Broken Hearts went 12-3 before registering a 330-265 final victory to claim the title at today's Masoquizm II.

The final was tied at 235-235 after 20 starters, but the Broken Hearts made the better of their bonuses in the final stages to emerge victorious:

Tarquinius Superbus, A$$hole 265-330 Broken Hearts (25s)
TS: Luke Pitcher 25, Dorjana Širola 30, Ben Fletcher 30, Tim Austen (12s) 10, Caleb Liu (13s) 0, Bonuses 56.7%
BH: Toby Cox 10, Jesse Honey 20, Ian Bayley 70, Andrew Lay 5, Bonuses 62.5%

Ian Bayley scored 2.69 points per starter heard (PPSH) to take the individual honours, barely ahead of Kevin Ashman (2.68 PPSH), and then followed by Barry Simmons (1.88 PPSH) and Dorjana Širola (1.74 PPSH).

The Oxford Town v Game reminded me that it's not the just the teams that are on trial in a quiz match, but the question-setter as well.

The teams in those games were good - very good. And, frankly, they mauled the questions. I lost count of the number of times I found myself muttering "we're too good to you" as they despatched yet another bonus for 15. The most telling statistic of all was that the Town and Gown teams dropped just 65 of the 600 points available on the 24 starters and bonuses they faced. That works out that, as well as not missing a starter, they missed just one part of every other bonus. Sickening.

The evening did restore some of the glamour to quizzing, however. Oxford's own El Prez, Krishna Omkar, came up with the bright idea of asking his teams to turn up in "sub fusc", the white-tie-and-gown combo in which Oxford students attend various ceremonies and take their exams. Their opponents mostly showed up in smart suits to keep the side up. And at the moderators' desk, Krish and I were resplendent in black tie, although I resisted the urge to adopt a good old BBC received pronunciation accent as well.

It was a nice change, I must admit, if you'll pardon me coming over all "digusted of Tunbridge Wells" for a minute. I've lost count of the number of games I've moderated featuring a sweaty creature in sports kit, or a hungover student in a grubby sweatshirt that hasn't met a washing machine in a year. I fear however that even the executive power of El Prez might not stretch to including a dress code in the BQ rules. However, am I alone in thinking quizzers should smarten up a bit? Does it matter for a mind sport what you wear on your body? Does it matter if you're not wearing anything at all? Er... excuse me while I poke out my mind's eye. Thoughts to the usual address, anyway.

El Prez promises Dr Bayley a load more questions on country music

Elsewhere, the paparazzi were lurking on Friday. Now, speaking of poking your eyes out, you might want to think twice about calling up the larger version of the picture on the right if you're of a nervous disposition at all. I could explain the context - well, I could try - but I'd rather leave it to you lot to suggest a caption. Suffice to say that no Dr Bayleys were hurt in the making of this image. I might even be tempted into opening the Presidential wallet to stand an Amazon gift certificate for the best caption - e-mails to the usual address.

First the questions and now this - this generosity thing must be virulent!

For those whole follow such matters, University Challenge reaches the final tomorrow night (8:30 pm on BBC2). Despite having had any number of good teams over the years (and a British student title to show for it), Manchester have never won UC. Similarly, it's over a decade since Cambridge last got their hands on the trophy - Trinity College in 1995, as our own Dr Blanchflower will tell you - and it was 1996 the last time that Trinity Hall (a different college) even took part in the series. Given their form so far and the general good standard of this series, it promises to be a decent final, although I don't dare offer FA Cup-esque fireworks.

Meantimes, I'm off to deal with the deluge of e-mails about Masoquizm. If you haven't yet signed up, I think there might be one more place available, but until I've cleared the backlog and got back to everyone, I wouldn't swear by it. Either way, if you're wanting to join us for the long haul next Saturday, you'd better be quick in letting us know.

Yours glamorously,

El Prez

Rob Linham is El Prez, although he tends not to order many summary executions these days.
Photo credit: Sam Warnakulasuriya

Barely two months after retaining the Varsity trophy in a great contest against Cambridge, Oxford could have been forgiven for a certain degree of confidence going into these matches. However, they were already on notice that their opponents were no pushovers.

Bodleian Library, from left: Gillian Beattie, Dorjana Širola, Mike Heaney, Bob Wyatt

The team from the Bodleian Library - the university library in Oxford, and one of the oldest in Europe - formed to take part in the series of University Challenge: The Professionals that will be shown on the BBC this summer. However, in addition to their Professionals experience, their team contained veterans of UC itself: Dorjana Širola, the long-time stalwart of the Oxford University team, won with Somerville College in 2002; and Gillian Beattie notched up two big victories as part of the Manchester University a year earlier.

The Town team, meanwhile, also boasted two UC veterans - from 1987 and that same 2001 series - not to mention a Brain of Britain as well. Indeed, any line-up in which you can mention both Billson and Bayley is likely to be a little on the strong side!

The first match pitted the team from the Bodleian - the "Bod" to Oxford students - against a team of those students playing under the "inventive" rhyming name of "Squad". It was clear from the start that this was going to be something of a one-sided contest, however, as the library team hit three figures before their opponents had even made it back to zero following a couple of unhelpful negs.

The solid depth of knowledge on both sides saw an all-round high bonus conversion, so it was always going to come down to speed on the starters. As the game slipped away from them, the students started to dive in earlier on questions, and paid the penalty as they registered negs on fully one-in-five of the starters. The Bodleian meanwhile carefully picked off the rebounds, converted the bonuses, and stretched their lead well into safety. After 25 starters, their 380-100 win was perhaps a little harsh on a student side whose 72% bonus conversion showed no lack of knowledge, but in the end it was experience and cool heads that saw the Bodleian home.

Dorjana Širola's clean 80 points led on the buzzer for the Bod, assisted by captain Mike Heaney's 40. Ian Webb's clean 30 points made him the best of the student team.

Bodleian Library 380-100 Oxford Students (25s)
Bod: Gillian Beattie 20, Dorjana Širola 80, Mike Heaney 40, Bob Wyatt 25, Bonuses 79.6%
Stu: Brian Danielak 0, Ian Webb 30, Samantha Warnakulasuriya -5, Caleb Liu 10, Bonuses 72.2%

Oxford Town, from left: Mike Billson, Gary Butler, Roger Mortimore, Ian Bayley

In complete contrast to the first game, you could barely slip a cigarette paper between the two sides in the second match the whole way through, as they traded starters backed with near-perfect bonus conversions. Only one set of bonuses went for zero in the match - the Town team demonstrating their (perhaps laudable) lack of appreciation of country music - as between them the two sides dropped just 65 points of the 600 available in the match.

Ian Bayley, once the talisman of the University side, had a particularly fine game for the Town team, including an alarmingly good knowledge of alarmingly bad television. For the Gown team, Peter Baker mopped up the science on his way to a clean 50 points, and the side recorded a record-equalling 90.9% conversion of their 11 bonuses.

The match came right down to the final starter with the scores tied at 255-apiece. Mike Billson won the buzzer race, the Town cleaned up the last bonus question, and after their last-ditch wins against Cambridge, the students found themselves on the wrong end of a similar 280-255 scoreline.

Oxford Town 280-255 Oxford Gown (24s)
Town: Mike Billson 5, Gary Butler 0, Roger Mortimore 30, Ian Bayley 80, Bonuses 84.6%
Gown: Peter Baker 50, Dorjana Širola 30, Gail Trimble 20, Michael Levy 5, Bonuses 90.9%

Results from last night's games at Christ Church, Oxford: Bodleian Library v Oxford Students, and Oxford Town v Gown.

