Site of the Week - Bubble Tree Quizzes

Bubble Tree are one of many companies out there competing for business in a market full of quiz writing firms but I thought they would feature as this weeks Site of the Week!

I came across Bubble Tree through an online advert and after having a look round the well designed, and user friendly site I decided to try some of their quizzes. I certainly did not regret it! Not only are the prices at Bubble tree amongst the cheapest on the market but they also provide some of the freshest, most original content. Every question had my full attention, old chestnuts were avoided and in essence I felt I had great value for money!

As I often get asked for sites to use for the best quiz questions, Bubble Tree certainly comes into mind and it caters for special occasions too with your needs first.

There is a great diversity in the styles, themes and rounds with all the basic formats (connections etc) covered as well as new and fresh ideas. If you are a quizmaster looking for a way to freshen up your quiz and try something new, Bubble Tree have it sorted!

The contact with the team has also been superb with questions answered straight away and with the site constantly being added to everything is up to date and fresh.


You can find the site at HERE and we will have more from Bubble Tree in the coming weeks!

Rob Hannahs Quiz Site

Rob Hannah is one of the top players on the quiz scene in the UK and has been for many years and chances are you have seen him on one of the many TV shows on which he has appeared. Most recently a run of wins in the first episodes of Cleverdicks.

Anyway Rob, an experienced and fantastic setter, has started a new site where he will be placing fortnightly questions for you to test yourself and (if you are going) prepare for the EQC.

The Link is HERE

Book Recomendation: Breverton's Encyclopedia of Inventions

I picked up Breverton's Encyclopedia of Inventions not having heard of it before and am using it as this weeks suggestion for essential reference titles as I have found it to be a treasure Trove of information for quizzers of all abilities. Its a quirky yet solid piece of work that comes in Hardback, available for a good price at the link on Amazon below, and will make a good addition to any quizzers bookshelf.

It not only gives information about all the inventions you need to know as a quizzer but adds stories, arguments and raises fresh ideas and claims about said inventions. It certainly both had me hooked and expanded my knowledge and is well worth of its place in this series of book suggestions!

Mastermind 2012/2013 - Heat 2

This week has flown by and already it was time for the new series of Mastermind to continue. With some interesting special subjects tonight, I was very much looking forward to the episode as usual.

The contenders on tonight's Mastermind were...

Sian West
Mathhew Clarke
Nathan Scott
Andrew Granath

Sian was first in the chair with Billie Holiday as her specialist subject. I already knew a little about her but doing some reading this afternoon I was intrigued at the sort of life Holiday had! Sian sat with a smile on her face throughout the round, clearly happy to be in the Mastermind chair, and she gave a string of confident answers to set the bar at 12.

Matthew Clarke had one of the oddest rounds I have seen in a while. He managed 9 points on the subject of Eddie Mercx but could and should have had more. He failed on the "gimmie" questions they always throw into the round but managed the tough ones that are intended to separate the contestants. Matthew did well though to post a score that kept him in contention but those missed gimmies were always going to prove costly.

Next up, Nathan Scott on Wittingenstien and a tough sounding set here with Nathan managing 7 points. It is always going to be hard to win a heat with a score in this region and to be fair Nathan certainly had "longer questions" than the others meaning he had less chance to score.

Andrew Granath was last and took the subject of Gladstone well scoring 13 to give him the lead after round 1. A good set of questions here too and with Gladstone being a strong are of my own I felt Andrew did well with a set that did not include many "easy" points!

So after round one of Mastermind Heat 2 -

Andrew Granath - 13
Sian West - 12
Mathhew Clarke - 9
Nathan Scott - 7

Into the heart of the show, General Knowledge. Nathan kicked us off with an uphill struggle to make it into the next round. Throughout the round I had the feeling that Nathan knew the answers but just could not bring them to the fore of his mind. Recall is often hampered by pressure and Mastermind is a lot of pressure and Nathan seemed at a loss. There were no wild guesses which backs up the fact that with a pen and paper in a relaxed room he would have probably done far better. Scoring 11 and bringing his total to 18 was surely not enough. This was actually the second best GK round of the night only bettered by the winner.

And indeed 18 was the same score achieved by Matthew Clarke who matched his 9 from the first round. A tougher set here I thought and again he followed the same pattern as the first round, missing some gimmies and getting tougher questions. Maybe it was the pressure of the Mastermind chair but a score of 18 is something to be proud of on Mastermind.

