National Championships
Individual Player National Championship Tournament (IPNCT)
2024 Announcement
Current: Logistics Information

2024 Individual Player National Championship Tournament Logistics Information

The 2024 Individual Player National Championship Tournament (IPNCT) was held at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare Chicago in Rosemont, Illinois (near Chicago), on April 7, 2024.

The IPNCT is NAQT’s championship tournament for individual players. It is targeted at high school players. Ambitious middle school players are welcome too, but there will not be a separate Middle School Division.

Date

April 7, 2024 (Sunday). This is the same weekend (and site) as NAQT’s 2024 Intercollegiate Championship Tournament, but the IPNCT is a completely separate event.

Participants will check in on Saturday, April 6.

All gameplay will occur on Sunday, April 7.

Location

The tournament will be held at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago in Rosemont, Illinois (which is adjacent to Chicago and to O’Hare International Airport). A floor plan (PDF) is available.

There are two Hyatt hotels in Rosemont; the one hosting the tournament is the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago.

The hotel is twelve stories tall, and games may be held on high floors. Many of the elevators provide a view into the tall atrium.

Schedule

This schedule is final.

All times are listed in Central time.

Saturday Evening

Time	Event	Location	Area
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.	Check-in	Conference Center foyer	Lobby Level

Sunday

Time	Event	Location	Area
7:00 – 7:55 a.m.	Secondary player check-in	Outside the Rosemont Ballroom	Entry Level
7:30 – 7:45 a.m.	Staff check-in	London	International Level
7:45 – 8:15 a.m.	Staff meeting	London	International Level
8:00 – 8:15 a.m.	Player meeting	Rosemont Ballroom AB	Entry Level
8:30 – 11:30 a.m.	Rounds 1–3	Throughout the hotel
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Lunch (on your own)		Lobby Level
12:30 – 3:30 p.m.	Rounds 4–6	Throughout the hotel
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.	Final (Round 7)	Rosemont Ballroom AB	Entry Level
After final	Awards	Rosemont Ballroom AB	Entry Level

During the tournament, participants may text 213‑279‑6278 (“NAQT”) with questions; tournament staff will answer incoming messages as quickly as they can. Standard messaging rates apply.

Information Desk

During check-in on Saturday evening, NAQT will take questions at the check-in tables. On Sunday, during the tournament itself, the Information Desk will be in the Lobby Level Atrium. The Information Desk should be the first destination for any questions about or issues with the tournament (other than protests, which must be lodged within the game room).

Participants may also text 213‑279‑6278 (“NAQT”) with questions if it is inconvenient for them to get to the Information Desk (standard messaging rates apply). Tournament staff will answer incoming messages as quickly as they can.

In general, lost-and-found items will be taken to the Information Desk during the tournament. We will notify owners to the extent we can identify them. At the end of the tournament, any unclaimed items will be brought to the hotel’s general lost-and-found.

Gameplay Rules

The tournament will use NAQT’s standard rules with the IPNCT modifications. In brief:

There are only tossups (no bonuses).
Games are untimed.
There are no notions of teammates or captains.
Games will start with three or more (typically eight to ten) players at once.
An interrupt penalty will be assessed for every incorrect answer given before the question is completely read.
Players may secure a high placement and be removed from the game (“buzz out”) before it is over, depending on their performance.
A question only “goes dead” when time expires or every active player has answered incorrectly.
Players may not call timeouts, but there will be periodic score checks.

Eligibility

This tournament is open to all players eligible to compete for their school (or homeschool) team according to NAQT’s High School Eligibility Rules. This includes middle school players, though the questions will be very difficult for them.

Players with special eligibility circumstances may write to eligibility@naqt.com for a ruling on their situations.

Qualification

There is no qualification procedure for the Individual Player National Championship Tournament. NAQT welcomes all players who want to see how their knowledge, anticipation, and buzzer speed stack up against the very best.

Field

These players attended the tournament.