Oxford Town 280-255 Oxford Gown (24s)
Town: Mike Billson 5, Gary Butler 0, Roger Mortimore 30, Ian Bayley 80, Bonuses 84.6%
Gown: Peter Baker 50, Dorjana Širola 30, Gail Trimble 20, Michael Levy 5, Bonuses 90.9%

Full report to follow.

After two-and-a-half years, the original hardcore quiz tournament is back! On Saturday 20 May in Oxford, the challenge will be 16 matches in ten hours on some of the nastiest questions in the world.

They say the body has no memory of pain, but I reckon that just by saying "Masoquizm" to anyone who braved this concept the first time around in October 2003, you could elicit at least a wince. Well, my friends, we're older but no wiser, so we're doing it again. If you're brave enough or mad enough to be one of the eight teams taking part, you'd better sign up quickly.

For Masoquizm, we ship over the ICT questions and play them in their entirety. Not only are the questions harder than anything anywhere else in Britain, we also leave their sheer Americanism unadulterated as well - for an extra kick, y'know? But this isn't quite masoquiztic enough for us, so we also add the unnecessary complication of trying to play as many games in one day as humanly possible: 16 20-minute games in ten hours.

If you've never been to a quiz tournament before, Masoquizm possibly isn't the one for you (but you're still very welcome). On the other hand, if "normal" tournaments are just too short and too easy, find yourself a team and sign up quickly. We're only accepting eight teams for this event, and it'll be first come, first served. The full details are below, and we look forward to proving to you that quizzing is physical as well as mental...

Where and when?

Date: Saturday 20 May, 2006

Doors open: 9:30 am
Tournament begins: 10:15 am sharp (don't be late!)
Approximate finish: 8:30 pm

A break for lunch of up to an hour will be taken around 1pm. Lunch will not be provided, but sandwich shops are nearby. Snacks will be provided during registration and during a break in the afternoon. A dinner break will not be taken.

Venue: St John's College in central Oxford (directions and accommodation information at the end)

Who can take part?

Anyone mad enough! Both student and non-student teams are welcome at this tournament. We are accepting only eight teams.

Up to four people can play for each team at any one time. However, given the length of the tournament, teams are strongly recommended to bring at least five players and rest people for games. Substitutions will be allowed between games as usual, and also during games (see below). Players can compete for only one team in the tournament.

Teams looking for players, or free agent players looking for a team, should look out for the free agent matching post that we'll put up soon.

By the way, we're not joking when we say this is a tough tournament. Participants are responsible for their own welfare, and should consider their own health and safety when choosing to take part. In particular, we recommend that the tournament is not suitable for participants below the age of 15, or for people with certain medical problems (particularly those relating to or exacerbated by fatigue).

The tournament venue is partially wheelchair-accessible - enough to take part fully. The venue requires some walking between rooms. If participants have mobility difficulties, please notify us in advance so that we can adjust the schedule to minimise their movement between rooms. Blind or partially-sighted people will be able to take part fully in the event. However, people who are deaf or hard of hearing may find participation difficult because of the nature of the game, but we're always willing to discuss what can be done. We may also be able to make adaptations with advance warning for participants for whom pressing the buzzer is difficult.

Tournament format

We aim to play 16 rounds of matches in a double round-robin with play-offs. This may need to be adjusted on the day, but teams are guaranteed a minimum of 12 games.

The BuzzerQuiz Official Rules will be in force, but with the following variations to recreate the US experience:

• Power starters (15 points for an early correct answer) will be in force.
• Bonus questions will be worth a total of 30 points, and all formats listed in Section I may be used.
• Games will be played for 20 minutes, with a half-time break after 10 minutes.
• Each team may call one time-out in each game if it wishes.
• Substitutions may be made between games, during half-time, during a time-out, or before extra time; substituted players may return to the game later.

The questions will be not be edited from their original form. They will be difficult, and contain considerable amounts of American subject matter. You have been warned.

Small prizes will be awarded to the top teams, and best players based on individual statistics.

Who's in charge?

The Tournament Director (TD) will be Rob Linham.

Tournament staff (readers and scorers) are needed (see separate article), and will be paid expenses of £15.

Entry fees

The fees for this tournament are a bit higher than usual because it's quite so long. The base entry fee for a team of any size is £60. Teams will receive a £10 discount if all players are current students.

Teams who bring a fully-working suitable buzzer system will receive £5 discount per system. Please tell us in advance if you intend to bring a system, and tell us about the system if we haven't seen it before. We need five systems for the tournament, and preference will be given to the most suitable systems available.

Printed questions as played will be available for purchase at the end of the day for £10, including four rounds that we don't plan to use. You can request a set in advance: only five sets will be available unless we receive more requests than that.

How to sign up

E-mail hello@buzzerquiz.com with:

• your team name;
• your contact details;
• the planned members of your team; and
• any discounts you intend to claim.

You can change the members of your team right up to the start of the event, but having some information in advance helps us with the paperwork.

For any questions or queries about the event, e-mail the same address, or call the TD on 07855 079433. It's also a good idea to let the TD know asap if you're interested in taking part, so we can get an idea of how many places are left.

Important: Because of the limited number of places, teams will be asked to pay in advance to confirm their places. Payment details (by cheque or postal order only, please) will be given when teams sign up.

Getting to the tournament

A series of maps showing how to access St John's can be found here; a wider selection can be found here. Upon arrival at the college, participants should ask at the Lodge (inside the main entrance on St Giles') to be directed to the tournament centre, in the Larkin Room.

By Train

Rail services connect Oxford station regularly with London, Bristol and Birmingham, among others, with journeys taking one hour from London Paddington. The station is a 15-minute walk or a £4 taxi ride from the college (this map shows the full journey, but not to scale).

By Coach

Two coach companies regularly connect Oxford with the centre of London with ridiculously frequent services which run all night: the Oxford Espress and the Oxford Tube. Both services terminate at Gloucester Green Coach Station, from where it is a 5-10 minute walk to the college. Other coach services also serve Gloucester Green, but teams should check the timetables if they plan to travel back on the (Saturday) evening of the tournament.

By Car

Driving into Oxford is a seriously bad plan, as the centre of Oxford is entirely paid parking. Pay and display parking is available on St Giles' outside the college, but it fills up very quickly on a Saturday; Museum Road and Blackhall Road immediately to the north of the college fill up slightly later. Information about the excellent Park and Ride service may be found here. Alternatively, north Oxford is outside the charging zone, from where it takes about 20-25 minutes (or a short bus ride) to walk back into the centre.

The forthcoming free agent post will also invite players to arrange car shares for the journey.

Accommodation

Teams requiring accommodation are suggested to try some of the establishments on this list. Hotels and guest houses on or just off Woodstock and Banbury Roads in North Oxford are particularly recommended as they are a simple bus ride from the venue (see "By Car" above). For those driving, there is a Travelodge at Peartree roundabout accessible from junction 9 of the M40, which is more accessible than their other hotel at Wheatley. The Premier Travel Inn is on the ring road to the south-east of the city, about three miles from the centre.

When booking any hotel, teams are advised to check its proximity to the centre first, as Oxford is a sprawling city, and even hotels as far away as Didcot (a cool 12 miles away) are sometimes advertised as "Oxford". The TD is always happy to help with advice or directions, particularly if it means teams turn up on time!

