round draw was seeded by reference to scores in the preliminary round).

Click on the images to view full-size in your browser or right click and chose "open in new tab".

British Quizzing Championships 2010: Results

2010-09-07T13:54:00.009+01:00

Herewith details of the finishing positions in the three competietive individual contests run on Saturday 4th September 2010. More info on the Championships weekend and Order of Merit rankings etc. to follow:

Click on the images to view full-size in your browser or right click and chose "open in new tab".

Welcome to my shiny new blogette

2006-10-03T15:32:00.001+01:00

Who knows, I may get round to using this sometime.