Quiz Rules

COMPETITION RULES

NOTE: In these rules, the term “QUIZ POINTS” refers to those scored by contestants in the quiz; the term “MATCH POINTS” refers to the points awarded to a team for a win or a draw.

1) Competing teams consist of four players but may play with three in extraordinary circumstances. In such a case: the positions of the missing player is chosen by the depleted team; the individual questions or individual bonus questions that would have gone to a missing person should be rotated among the available members of the team, rotating after each individual round and with the opposing team selecting which player from the depleted team answers on the final round; no special arrangements are needed for team rounds; any occurrences of three person teams should be reported by both teams when sending the results and published along with the results. The home team will be responsible for the Question Reader and Score Keeper/Timer functions.
2) In normal circumstances, League and Cup matches must be played on a designated Wednesday evening, on licensed premises. Licensed Clubs are acceptable premises provided there is no restriction on access to matches. The usual time for matches to start is at 8.30pm, but if both sides agree in advance this can be varied by up to 30 minutes. If a match is delayed by more than 15 minutes from the agreed starting time, the non-offending team has the right to claim the match. In the case of severe weather, with the agreement of both teams, a rearranged match may be organised as long as no expense falls on the League. Such a rearranged match may need to be scheduled at a time other than a Wednesday evening to fit into the schedule.
3) Sets of questions will be provided by the League and only these questions may be used.
4) Questions will be issued to each team as an encrypted attachment to an email carrying half of the password which will open the questions. Immediately before the match takes place, the Question Reader must combine the two password halves to open the questions file.
5) MATCH RULES
a) A match consists of 32 questions to each team arranged into alternate individual and team rounds. Each team round question is arranged into three parts. The winner is the team scoring the most points. The team to commence answering first in rounds 1-4 is decided by the toss of a coin. In rounds 5-8, the order of answering is reversed.
b) INDIVIDUAL ROUNDS: The Question Reader asks each contestant in turn a question. No conferring is allowed. The contestant has 10 seconds to commence his/her answer and is awarded 2 Quiz Points for a correct answer. If the answer is not correct then the question is repeated to the contestant’s opposite number who has 5 seconds to answer and is awarded 1 Quiz Point for a correct answer. If the answer is not correct then any member of the original contestant’s team may answer within 5 seconds, without the question being repeated, for 1 Quiz Point. Finally any member of the opposite team may answer within 5 seconds, without the question being repeated, for 1 Quiz Point.
c) TEAM ROUNDS: The Question Reader asks each team in turn a three part question. One person must give the answers. The team has 30 seconds to commence their answers; the answers to all three parts should be given together. Each correctly answered part is awarded 1 Quiz Point. Each part incorrectly answered is offered to the opposite team for 1 Quiz Point. The opposite team are allowed a maximum of 5 seconds to commence their answers.
d) NOTE: Pencil and Paper may be used in Team rounds only. Pencils must not be held during individual rounds.
6) The Question Reader’s decision is final.
7) No member of a team may change the answer to a question after it has been given.
8) If any team member attempts to prompt another, the Question Reader treats the answer as incorrect, awards no points, and passes the question to the opposing team if applicable.
9) If any member of the audience prompts a team member, the Question Reader cancels the question and asks a subsidiary question. Additional single and three-part questions are provided for this purpose. It is the duty of each Captain to see that their team’s supporters do not prompt a team member.
10) On completion of the Quiz, the result must be confirmed by a member of each team and by the Question Reader.
11) Results will be reported in a manner announced by the Committee from time to time. [NOTE: From September 2013: A member of each team shall send the result via a text message to the telephone number given on the score sheet. The winning team will retain the score sheet].
12) Two Match Points are awarded to the winning team and in the event of a tie one Match Point is awarded to each team.
13) In the event of teams having equal Match Points in the League, their position will be decided on the Quiz Points average i.e. ‘points for’ divided by ‘points against’.
14) In a knock-out competition, in the event of a tie, the match will be decided by putting one spare Team Question to each team, points being scored as in Quiz Rule 5c), the team scoring most points being the winner. If there is still a tie the match will be decided on a ‘sudden death’ basis by individual questions being put in pairs, one to each team, until a definite result is reached; scoring will be as in Quiz Rule 5b). If all questions are exhausted and no definite result is reached, the team scoring most ‘2 points’ in individual rounds and ‘3 points’ in team rounds in the quiz shall be the winner. Prior to the start of ‘sudden death’ individual questions, both teams may nominate the order in which team members will attempt to answer questions.
15) No player may play for more than one team within the same season without obtaining approval from the General Secretary.
16) If a dispute arises over any matter concerning a match, the Fixtures Secretary must be advised by email of all details within 48hours of the match, and the team against whom the complaint is being made must be sent a copy of the email. The Fixtures Secretary will require the other team to respond to the complaint by email within a further 48hours. The Fixtures Secretary will refer the complaint to the Committee who will make a ruling which will be advised to both parties and must be regarded as final. If ”time is of the essence” such as in the knock-out competition, the Committee may use email to gain consensus quickly. In the case of a match in the knock-out competition there is insufficient time to resolve disputes through the Committee and therefore issues should be resolved on the night of the quiz.
17) Spare questions are provided for use in the case of disputed questions. These and any other unasked questions may be used as a beer round.

Rules 1, 2, 4 and 10 updated 8th October 2019 consequent to the AGM.

Quiz Rules Prior to 2015 09 09

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Guidelines for Question Setters

(Updated March 2015

Issued January 2015)

 

DPQL Guidelines for Question Setters 2015 v5 (March 2015)

DPQL Question Setters Guidelines 2014 v4 (Deprecated)