Want to experience the thrills and spills of a quiz tournament without having to answer those pesky questions? We need people to read the questions and keep score at Masoquizm on Saturday 20 May in Oxford.

The moderators of a match get a ringside seat for the action, as well as the thrill of power as you've got the answers and the poor teams haven't! More importantly, games simply can't take place without the mods - think of it as a service to the world of quiz.

For Masoquizm on Saturday 20 May in Oxford, we require eight moderators. Six of these people will need to be able to read or score, and two will be scorers only. The tournament runs from 10:15 am to about 8:30 pm, although readers and scorers may choose to leave before the final at about 7:45 pm.

Readers will be asked to read two games in every three (a total of 10 games), and to score for the third (5 games). The aim of this is that no-one loses their voice by the end of the day; water will also be supplied, and we'll have throat sweets handy! Readers should preferably have experience of having read matches before, but at least should have played at a BQ tournament before. Matches will last 20 minutes, and we'll be expecting readers to average at least 20 starters (with bonuses where necessary) per game. Readers should also be familiar with the BuzzerQuiz Official Rules.

Scorers need no previous experience, except the ability to add up. The Scorer's Guide tells you everything you need to know, and there are instructions on the scoresheet as well. Both readers and scorers will have support on the day from experienced staff, including the TD.

As a "thank you" to our moderators, both readers and scorers will receive £15 towards their expenses, including lunch. There will also be snacks available during registration, and during the break in the afternoon.

Teams taking part who have more than four members may choose to supply a scorer each round (not a reader, though) from the people who are not playing for them in that round, and therefore to treat the £15 allowance as a discount. However, teams should be aware that in such situations, scorers will be expected to make themselves available for two or three complete games at a time, and will therefore not be available to be substituted into their team. There will also be no guarantee that a scorer will be scoring the matches in which their team is playing (in fact, it's quite unlikely).

If you're interested in being a reader or scorer for Masoquizm, let us know as soon as possible by contacting the Tournament Director, Rob Linham, at hello@buzzerquiz.com or on 07855 079433.

...at least learn from the best. Instead of straight binary lists, the NAQT "You Gotta Know" section offers a high density of facts about the really important answers that crop up in academic questions time and again.

Let's start with the disclaimer: yes, NAQT are our friends, but what's wrong with a little nepotism? NAQT - National Academic Quiz Tournaments, if you like - does in the USA roughly what BQ does in the UK, albeit on a considerably larger scale. More importantly, as least as far as anyone planning to take on BQ questions is concerned, NAQT also supplies some of our questions - so if they're giving hints, you might want to take notice.

If you're still sitting there trying to cram title-author or person-date of birth lists, here's a hint: don't. Not only is learning binary lists like those the fastest way to make yourself hate quizzes eternally, most decent question setters have got wise to it and now don't start buzzer questions with "Born in [year], this person...". Instead, if you really must start swotting, a good thing to work on is arming yourself with an arsenal of plausible and common answers in particular areas.

After all, unless we're really being mean, there's only so many 20th century composers or Egyptian deities we're going to ask about. If you at least know the basics about them, you'll give yourself a fighting chance of being able to offer at worst an intelligent guess (and not something so wildly out that it earns a Paxonian sneer).

That's where these short guides come in: by picking the really common answers, and giving you the really common facts about them, chances are you're going to be able to recognise something if they come up. Games are often won and lost not on outright clear knowledge, but instead on plausible punts and half-remembered details. After all, the only way you're going to get points is by offering some sort of answer to the question.

The "You Gotta Know" lists aren't going to make you an expert quizzer overnight (sorry). They will, however, save you sinking your head into your hands every time you hear "Answer these questions about medieval Islamic dynasties" or "Name these psychologists". And, indeed, if you were to be taking on pure US questions (hint? me?), you could do worse than to be able to offer a New York Yankee other than Babe Ruth or a Civil War battle other than Gettysburg. And I bet you never knew Wayne Gretzky wasn't all on his own in the Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.

Just don't mock our nice American friends for their list of British monarchs, mmkay?

As a question I wrote a while ago quoted, "he's back, and he's got a new trick". Or, as a certain Mr P Gadd, late of Her Majesty's Pleasure, sang, "hello, hello, it's good to be back".

I hope you're liking the new BQ site, and I hope you'll also be liking the new BQ. Speaking as someone who has had more comebacks than Frank Bruno, it's down to you lot to tell us where to go (no, not like that). The bottom line is that the players are the lifeblood of BQ, and you - yes you, reading this now - are part of the lifeblood of this site.

So get in touch with your thoughts, comments, questions and vitriolic abuse: there's a link to our e-mail address and our contact details in the right bar of every page. If your comments are printable (and particularly if they're fawning and obsequious), you might get an answer the next time I put fingers to keyboard for one of these entries. Just don't leave me shouting into the void, thank you kindly.

Incidentally - and you'd better make sure you're sitting down before you read this - I hope to be back in a few days' time with news of a upcoming tournament. It'll only be a small one, though, so you'll have to be quick to sign up. And yes, I know BQ has been leaking worse than the Government with the details of this: I shall of course instigate a leak enquiry immediately (© Sir Humphrey). But first, I'd better go and hang a bit more electronic wallpaper so we can get another of those tantalising greyed-out sections open.

By the way, apropos this title, I'm sure there'll be a Randy Newman anorak drifting past sooner or later...

Yours in benevolent dictatorship,

El Prez

Rob Linham is El Prez, although he tries to avoid wearing dodgy-looking sunglasses.

Welcome to the new BuzzerQuiz website. It's taken us rather longer than expected to get it ready, so we hope it's worth the wait. Here's a taste of what to expect.

To answer the first question you're probably asking, there will be more BQ tournaments. There won't be nearly so many open tournaments run by BQ itself, however, as there's already an awful lot of big quiz events around. BQ will therefore be concentrating more on the student game, taking it back to its roots. However, we're always open to licensing our questions for other organisations and people to run BQ events, so watch this space.

Meanwhile, feel free to have a look around our shiny new website. There's a lot of bits we're still working on getting opened, but there's already a new set of BQ rules, a clever new scoresheet, and a guide to the scorer's role in our "Playing the game" section. We hope soon to be bringing you a brand new Glossary of Quizspeak (from the warped minds that brought you the original Dictionary of Quizzing), and plenty of questions new and old in our "Questions & Quizzes" section.

We're also going to be slowly working through the archives, getting results and statistics for some old tournaments onto the site. In future, the "Results & Reports" section will bring you quick scores just as fast as we have them from all BQ official and recognised events. Finally, the "Talking Quiz" section will give (nearly) free rein to a notoriously opinionated bunch of quizzers, letting loose on any subject quiz-related.

If you'd like to get in touch with BQ, drop us a line at hello@buzzerquiz.com - you can find the address on the right of every page. In particular, while we're still getting everything sorted, let us know if you find things not working. Please also get in touch if you've got any suggestions for the site, or if you'd like to unleash your opinions on the quiz world in a Talking Quiz article (within the boundaries of taste, decency and libel, we hasten to add).

While the scoresheet can bring to mind the evil complexities of the cricket scorebook, it's straightforward if you keep in mind two key principles:

1. Always work from the outside towards the centre.
2. Don't panic!

If you'd like to have a copy of the scoresheet to look at as you read this guide - which would be helpful - you can download the scoresheet for free right here.