It was now down to a two way battle and Sian West was up again. A smile on her face throughout which you rarely see on Mastermind and a storming 14 got her total to 26. This would be tough to match! Sian was one or two letters off getting other answers as well so she really could go much further now she has the experience of the chair. A fantastic spurt of answers towards the end could prove.

Andrew needed 14 to in and made a good start but again, as so many Mastermind contestants do, he fell into a pass cycle and ended up leaving himself with a tough last minute. Showing impressive knowledge throughout but scoring 11 on the round was not enough as his total of 24 meant Sian had won it

Mastermind Heat 2 Final Standings

Sian West - 26
Andrew Granath - 24
Mathhew Clarke - 18
Nathan Scott - 18

So congratulations to Sian who will provide anyone with a stiff test in the next round and as for runner up Andrew, without meaning any disrespect this was a rather low scoring game so getting into the next round with 24 looks like a tall order.

Another enjoyable week on the road to finding the next Mastermind!



Rankings for the series based on the two episodes

Qualified
Gregory Spiller - 32
Sian West - 26


Runners up
Chris Cann - 29
Nathan Joss - 26
Rosalind Winter - 24
Andrew Granath - 24
Mathhew Clarke - 18
Nathan Scott - 18


The table already shows signs of the the importance of being in the right heat. Both Chris Cann and Nathan Joss would have made the next round had they been on display tonight!

Mastermind Challenge Week 2

Did anyone take part in the Mastermind challenge last week? I did on a few of the subjects and found the results again to be surprising with me gaining much more points based on just 10 minutes reading the Wikipedia page for each entry than usual than I would have done. I did not research all 4 subjects last week due to the fact that I already knew a lot about two of them but this week is different....


This weeks subjects for the episode on Friday will be....

Billie Holiday
Eddie Mercx
Ludwig Wittenstien
Gladstone


I know the basics but this will be a very interesting week for the challenge. If you are unsure what I am banging on about then seek out last weeks post entitled Mastermind Challenge for the jist.

Book Recommendation: Oxford Concise Encyclopaedia

Every quizzer is going to have a different approach to learning and reading. I like to keep mine varied and enjoy having a stash of encyclopaedia's on my book shelf to dip into now and then.

I recently have been using "The Oxford Concise Encyclopaedia" which I picked up in good condition from the Amazon Website.  This is a paperback based, "standard size", Encylopaedia which I have found contains great levels of detail, interesting facts and a whole range of useful information. I often find that some Encyclopaedias go way overboard and some "Concise" ones seem to miss out too much.

This book seems to have struck the perfect balance and as a result it makes it perfect both for spurts of Quiz revision and also for learning new facts. For that reason I would recommend it for any quizzer as a useful and enjoyable addition to your bookshelf....

Quiz Questions

A Few teasers for you this afternoon. Some old chestnuts, some that hopefully will get you thinking....Answers as usual in the comment box



1. Launched by the Chinese in 2012, Kuafa is the first space mission dedicated to the study of what?

2. Which planet has the greatest “escape velocity” (force needed to break through gravitational pull)?

3. What element on the surface of Mars gives it the red appearance?

4. The Olduvai Gorge, site of the first stone tools to be used by humans as discovered by Louis Leaky in the 1930’s, lies in which Country?

5. Which club drew 2-2 with Rangers Newco in their first game since demotion to the Scottish Third Division?

6. The Vridi Canal links the former capital of what country to the sea?

7. What is the second largest city in Denmark?

8. If the Russians call it a “Schoty” and the Japanese call it a “Sorobon”, what do the British call it?

9. What was the real first names of Abbott and Costello?

10. In what year was the Matrimonial Clauses Act passed in Britian which transferred the rights for dissolution of marriage from the church to the Kings Courts? Was it 1557, 1657, 1757 or 1857?

11. Who were the second league club in English football to lay artificial turf?

12. Who wrote the poem “St. Simeon Stylites”?

13. Which Danish Novelist wrote titles which in English are “Sons of the Rye” and “Children of Wrath”?

14. In which English County would you find Longholme Island?

15. What was the name of the BBC’s follow up series to A for Andromeda?

16. In what year was the Aberfan mining disaster?

17. Who won the 2012 Eurovision song contest with the song “Eurphoria” by Loreen?

18. What was the northern most stadium in England to host Olympic football at the 2012 games?

19. “Mid Morning Matters”, a comedy show set entirely with a Radio station at North Norfolk Digital Radio station, is the latest series to star which comic creation?

