Season of intellectual tournament in 'What? Where? When? ' format by "Knowledge" Society concluded at the RUSSIA EXPO

The final of the Knowledge.Game: Russian Championship in "What? Where? When?" among intellectual games fans over 18 years old was held at the RUSSIA EXPO. The game ended the season of the large-scale tournament in the format of "What? Where? When?", organized by the Russian Society "Knowledge" under the license of the Production Centre "Igra-TV" and launched in October 2023. The winner of the main prize was captain Nikolay Kovrizhnykh's team "Zayachiy Tulupchik" (lit. "Hare's Overcoat") representing Moscow and St. Petersburg. A total of 60 teams from 26 regions of Russia took part in the final game.

As part of the final event of the Championship, in addition to the main event, games in the formats of "League of Knowledge" and "Intellectual Matrix" were traditionally held. All activities became part of the Youth Day events, the general partner of which was the Russian Society "Knowledge". 

In addition to the team "Zayachiy Tulupchik" captained by Nikolay Kovrizhnykh, the prize winners included the teams of Maxim Potashev (Moscow), Irina Afonina (Moscow), Pavel Bordachev (Moscow), Mikhail Mun Tatyana Kalashnikova (Moscow) and Dmitry Shanin (Krasnodar region), as well as the team of Alexei Yerofeev (Republic of Tatarstan). All of them received gifts from the organizers and partners of the tournament, including money certificates, branded products, as well as interactive excursions and tickets to the bright events of cultural, sports and scientific life of Russia and its regions.

"Russian championships on 'What? Where? When?' united more than two hundred thousand people of absolutely different ages and professions. They have shown that the intellectual game is not just a pleasant way of pastime, but a real culture and way of life that unites thinking and motivated people. Thanks to our tournament, the younger generation, perhaps, for the first time came into contact with intellectual games on such a large scale, and seasoned intellectuals once again demonstrated their erudition, teamwork skills and all the experience that has been accumulated over many years of games. I am sure that we managed to create a real bridge between generations of intellectuals, as well as to tell about the unique culture of intellectual games to a wide audience. Congratulations to the winners and runners-up! I also invite everyone to take part in the new season of the tournament, which will start this fall," commented Maxim Dreval, Director General of the Russian Society "Knowledge".

Photo: Sergey Baranov/Press office of the RUSSIA EXPO

The final game of the Russian Championship on "What? Where? When?" among amateurs of intellectual games over 18 years old united players of all ages: the youngest participant of the final was 19, and the oldest was 77. Even the Moscow Longevity Centre team took part in the final game. The Championship final united not only different generations, but also people of different professions: doctors, engineers and programmers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, historians, teachers, journalists and media representatives. Many finalists of the tournament started playing as schoolchildren and students, and the total "playing experience" of some of them exceeds 20 years. During this time, the lineup of some teams has not changed, and like-minded people have turned into best friends. As part of their teams, participants of the final game traveled around the world, found companions, and some even found significant others with whom they built families and continued to participate in tournaments. Some of the participants of the final game acted as mentors and supervisors of school and student teams that became finalists of the Russian Championship in "What? Where? When?" in their respective categories.

Along with intellectual game enthusiasts from all corners of the country, from Kaliningrad to the Sakhalin region, the teams of intellectuals Maxim Potashev and Anatoly Wasserman made it to the final game. Also among the finalists were "star" teams from major Russian companies, including teams from Sber and Yandex. By the way, more than 60 public organizations, state corporations, banks and commercial organizations, including Rosatom, Rosseti Group, Innotech Group, Russian Railways, Russian Geographical Society (RGS), Sovcombank, Gazprom, Four Paws pet stores and services network, and others, competed to get to the finals. 

Photo: Sergey Baranov/Press office of the RUSSIA EXPO

The Championship was held in partnership with PJSC Aeroflot, PFC CSKA, Northern Capital Gateway (Pulkovo Airport), Four Paws LLC, Netology educational platform, and Rosseti Group. 

Let us remind you that the Russian Championship in the game "What? Where? When?", which was included in the list of intellectual events Knowledge.Game, started in October 2023. The largest-scale intellectual competition was held in three categories: "What? Where? When?": Schools and Colleges" — for schoolchildren of 5-11 grades and students of secondary schools; "What? Where? When?": Universities" — for students of higher educational institutions up to 25 years old; "What? Where? When?": Open Games" — for all fans of intellectual competitions over 18 years old.

Detailed information about intellectual competitions is available in the community Knowledge.Game in the social network VKontakte.

The International RUSSIA EXPO is the most important achievements of the country gathered in one place. Throughout the Exposition, cultural events, a rich business and educational program await the guests. The expositions of 89 Russian regions, leading federal agencies, corporations and public organizations are presented to the visitors. More than 17 million people have already visited the Exposition. The International RUSSIA EXPO takes place on the territory of VDNH in Moscow from November 4 to July 8.