Alternatively, you can take a look at a scoresheet that's been fully filled-in, and see if you can understand what's going on. And not just any scoresheet, either - this is the scoresheet for the final of the British Student Quiz Championships in 1999, back in the days of the great Oxbridge Balliol-Trinity rivalry:

Microsoft Word format: sample_scoresheet_word.doc (142 KB)
Other word processors (.rtf): sample_scoresheet_rtf.rtf (399 KB)

(NB This game uses power starters, where an early answer to a starter question is worth 15 points, and bonus questions worth a total of 30 points. It's a variation in the rules, but one you don't see all that much these days.)

Before the match

Even if it means everyone has to wait for a couple of minutes, it's worth taking your time getting the scoresheet set up correctly. A good reader won't start the game until the scorer's completely ready, mainly because they'll otherwise have to pause later to let you catch up, which is much less good.

First, fill in the top of the sheet, above the main boxes. These two lines provide the basic information about the match, allowing it to be identified later - sometimes years later, in fact.

If the game is a one-off, give it a suitable title, or just write "friendly" for the competition. "Round" is for use in tournaments; this may be the stage of the competition (e.g. quarter-final), or the number of the game in a round-robin format. The scorer is you, and the reader is the person reading the questions (which may also be you, of course, if you're on your own).

In the two long boxes either side of the "V", write the team names. Write the teams down on the sheet corresponding to where they are in relation to you in the room; so if you’re between the teams, put the team sitting to your left on the left of the sheet and so on.

Put the full name of the team members in the boxes below their team name, working from far to near as indicated. If you get each player to press their buzzer in turn and give their name, these boxes are in the same order as the lights on most buzzer system consoles (where you may also need to write the names if you are calling them out). You will notice that the boxes for starter scores below are then arranged so that the players’ boxes then correspond to how they are sitting in relation to you.

When you're writing all this information in, please do write it reasonably clearly and fully. You might think that it's "just a scoresheet", but spare a thought for some poor sap who might be trying to type up the results later (sometimes a lot later, on past form) and attempting to decipher your hieroglyphics.

During the match

As we said, the key is to work inwards. The body of the scoresheet is split in two, one half for each team.

The outermost four columns on either side are for recording the scores of each player on starter questions. All +15s (if in force), +10s and -5s go in the column of the player responsible on the line corresponding to the number of the starter. If a player gives an incorrect answer at the end of the question, there is no need to record the zero points in the scoresheet - just leave it blank.

If a player answers a starter correctly, their team receives a bonus question, which will usually be in several parts. It's up to you how you keep track of the running total through the bonus, but you will find that most readers will declare "10 from the bonus" or similar at the end of the question. In any case, the total score from the bonus question goes in the "Bon." column, and the total number of points scored from the question (i.e. starter + bonus) is then put in the "Total" column (including if the total is just -5 from an incorrect interruption).

Finally, the running score is kept in the grey "Cum." (for "cumulative") column nearest the centre. If you need to read out the score at any stage, you just need to look at the most recent scores in each grey column.

Some points to note:

• Remember always to take any -5s off the running total.
• If a starter is not answered correctly (or indeed not answered at all), move on to the next line for the next starter, so that the number of the line always corresponds to the number of the starter.
• If you get lost with the score, don't be afraid to ask the reader to stop the game at a convenient moment so that you can catch up. Everyone gets lost sometimes, so don't be embarrassed.

After the match

Write the final score for each team in the big boxes either side of the word "Final".

Then, for each player, count up the number of +15s, +10s and -5s and enter them in the boxes at the bottom of their column. If you’re playing standard BuzzerQuiz rules, there will be no +15s. Enter them as numbers – so 3, 4, 1 as opposed to 45, 40, -5.

Then, in the bottom row, write the total score contributed by that player on starter questions, this time writing, for example, +80. If this last bit has you stuck at a tournament, leave it for the person in charge to fill in.

Above and beyond the call of duty?

Once you've got the hang of the basics of the scoresheet, there's plenty of other duties the scorer can take on to help out the reader a bit. For example, if you're playing a timed game, the scorer can keep track of the clock; or if you're using University Challenge-style recognition (calling out their team and surname) of the players when they buzz, you can start practising your best Roger Tilling impersonation. But these are just extras: it's the scoresheet that matters.

In the end, scoring is pretty straightforward, and comes with the additional perk of a ringside seat right beside the reader. And remember: don't panic, and don't be afraid to ask for help.

Never has British Rail's much-ridiculed 1980s slogan been so apposite: after a year-and-a-bit, the builders are (finally!) nearly done on this, the new BuzzerQuiz website.

There's going to be all sorts of funny goings-on around here as we iron out the last glitches and move the furniture back in, so please bear with us just a wee bit longer...

To e-mail any of these members directly, reconstitute their e-mail address by taking the three letters in square brackets after their name and adding "@buzzerquiz.com" at the end. However, you may be better off using our general contact details unless you know you need a specific person.

BQ members:

Olav Bjortomt [SOB], a journalist from Littlehampton, West Sussex.

Sean Blanchflower [SMB], a researcher in a software company from Cambridge. He is the Treasurer of BuzzerQuiz.

Chris Harrison [CAH], a software developer from Putney in London.

Rob Linham [RJL], a civil servant specialising in human rights from London. He is the President of BuzzerQuiz.

Matthew Mayer [MEM], a software designer originally from Crawley in Sussex.

Stephen Pearson [SJP], a librarian from Manchester.

David Stainer [DKS], a solicitor specialising in tax law from London.

You can download, print, copy and distribute this scoresheet freely for non-commercial purposes, whether for BuzzerQuiz events or not, so long as you don't modify it in any way (except for filling it in, of course!). We'd thank you not to use it for your own commercial purposes, though.

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Contents

1. General Information
2. Tournament Director and Appeals
3. Game Officials
4. Equipment
5. Participants
6. Questions
7. Starter Questions
8. Bonus Questions
9. 30-point Bonus Questions
10. Correct Answers
11. Length of Game (including tie-breaks)
12. Time
13. Interruptions
14. Protests
15. Ethics and Conduct
16. League Placings

A. General Information

1. These rules are maintained at www.buzzerquiz.com/buzzerquiz_rules . This version was last updated on 1 April, 2006. They are based on the NAQT rules available at http://www.naqt.com/rules.html.
2. These rules are written for official BuzzerQuiz events, but they may be used free-of-charge for other events, provided that:
   1. they are publicly identified as BuzzerQuiz rules;
   2. the event is not advertised as an official BuzzerQuiz event, though it may bill itself as "BuzzerQuiz-style";
   3. any variations from the official rules are announced before the event;
   4. all queries about the interpretation of the rules are referred to BuzzerQuiz as soon as possible; and
   5. BuzzerQuiz is notified within ten days after the tournament of the tournament name and date, and any rule variations used.
3. BuzzerQuiz may be contacted at:
   1. www.buzzerquiz.com
   2. hello@buzzerquiz.com
   3. 07855 079433 (+44 7855 079433 from outside the United Kingdom)
   4. 32 Kenley House, Ashburton Road, Croydon, CR0 6AQ
4. Variations within these rules may be used to make the rules more appropriate for various events. These permitted variations are noted in the rules, and their use must be indicated before any event using these rules. If no variations are indicated before an event, the unvaried rules are taken to be in use.
5. Using these rules with any variation other than those noted is not permitted without prior permission from BuzzerQuiz. If permission is given, the variation(s) must be clearly indicated before the event.