20. At the 2012 Olympic Games Close Ceremony, which female singer performed a duet with Queen?

Guest Quiz: Wrexham Quiz League

I am very happy this week to have a guest quiz to give my readers challenge! It comes from The Wrexham Quiz League's own Dave Jones who has put together a fifteen question quiz on Wales. I enjoyed having a go at these questions myself so here they are with answers in the comment box.

The site with various other question papers can be found HERE

My thanks to Dave!

1.  Which Welsh town hosts the International Eisteddfod every year?
 
2.  Name all three National Parks found in Wales
 
3.  Which Welshman, in April 1926, broke the world landspeed record in his car "Babs"?
 
4.  Which river runs through the centre of Cardiff?
 
5.  Who is the Welsh comedian/singer who had albums in the 1970's such as "Live at Treorchy" and "We all had Doctor's Papers"?
 
6.  The A5 road built by Thomas Telford runs between London and which Welsh town?
 
7.  On which date does Wales celebrate St David's Day?
 
8.  The first English Prince to be invested with the title "Prince of Wales" grew up to become which King of England?
 
9.  If you were enjoying a "Welsh Rarebit" basically what would you be eating?
 
10. How many times this century have Wales won Rugby Union's "Triple Crown"?
 
11. In which Welsh town is the National Library of Wales situated?
 
12. The population of Wales is approximately how many millions?
 
13. At which Welsh golf course was the 2010 Ryder Cup held?
 
14. "The Prisoner", a cult TV drama from the 1960's was filmed in which unique Welsh village which still attracts fans of the programme?
 
15. The National Assembly for Wales comprises how many members - 40, 60, 80 or 100 ?

University Challenge 2012/2013 - Match 3

University Challenge - 2012/2013 - Round 1 - Match 3

Wadham Oxford vs Bristol

As sad as I am to see the Olympics end, one minor consolation is the return of University Challenge which is still in the early stages of its run. 

Wadham Oxford

Alistair Smount

Jonathan Hall

Jonathan Stanhope

Oliver Forrest

vs

Bristol

James Xiao

Andy Suttie

Will Brady

Madeline Fforde

Wadham were introduced as the youngest team of the series at an average age of 19, compared to their opponents 26, and I had a horrible feeling that may count against them!

The contest between these two universities got into its stride early and the pattern remained. By the time Bristol had a 35-10 lead, powered by Will Brady who used the thinking time to get a good answer early on rather than buzz in with a guess, the pattern was set. Bristol kept this lead and never looked back. The gap remained the same throughout much of the first half of the show with both teams really failing to make full use of bonuses.

The last episode had particularly tough questions and without meaning any disrespect to the players tonight, this weeks was much easier but the teams struggled to cope. A lot of failures to get the initial questions kept the show going at a very slow pace.

Wadham were picking up points put not enough to pressure Bristol and the only real sign of a comeback came late on when Brady buzzed early to loose 5 and Wadham took control of the questions but again a failure to answer the bonuses resulted in a lead that was still 110. By the time Andy Suttie  buzzed in on the last question it was all over with the final score being 120-105.

Wadham had a decent run and credit to the team for putting out a side of "normal" university age. Bristol won but with a rather low score so it will be interesting to see how they come up against better opposition in the next round.

As usual though some great question setting and an entertaining episode!

Book Recommendation - Visual History of the World

I mentioned last week that I had went on something of a splurge on the Amazon Marketplace using a voucher I had earned. My package of books arrived earlier in the week and I have been working on a few of them, too early to review or mention most, but one I am very impressed with is the National Geographic Visual History of the World.

I picked it up for just under a fiver on the Marketplace and I notice the cheapest one now available (from the same seller I used) is £5.49 which is a bargain. This is a treasure trove of information and is a book I know I am going to enjoy and learn from.

The National Geographic Visual History of the World does what it says on the tin, providing a colourful, rich and deep history of the world. It is well presented with great images etc to accompany the information being given and it makes for a much more enjoyable learning experience.

Many "History of the Worlds" are dry and uninspiring but this is the opposite and I could not recommend it more!