B. Tournament Director and Appeals

1. The tournament director is the most senior official in charge of a tournament or event. The name of the tournament director shall be clearly indicated for each event.
2. Unless otherwise indicated, all decisions of the tournament director are final.
3. For some events, it may be possible to appeal a decision of the tournament director to a third party (which may be a representative of BuzzerQuiz). As indicated by the rules of the event, the appeal may be on all matters pertaining to the decision, or exclusively on the interpretation of these rules. In any case, the decision of the tournament director shall stand unless clearly changed or suspended by the third-party adjudicator. The tournament director may also at their discretion refer particular decisions to that nominated third party. If this variation is in use, the rules of the event must state the extent of the right of the appeal, and how and to whom that right may be exercised.
4. Any person may seek the opinion of BuzzerQuiz on the interpretation of these rules in relation to particular circumstances that have arisen. If BuzzerQuiz chooses to give such clarification, it shall have only advisory status unless incorporated into a new version of these rules. In any case, such clarification shall not overrule or nullify any incompatible decisions that have been taken previously.
5. Notwithstanding the previous rule, a tournament director whose decisions are final may change their own decision following a clarification of the rules from BuzzerQuiz (whether sought by themselves or another), so long as to do so shall not cause serious disruption or unfairness in the conduct of the event. In particular, they may not change their own decision following the conclusion of an event if it would change the overall result of the event.

C. Game Officials

1. Each game will have one or two moderators. If two moderators are present, they will be designated as reader and scorer. If only one moderator is present, they will perform both functions.
2. The reader will read the questions, enforce time limits, supervise the clock, determine the correctness of answers, award and deduct points, and otherwise enforce the rules of competition.
3. The scorer will keep an official running score. The reader may also delegate recognition (if appropriate) and/or timekeeping duties to the scorer.

D. Equipment

1. Matches should be played with a "buzzer", electronic equipment which determines which player signals first. Should no working buzzers be available, tournament officials may require players to signal by physical means.
2. Teams may agree to use a partially working buzzer system. If either team objects, the game will be played or resumed without a buzzer.
3. In the absence of a completely functioning buzzer system, a designated official will be the final judge of which played signalled first. These determinations are not protestable.
4. If a player objects to using a working buzzer because of religious or other reasons, the player may signal in a suitable manner, and a designated official will be the final judge of which played signalled first. These determinations are not protestable.
5. Each player is responsible for monitoring whether his or her own buzzer is operating properly throughout a match. If a buzzer malfunctions, only the current starter or the just completed starter can be replayed, subject to the reader's ruling that the malfunction affected play of that question.
6. If a visible scoreboard is used, this is indicative only, and the official scoresheet maintained by the scorer shall prevail in the case of a dispute.

E. Participants

1. All participants are responsible individuals and will be treated as such. Players are responsible for any liability arising from the conduct while at any event, or while travelling to or from events.
2. A team may consist of any number of players who meet all eligibility rules for the event. No more than four players from any team may play at any one time.
3. No player may play for two different teams in the course of any tournament or competition, unless specifically mandated or required by the format of the competition.
4. Teams may play with fewer than four players, to a minimum of one player. Unless substitutions are permitted by the tournament rules (see below), teams with fewer than four players may not add players to the team once the reader has started reading the questions for the game.
5. Unless expressly permitted by the tournament rules, teams may not substitute players during the course of a single game. If substitutions are permitted, the tournament rules must specify when and how substitutions may be made. Substitutions must not disrupt the fair conduct of the game.
6. If a team starts with fewer than four players and substitutions are permitted, the addition of players to the team shall only be permitted at such time and in such way as the substitution of one player on the team for a new player.
7. Notwithstanding the previous rules, exceptional substitutions during a game may be allowed at the discretion of the reader in extenuating circumstances, such as illness or injury. The departure of a player to another appointment or the arrival of a preferred player are not extenuating circumstances.

F. Questions

1. Each game uses starter questions and bonus questions.
2. A team receives a bonus question for each starter question correctly answered by one of its players (except in extra time or sudden-death extra time).
3. The questions used for a game shall not previously have been seen or heard in whole or part by any player in the game. If any player becomes aware that they have previously seen or heard all or part of the questions, they should immediately draw this to the attention of the reader. If they fail to do so, this shall be treated as misconduct.
4. The questions used for a game should be balanced in difficulty and distribution across the field of potential subject areas, and in particular:
   1. should never be written or chosen with reference to the background, interests, occupation or knowledge of any participant or potential participant in the game;
   2. should not intentionally favour one person or team playing the game; and
   3. should be as fair, reasonable, unambiguous and accurate as can be achieved with reasonable diligence.

G. Starter Questions

1. A player may signal to answer a starter question at any point after the reader has begun reading the question. Only one player per team may signal to answer each starter question.
2. When a player has signalled, a game official should acknowledge the player in some way, by calling their name, or pointing or looking at them ("recognition"). There is no penalty if a player who has signalled answers before being recognised. Tournament rules may make particular provision for a particular manner of recognition to be used (e.g. team name and surname).
3. If a player signals before the reader has finished reading, the reader will stop at that point. If the answer given is incorrect, the reader will finish the question for the other team only (if they are still eligible to answer the question). The reader need not reread the whole question, but should resume at a natural point in the question.
4. An answer to a starter question must begin within two seconds of when the buzzer finishes sounding. An answer begun after the reader has called time (by saying "time", "no" or other equivalent) will be treated as no answer. Ties between the players and the reader are decided in favour of the player.
5. Players have two seconds to signal after the reader has finished reading the starter question. If the player answers incorrectly, the other team (if it is eligible to answer) will then have two more seconds in which to signal. On calculation questions and others requiring a measure of thought, the reader may at their discretion allow up to ten seconds in which teams may signal at the end of the question. The reader should however endeavour to be as consistent as possible, and in particular should not require answers any more quickly towards the conclusion of a game.
6. Decisions as to whether players have exceeded the allotted time to signal or to answer may be rendered only by the game officials of a given match and are not protestable.
7. Each starter question is worth 10 points if answered correctly.
8. A tournament may additionally specify "power marks" (noted by (*) ) in starter questions; the presence of power marks in starter questions should be indicated in the tournament rules. A player earns 15 points for a correct answer to a starter question if the player signals before the reader has completed the first syllable after the power mark (a "power starter"). The moment of judgement is when the player signals, not when the reader stops reading, so it is critical that readers stop instantly once they hear a signal. Ties between the player and the reader are decided in favour of the player. Players may earn 15 points on power starters at any point in the game, including extra time.
9. There is a 5-point penalty if the first team interrupts a starter question with an incorrect answer. The second team may still earn 15 points with a sufficiently early signal. Players may be penalised 5 points in such a way at any point in the game, including extra time.
10. If a player who was not the first to signal gives an answer:
    1. If the player who answers is not a team-mate of the first player to signal, the reader will ignore the answer, and will recognise the player on the other team who has actually signalled. Only that player will have a chance to answer, as the non-signaller has disqualified his or her team on that starter question by illegal conferring.
    2. If the player who answers is a team-mate of the first player to signal, the moderator will treat the response as an incorrect answer from that team, assess a 5-point penalty to the player who answered, if appropriate, and turn the question over to the other team regardless of whether the answer given was right or wrong.
    3. If a player answers because an official incorrectly identified who signalled first, the question must be replaced.
11. If the reader inadvertently reveals the answer to a starter question after one team has given an incorrect answer, but before the other team has had a chance to answer, the reader will read a starter question for the second team only (with the clock paused in a timed game). If neither team has had a chance to answer, the starter question is thrown out and replaced (with the clock paused in a timed game). In either situation in a timed game, the clock is turned back on for a bonus.
12. Players may engage in non-verbal, non-written conferring with team-mates (not reserves or spectators) on starter questions, provided that the conferring does not convey any substantive information about the answer. In other words, players may hold their buzzers forward, gesticulate, or otherwise indicate that they know the answer, but cannot indicate in any manner what they believe the answer to be, nor can they communicate with team-mates verbally or in writing. Illegal conferring on a starter question will be treated as an incorrect answer.

H. Bonus Questions

1. Bonus questions are worth 15 points. They may take two forms:
   1. A standard bonus question consist of three answers or sets of answers, each worth 5 points. A question may require more than one of the three answers or sets of answers to be given in response to a single prompt from the reader, in which situation the question should specify the number of answers required and the number of points available. No more than 5 points may be awarded for a single answer. If no points value is indicated for an answer, it should be assumed that all answers following a single prompt from the reader are required for 5 points.
   2. A list bonus involves the reader requesting a list of more than three answers in response to a single prompt. For those answers, 5, 10 or 15 points are awarded depending on how many correct answers are given. The question should clearly specify how many correct answers are available, and how many correct answers are required for each of 5, 10 and 15 points to be awarded. The team may give only as many attempted answers as are necessary to score 15 points. So, for example, a question may have nine possible correct answers, of which a team requires seven for 15 points; the team may therefore offer only seven attempts at the answers.
2. A tournament may provide instead that bonus questions are worth 30 points; this usually happens in conjunction with the availability of power starters under G8. If so, this should be indicated clearly in the rules of the tournament. In such circumstances, rule H1 does not have effect and is superseded by section I.
3. No bonus question may potentially require points to be awarded other than in multiples of 5 points.
4. No bonus question may allow points to be deducted from a team's score.
5. Teams may confer on bonus questions. It is recommended that the captain give the answer for the team or clearly indicate who will give the answer. The reader, however, will take the first answer unambiguously directed at him or her. If conflicting answers are directed at the moderator, the captain will be asked to choose the team's answer.
6. A team has between five and ten seconds to answer each part of a bonus question. The actual time allowed is at the discretion of the reader, but should not be less than five seconds, even towards the close of a game. The reader should however endeavour to be as consistent as possible in the time that they allow. The reader will prompt for an answer after five or more seconds, when the team captain should begin answering, or designate the person who will answer.
7. A team may begin its answer before the end of a bonus question. In such cases, the moderator stops reading when the team begins its answer. If the bonus contains another part, the reader then asks the next part.
8. If the bonus question contains multiple parts, a team may answer only the part that is being read.
9. If a bonus question calls for multiple answers, a team may give these answers as they work them out. There is no requirement to give a continuous list of answers without pausing. However, the answers should nevertheless be given in a timely manner.
10. In any question that calls for multiple answers, they may be given in any order unless otherwise specified. Where a list bonus calls for a specific order, the reader matches the first given answer to the first correct answer, the second to the second, etc., to determine correctness.
11. Bonus questions are never offered to the other team if they answered incorrectly.
12. If a reader inadvertently reveals the answer to a bonus or to part of a bonus before the team has answered, the next bonus will be read instead. However, the team may not earn more or fewer points on the replacement bonus than would have been possible with completion of the original bonus. For example: a team earns 10 points on a three-part bonus before the reader botches the third part; they will get a replacement bonus, but will receive a minimum of 10 points, even if they actually score only 5 on the replacement bonus, and a maximum of 20, even if they actually score 30.
13. If it transpires that a bonus does not offer a full 30 points, the next bonus will be read instead. However, the team may not earn more or fewer points on the replacement bonus than would have been possible with completion of the original bonus. For example: a team earns 10 points out of 20 on a bonus before it transpires that the bonus offers only 20 points; they will get a replacement bonus, but will receive a minimum of 10 points, even if they actually score only 5 on the replacement bonus, and a maximum of 20, even if they actually score 30. A request for a replacement must be made as soon as it becomes apparent that the bonus is not 30 points.

I. 30-point Bonus Questions

1. If a tournament is using bonus questions worth 30 points in accordance with rule H2, this section shall have effect and supersede rule H1. All other rules in section H shall continue to have effect.
2. A standard bonus question consists of between two and six answers or sets of answers:
   1. Each answer or set of answers is worth a multiple of 5 points.
   2. A question may contain at most five short prompts for the team to answer; it should ordinarily contain between two and four such prompts.
   3. A question may require more than one of the answers or sets of answers to be given in response to a single prompt from the reader.
   4. Each prompt from the reader should specify the number of points available and (if more than one) the number of answers required.
   5. A single answer may be worth no more than 15 points.
   6. A question may provide that a "bonus" is awarded if all parts of the question are answered correctly; this "bonus" may only be worth 5 points.
3. A list bonus question involves the reader requesting a list of answers in response to a single prompt:
   1. For those answers, between 5 and 30 points in multiples of 5 or 10 points are awarded depending on how many correct answers are given.
   2. The question should clearly specify how many correct answers are available, and how many correct answers are required for any given number of points.
   3. The team may give only as many attempted answers as are necessary to score the maximum number of points. So, for example, a question may have nine possible correct answers, of which a team requires seven for maximum points; the team may therefore offer only seven attempts at the answers.
   4. A list bonus may be combined with parts of a standard bonus question, but the question should not be allowed to become too long.
4. In a progressive bonus question, three or four clues are given to a single answer to the whole question:
   1. A team may answer after each clue; a correct answer ends the question.
   2. Where three clues are given, a correct answer scores 30 points after the first clue, 20 points after the second clue and 10 points after the third clue ("30-20-10 question").
   3. Where four clues are given, points are awarded as above, and a correct answer scores 5 points after the fourth clue ("30-20-10-5 question").
5. A question may give two clues to each of two answers:
   1. Each of the two answers must be treated symmetrically.
   2. A team may answer after each clue. If a correct answer is given to the first clue, the second clue is not read.
   3. A correct answer scores 15 points after the first clue. A correct answer may, as specified, score 10 or 5 points after the second clue ("15-10 question" or "15-5 question").
   4. A question may not give more than two clues to multiple answers (e.g. 15-10-5) or give multiple clues to more than two answers (e.g. 10-5).