Site of the Week: Pub Quiz Trivia

Due to the fact that I get various emails asking about reliable sites for buying pub quiz questions etc, I have restored the site of the week feature for the time being to suggest sources where those looking to buy quiz questions can have their needs catered for. The latest site that has impressed me is Pub Trivia Quiz which is a company that issues quizzes worldwide!

Pub Trivia Quiz has been running for over 10 years which is credit to the quality of the product on offer. Its a hard market out there and it takes a lot to stand out!

The whole online system at Pub Trivia Quiz is easy to use, simple and quick. Everything can be paid for, downloaded and printed with ease. Pub Trivia Quiz provide everything you need to keep . The costs are low and you get value for money.

The key point for all these sites for me is the questions and Pub Trivia Quiz does not let you down. The questions are fresh, original and challenge every level of quizzer. Whatever kind of quiz you are setting this will match what you need!

One of the big selling points of Pub Trivia Quiz is the avoidance of repetition. They recognise that on average a quiz master will use 3,500 questions per year and hence not only is that a lot of work for quizmasters who perhaps also work full time, it is also hard to avoid repetition. However, Pub Quiz Trivia use a novel system of online tracking so it automatically tells you what you have used before!

Overall the whole experience with Pub Trivia Quiz has been positive and I would recommend them to anyone looking to buy a quiz!

You can find the site HERE

Wiped out by a wrong question…

It happens to be that at the quiz I mentioned that was blighted by cheating yesterday is the subject of this post. Despite the quiz being hard we had a better week than usual scoring 51 points. The cheats obviously googled their way to 57-58 to take the top 3 but I was the cause of us being wiped out.

The wipeout round was going well…7 definite answers but one was causing us problems. It was something along the lines of “Mary King and whom are the only two women to have competed in 6 Olympic Games?”

Immediately the name Allison Williamson came into my head. I knew the answer and in fact thing I asked it as one of my questions on this blog before! Because I had such a strong conviction I did not doubt it regardless of everyone else in the team seemingly raising eyebrows and not wanting to tell me that they didn’t feel confident putting it.

Sheet came back….The answer wiped us out. We lost what should have been 7-8 points and a probable win. In the back of my mind I knew I was right but just accepted that perhaps I was wrong. The answer given was Tessa Sanderson. 

As soon as I got chance the next day I researched it and sure enough I was right. Allison Williamson was not a wrong answer, the question was horrible and I have not even researched to see if there are indeed more than those three who have been at 6 or more. It was either badly researched or out of date. Either way it did not strike me in the quiz how right I was and thus walked away. I know the quizmaster and have informed him in a playful manner but still very annoying!

Mastermind 2012/2013 - Episode 1

Mastermind 2012/2013 - Episode 1

Welcome back Mastermind! It does not seem like 5 minutes since Gary Grant stormed to victory in the  Mastermind final earlier in the year but the new series started tonight and it is good to have the show back. With University Challenge back too as well as Only Connect due at the end of the month, the quality quiz shows are coming round again!

This year, as I have mentioned maybe a few times :), I applied to Mastermind an failed to get on the show so I have an extra dimension to viewing each episode this series. How would I have done? It will always be hard to say but either way I am going to thoroughly enjoy the series as the quest to find the next Mastermind begins......

So, the first batch of the 96 Mastermind contestants for this series tonight were - 

Rosalind Winter
Nathan Joss
Gregory Spiller
Chris Cann

And so we were away with a good range of specialist subjects tonight. First up was Rosalind Winter who had the subject of Jane Austen Novels for her specialist subject. A bit of a dubious area as with so few novels written I did not think this would acceptable. Nevertheless Rosalind did not let the occasion phase her and with a reasonable set of questions scored 15 which is always going to give a Mastermind contestant a very good chance of progressing. A narrow subject but answered superbly.

Nathan Joss was next, a student and there will be few younger on the show this year. He tackled Elizabeth I and made a confident start, again looking totally unphased by the pressure of the chair. The answers kept coming, and the questions were much more wide reaching that the first set, and a heck of a lot longer in wording!, and Nathan managed 13. Good score!