J. Correct Answers

1. The reader will accept only the first answer given by a player, except for multiple answer questions, and in these situations:
   1. Anything a player says will be ignored unless it modifies the first answer given. For example, if a player says Nixon, Watergate, the reader will consider only Nixon. If a player says Nixon, Fred Nixon, then the moderator will consider Fred Nixon. Similarly, matter, cold dark, is treated the same as cold dark matter.
   2. Modifying words before the first noun of a response are, of course, considered as one answer with the noun.
   3. Extraneous information preceding a response is disregarded (e.g., They're all Irish or Is it just a wombat?) unless the reader determines that the extraneous information was given in an unsporting attempt to delay the game, in which case the response is treated as incorrect (in addition to any other penalty for misconduct). Harmless or inadvertent embellishment of responses will not be penalised, so long as the embellishment does not make the response wrong.
2. If a question has multiple answers, a player may give multiple responses in any order. Since the multiple responses are still considered one answer, the moderator will rule the answer as wrong if any part is wrong.
3. Multiple responses are permissible under these situations:
   1. The created works rule (defined below).
   2. Director-movie.
   3. City or specific location - state, county or equivalent - country or equivalent, in any combination.
   4. When called for by the question.
4. The created works rule:
   1. The created works rule applies to works that are created by individual humans, corporations, groups or computers, such as books, pamphlets, essays, stories, plays, scientific theorems and theories, inventions, products, compositions, artwork and musical compositions, but not films. This rule also includes to architectural work-architect, choreographer (or composer)-work of dance, and librettist-libretto (or opera). Being able to copyright or patent the product usually establishes this rule (except for films).
   2. The link between creator and created work must be obvious. One may not use this rule for instances in which the creation is a multi-faceted effort (though one such circumstance, director-movie, is separately acceptable).
5. To receive credit, a response must indicate exact and unambiguous knowledge of the correct answer. The reader's question sheet will also list acceptable alternate answers. The minimal information for a correct answer is underlined.
6. If a player gives an answer that demonstrates exact knowledge, but is ambiguous, the reader will prompt by saying "more information, please", "prompt" or similar (e.g. a player says Blair and the answer sought is Cherie Blair). Unless otherwise noted by the question, the reader should not state what type of information is sought by the prompt (e.g. it would be inappropriate for the reader to say "I need a first name"). On a multiple-answer bonus, however, the reader should indicate which part of the answer is ambiguous. A reader may prompt more than once so long as each additional clarification by the player demonstrates exact, but still ambiguous knowledge.
7. A player who has been prompted on a bonus may quickly check with a team-mate for the further information, or simply designate that person to give the additional information, so long as it is not done in an unsporting attempt to delay the game.
8. The following are generally acceptable for persons, unless the question indicates otherwise: last names for real persons, first or last names for fictional characters, nicknames that are nearly universally known (e.g. JFK), pseudonyms, birth names, unmarried or married names, and royal names.
9. Dates must be exact (e.g. the year 71 will not be accepted if the answer is 1971). Years given will be assumed to be A.D./C.E. unless otherwise modified. Readers will not prompt a player to differentiate in cases of ambiguity.
10. Titles of works must be exact, except that leading articles may be omitted. All words other than leading articles must be correct (e.g. Merchant of Venice is acceptable, but Merchant from Venice is not). Rarely will subtitles or working titles be accepted for the published title.
11. If an incorrect leading article is used, the response is incorrect (e.g. A Merchant of Venice is not acceptable).
12. Insertion of a leading article before a title where none exists will not invalidate an answer (e.g. The Lord of the Flies for Lord of the Flies), so long as no other ambiguity is introduced.
13. Commonly used titles may be accepted if the actual title is long and cumbersome (e.g. Wealth of Nations in lieu of Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations).
14. Common acronyms and abbreviations are often acceptable (e.g. chemical symbols, organisational acronyms), unless they appear in the question, in which case the moderator may prompt the player to expand the acronym or abbreviation. If the question does not indicate, the reader will take the response as correct if a starter question, and will prompt if a bonus question.
15. If a player interrupts a question and gives a response that is equivalent to the answer sought, but the response is later used in the question as a clue, the reader will take the answer as correct if a starter question, and will prompt if a bonus question, unless the question directs otherwise.
16. Titles and names in the original language of the answer are almost always acceptable. Actual English translations will also be accepted (e.g. for the Camus work, L'Etranger is acceptable, as is The Stranger or The Outsider - the original British translation - but Der Fremde is not, as the work was not originally written in German). Beware, as many translations are not true to their original language's meaning, such as a the German film Himmel Über Berlin, which is Wings of Desire in English.
17. If a question asks to identify an answer from a list, the player must name the exact answer (e.g. NOT "the second thing you read" or "the one that started with F").
18. Players may spell answers, but it is considered misconduct for a player to spell an answer intending to delay the game.
19. Pronunciations do not have to be exact. A plausible or phonetic pronunciation is usually acceptable unless it demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding about the correct answer (e.g. Malcolm the Tenth is not acceptable for Malcolm X). As a general rule, while leeway may be given to vowel sounds, consonants should be in the correct order, and syllables should not be added or omitted.
20. A player may be prompted to spell a phonetically close response. In such cases, the exact spelling is not always required (e.g. a player says muh-NAY and is prompted. A response of M-A-N-A-Y would be sufficient to remove ambiguity with Monet).
21. At the end of the question (or each part of a non-progressive bonus), the moderator will read the correct answer if no-one correctly answered. The moderator may wait until the end of the match if the answer is long or complicated.
22. While BuzzerQuiz strives to include all acceptable alternate answers, players should resist giving esoteric equivalents when they know the more common response. The verification of such responses may slow down a tournament needlessly. Also, many supposed equivalents vary in subtle ways from the answer sought, and may therefore be wrong.

K. Length of Game

1. The length of a game may be limited by reference to time (a "timed game") or by reference to the number of questions asked (an "untimed game").
2. A timed game is played for 20 minutes. If either the starter or bonus questions allocated for the game run out before the time expires, the game ends. The further provisions relating to the clock in section L shall apply in a timed game.
3. A timed game may be played for a length of time other than 20 minutes. If so, the length of the game shall be clearly specified before the start of the game.
4. An untimed game is played until the starter or bonus questions allocated for the game run out.
5. For both timed and untimed games, 26 starter questions and 24 bonus questions shall be allocated for the game. If a different number of questions is allocated for the game, this shall be clearly specified before the start of the game.
6. If a tournament proposes to use both timed and untimed games, or to vary the length of games during the tournament, this shall be clearly specified before the start of the tournament. If the tournament format requires that two games be directly comparable, they must both be limited in duration by reference to the same standard.
7. The team with more points at the end of the game wins. If the score is tied:
   1. Extra time consisting of three starter questions shall be played. No bonus questions are used in extra time.
   2. If the game is still tied after extra time, sudden-death extra time follows, in which the reader reads starter questions until the score changes.
8. Extra time and sudden-death extra time shall be played at a pace similar to that of the rest of the game.
9. The clock is not used in extra time following a timed game.
10. The questions used for extra time and sudden-death extra time shall not count towards the number of questions allocated for a game.
11. The questions used for extra time and sudden-death extra time may however be questions allocated for the game that have not been used, or other questions.
12. The final score (and any statistics) of a game decided in extra time or sudden-death extra time shall be given as at the conclusion of extra time or sudden-death extra time, but shall be marked "(ET)".

L. Time

1. A game shall be started at the specified time. If one team is late, this may result in a forfeit, unless this lateness is the fault of the tournament, or the tournament director is satisfied with other good cause. A team shall be considered late if:
   1. where the game forms part of a tournament in which the team has already played a game in that same tournament in the same general location on the same day, it is not present and ready to play 5 minutes after the specified time; or
   2. in any circumstances, it is not present and ready to play 15 minutes after the specified time.
2. The remaining rules in this section shall apply only to timed games.
3. The length of a timed match should be determined by reference to one reliable stopwatch or countdown timer ("the clock"). This need not be visible to the teams; if it is not, the reader should use the clock to give regular updates on the amount of time remaining.
4. The clock starts when the reader begins reading the first starter question.
5. When the time runs out, the game shall end, except:
   1. A player who has signalled on a starter question is allowed to answer that starter and, if correct, earns a bonus question. If incorrect, the game ends without the other team having a chance to answer the starter.
   2. A team will be read its entire bonus question, even if time expires during the bonus or before the bonus is read.
6. The timepiece used by the game officials is the official time and is not protestable.

M. Interruptions

1. A game shall not be interrupted, nor shall the clock be stopped in a timed game, unless:
   1. a game official needs to resolve a serious problem or to replace a question;
   2. the score needs to be checked;
   3. the game is interrupted by matters outside the control of the teams and the game officials; or
   4. interruptions to a timed game have been specified in advance according to rule M4.
2. A team, and those connected with a team, should not interrupt a game in play except where:
   1. they are calling a time-out in accordance with this section of these rules;
   2. they are lodging a protest in accordance with section N of these rules; or
   3. they are drawing the reader's attention to a serious problem that requires immediate resolution.
3. Any unnecessary interruption to a game in play by a team or those connected with a team may be penalised as misconduct. In particular, players should not interrupt a game with commentary or conversation, including when a bonus question is being read to the other team.
4. A tournament may specify that timed games may be interrupted; if so, the time, duration and nature of each permitted interruption shall be clearly specified before the start of the tournament. A tournament may allow either or both of two forms of interruption:
   1. one scheduled interruption of no more than 3 minutes dividing the game into two equal parts (a "half-time break"); or
   2. an unscheduled interruption of no more than 60 seconds that may be requested once by each team in each game at any permitted point in the game (a "time-out").
5. When the time specified for a half-time break is reached, play shall cease in the same manner as specified by rule H5 for the end of the game. However, the time taken to conclude play beyond the time specified shall not be subtracted from the time remaining for the game following the half-time break.
6. A time-out may only be taken immediately before a starter question is due to be read.
7. The tournament rules shall specify whether any person connected to a team other than a member of the team currently playing may call a time-out.
8. Any person permitted to call a time-out may do so by clearly calling "time out" immediately before a starter question; no hand signal is required. However, it is strongly recommended that, if possible, a person indicates in advance discreetly to the reader their intention to call a time-out before the next starter question, either verbally or by a suitable signal.
9. A team may call a time-out only once during a game. If anyone connected with a team attempts to call a time-out a second time, it shall be treated as an unnecessary interruption by that team, and penalised accordingly.

N. Protests

1. Mistakes happen (well, we hope not, but...). Take a deep breath and treat the tournament staff and the opposing team calmly. We all want a perfect game, and will do our best to correct errors with your co-operation.
2. Protests may be lodged only by an active player during or immediately at the end of the game. The only protest that will normally be adjudicated during the game is that the moderator has just accepted a starter answer from a player other than the one who has signalled. Otherwise, all protests will be adjudicated, subject to rule N6, at the end of the game.
3. The person making the protest should briefly explain the nature of the protest. Protestable matters include the acceptability of an answer, the execution of game procedures, scoring errors, insufficient prompt or excessive underlining, and like factors that have a concrete and quantifiable effect on the game.
4. If a question contains a verifiable factual error which misled a player into giving a reasonable response, the response given will be accepted as correct only if the information available when the player signalled uniquely identifies the given response. Otherwise, the question will be replaced as if the moderator had prematurely revealed the answer.
5. Technical protests, such as an incorrect score, as well as protests that can be quickly resolved, may be handled by the staff in the affected game. Insofar as possible, the game must not be delayed because of protests.
6. No protests will be adjudicated unless they could change the outcome of the match. For example, if one team loses by 50 points and protests a 5-point bonus answer, the protest will not be considered. If the game officials are unable to resolve a protest quickly to both teams' satisfaction, the protest may be appealed to the tournament director.
7. The tournament director may resolve a protest with or without the assistance of other tournament staff. If the tournament director gives a decision, it is final unless a variation under rule B3 has been notified.
8. If a protest is upheld, the remedy is to restore the game to its condition as if the error had not been made. Thus, all points erroneously awarded or not awarded shall be removed or added. If a team was incorrectly credited with a starter, both the starter points and any bonus points will be removed. If the other team was not given a chance to answer the starter, it shall hear a replacement starter and, if answered correctly, a bonus. Once a decade or so, a protest remedy may call for the replaying of a significant portion of a game.
9. If a protest is not upheld, life goes on.

O. Ethics and Conduct

1. All players and other persons associated with a team are bound by an honour code to behave responsibly and ethically. This includes, but is not limited to:
   1. treating all other participants and staff with courtesy and dignity;
   2. helping to ensure that an event runs smoothly and fairly;
   3. not receiving or giving impermissible assistance;
   4. not creating the temptation for another to cheat;
   5. abiding by all decisions of the tournament staff;
   6. not colluding with another person to 'fix' a match result;
   7. not intentionally 'throwing' a match;
   8. honestly reporting details of game situations to tournament officials; and
   9. promptly reporting violations of this honour code to a tournament staff member.
2. Any tournament official may find that a player or other person associated with a team during the tournament has committed misconduct. Misconduct includes disruptive behaviour, unethical behaviour, any violation of the honour code, or other unsporting conduct. Officials may interpret these categories broadly.
3. All instances of misconduct must be reported to the tournament director at the conclusion of the game, or as soon as practical.
4. Instances of misconduct may result in sanctions to be determined by the tournament director. These sanctions include, but are not limited to, suspension of a participant from one or more matches, loss of game(s) for a team, score adjustment, or expulsion from the tournament for an entire team.
5. Unless the tournament director decides otherwise, other staff may not impose sanctions, except that a reader must eject from a game any person found to have committed misconduct a second time during that game (i.e. a tournament director may give the staff greater powers to sanction than this minimum). A player ejected from a game may not be replaced during that game.
6. Any decision or sanction relating to misconduct made the tournament director is final, unless a variation under rule B3 has been notified. Any sanction for misconduct should be notified to BuzzerQuiz directly after the tournament or event.
7. Misconduct at one tournament or event (including events that are not official BuzzerQuiz events) may result in exclusion from future tournaments, at the absolute discretion of BuzzerQuiz.
8. BuzzerQuiz may also in its absolute discretion exclude any player or team from any official BuzzerQuiz event.

P. League Placings

1. In any competition organised by means of a league table where all teams have played the same number of matches, the placings shall be determined by the number of games won. If tied matches are permitted, they shall count as half of one win to each team involved. If teams have played differing numbers of games, the proportion of wins to the total number of matches played shall be used instead.
2. If two or more teams have the same number or proportion of wins, the following in order shall be used to break the tie. If at any stage the number of teams involved in the tie is reduced, the list should be started again from the beginning.
   1. Results of matches between the teams (i.e. as if a round-robin had been conducted solely between those teams)
   2. Points difference in the games between the teams
   3. Points scored in the games between the teams
   4. Points difference in all games
   5. Points scored in all games
   6. Coin flip
3. As an exception to this, a tournament director may specify before the tournament that a tie whose resolution will eliminate a team from the tournament may not be determined by anything other than the result between the teams. If the result between the teams is insufficient, some form of play-off may be used to break the tie. This may take the form of another complete game, a partial game, or a shoot-out using only starter questions.

Otherwise, send your message to hello [at] buzzerquiz.com (replacing " [at] " with the usual symbol - we're serious about not wanting viagra!).

Rob Linham mans the phones for BQ on 07855 079433 (+44 7855 079433 from outside the UK); you'll quite possibly have to leave a message.

By post, you can find us at 32 Kenley House, Croydon, CR0 6AQ, United Kingdom.

If you need to fax us, e-mail or phone us for the best number to use.

Carrier pigeons should be told to follow the tram out of Croydon, and pick a tallish building after a mile or so. It'll probably still be more efficient than Royal Mail though...