Next tackling Fawlty Towers was Gregory Spiller. This was of much interest to me as this could have been a specialist subject of my own and I was really looking forward to this round. Again though with only 12 episodes made this must have been a lucky one to get through past the production team as I know people have had other shows that had 3-4 series but were considered "too short". Gregory did well though and scored 16, 1-2 more than I would have got with no research, but whether I could do it in the chair is another matter. Gregory coped well and went into an early lead.

Chris Cann was last into the chair knowing a decent score was needed to stay in touch and the wider subject of The Savoy Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan was his choice. Chris did well and never looked in trouble at all recording another high score of 16. This was going to be close.....All down to GK.

Scores at the end of the Mastermind Specialist Subject Rounds - 

Gregory Spiller - 16
Chris Cann - 16

Rosalind Winter - 15
Nathan Joss - 13

Into the General Knowledge round which is where the most fun lies for me and again the question writing is up to the usual high standard. This was going to be a very very close tie and I would not have liked to hedge a bet where it was going.

Nathan Joss was first carrying over his score of 13. He gave a great performance with what I thought was a very uneven set of questions with "gimmies" thrown in throughout the round. Nathan was very impressive, matches his 13 from the SS round and managed to take his total up to 26.

Rosalind Winter next....She faced what I thought was a much tougher set than the others tonight. There were far less "gimmies" and far more tougher questions thrown in and Roslaind managed a solid 9(despite not getting the Brain of Britain questions which I suspect she knew!). 9 was not enough though and Nathan Joss Leads.

Gregory Spiller next needing to add 10 to his total from his Fawlty Tours round. Very impressive over the first half! The answers to some tough questions came thick and fast showing what you need to win Mastermind...speed and knowledge. A little wobble came towards the end though and you see so many Mastermind Contestants slip into a pass/wrong answer combination that tends to throw them off. Gregory managed to pull it together scoring another 16 to take his total to 32 but I think he has much more to offer in this series! A definite contender to go far in the series but Chris Cann was still to come...

Chris Cann needed 16 to match the current leader and started well with a very confident opening but got caught in a spiral of wrong answers early on which made his task even harder. Whether it was guessing or the pressures of the chair, it was hard to tell but Chris was in the middle of a terrible run before he had reached 20. It is one tactic to guess at anything rather than pass but Chris was in need of points and passing is after all quicker! The questions seemed to be a fair and balanced set, probably the most balanced of the night, and Chris managed 13 scoring 29 meaning he will have to wait and see if that score will take him through as a highest scoring runner up.

Mastermind Episode 1 Final Scores - 

Gregory Spiller - 32
Chris Cann - 29

Nathan Joss - 26

Rosalind Winter - 24

So very big congratulations to Gregory Spiller who scored a very good 32. He could be a dangerous opponent in future rounds and advances to the semi finals which seem such a long way away now!

Roll on next week, welcome back Mastermind. 

Mastermind Application Update

Well 2 days before the start of the new series I finally got official word that I have not made it to this years Mastermind. I knew it was going to come after the long wait but it was nice to receive a letter that was very pleasant. I assume they were mass produced rejection letters but I will certainly be applying again.

The team stated there had been so many applications this year (as well as auditions I know they had visited WQC sites on the scout for people) that it had taken so long and that I was "very close" (I assume everyone got the same?).

They have however offered me tickets to the recording of the show at the new Media centre in Salford which I am considering attending. Never seen a live TV show being filmed before and it might be good to see it all happen for future reference when I make it into the chair!

Mastermind Challenge

If you have been reading this blog for a few months you may have seen a few posts during the last series of Mastermind regarding a Wikipedia challenge I tried.

The issue I think was first raised on David Clark's Life After Mastermind blog. Basically, we wondered how useful a skim over the Wikipedia page for each specialist subject would be and how many points it would be worth. Obviously, with everyone having different pre-existing knowledge the effects would differ person to person but I did find huge improvements from just a 10 minute read and this often lead to many more points than I would have gained normally.

So with the new series of Mastermind starting on Friday night, I will be trying it again and if anyone else tries please let me know the result!

The specialist subjects this week are -

-Fawlty Towers (actually this could have been one of my choices so I should score well in this regardless but Ill still have a browse out of interest)

-Elizabeth I (Most quizzers will have a decent level of knowledge on this anyway I would have thought)

-Novels of Jane Austen (as above...)

-The Savoy Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan (bread and butter for serious quizzers too!)

Admittedly this sort of challenge works bets with more obscure subjects1