Format

The tournament will consist entirely of group games, in which three or more (typically eight to ten) players compete in each room. There are special gameplay rules for the IPNCT.

All players will compete in Rounds 1–6. The top nine players from those games will advance to the finals (Round 7).

Within each game, players will be ranked by the order in which they buzz out (by reaching a specified score), or if they do not buzz out, by other criteria, starting with points earned in that game. The threshold to buzz out is 60 points in Round 1 and 90 points in subsequent rounds (except the finals). In Rounds 1–3, there is no limit to the number of players who can buzz out in each game; in subsequent rounds, some or all games have a limit on the maximum number of buzz-outs.

Round 1: 48 tossups: The players will be seeded and placed into game rooms of balanced strength.
Round 2: 72 tossups: The game rooms will be balanced in strength based on players’ Round 1 performances.
Round 3: 72 tossups: The game rooms will not be balanced in strength so as to make finer distinctions between players with similar performances thus far.; Lunch is after Round 3.
Round 4: 72 tossups (elimination games): The game rooms will be balanced in strength based on players’ Round 3 performances. No more than three players may buzz out; once that happens, the remaining players will play the rest of the game. The top four players from each room will remain in contention for the tournament championship; all other players will continue to play for final placement (through Round 6).; In this round, if at the end of a game there is a tie among players who have not buzzed out and the tie determines who will be eliminated from championship contention, the tie will be broken by further play (three tossups, followed by sudden death if the tie remains). Other than this, players will be ranked within each game the same way as they were in previous rounds.
Round 5: 72 tossups (elimination games in some rooms): In this round, eleven rooms (with nine or ten players each) will contain players who remain in contention for the tournament championship. In these rooms, at most two players can buzz out; once that happens, the remaining players will play the rest of the game. The top three players from each of these rooms will remain in contention for the tournament championship; all other players will continue to play for final placement in Round 6.; The other rooms contain players who have already been eliminated from contention for the tournament championship and who are playing for final placement. In these rooms, there is no limit on how many players may buzz out.; In this round, if at the end of a game there is a tie among players who have not buzzed out and the tie determines who will be eliminated from championship contention, the tie will be broken by further play (three tossups, followed by sudden death if the tie remains). Other than this, players will be ranked within each game the same way as they were in previous rounds.
Round 6: 72 tossups (elimination games in some rooms): In this round, three rooms (with eleven players each) will contain players who remain in contention for the tournament championship. In these rooms, at most two players can buzz out; once that happens, the remaining players will play the rest of the game. The top three players from each room will go on to play the final in Round 7; all other players will be done and will have attained their final placement.; The other rooms contain players who have already been eliminated from contention for the tournament championship and who are playing for final placement. In these rooms, there is no limit on how many players may buzz out.; In this round, if at the end of a game there is a tie among players who have not buzzed out and the tie determines who will be eliminated from championship contention, the tie will be broken by further play (three tossups, followed by sudden death if the tie remains). Other than this, players will be ranked within each game the same way as they were in previous rounds.
Round 7: 80 tossups (finals): In this round, only the nine players who remain in contention for the tournament championship will play.; There is no buzzing out.; After 24 tossups, the player with the lowest score will be eliminated. Every 8 tossups after this, the remaining player with the lowest score will be eliminated. Other than at the end of regulation, if there is a tie for the lowest-scoring player, the standard statistical tiebreakers will be used. If at the end of regulation there is a tie, standard gameplay tiebreakers will be used (three tossups, followed by sudden death if the tie remains).

The players in the finals will be ranked by their performance in that game. Other players will be ranked based on the round in which they were eliminated from contention for the championship, their performance in that round, and/or their performance in subsequent placement games.

The IPNCT format is based on the Hillemann Singles Format pioneered by NAQT Member Emeritus Eric Hillemann in 1997.

Fees and Payment

Registration has closed.

The registration fee is $260 per player.

The registration fee only covers participation in the tournament. It does not cover transportation, lodging, food or other expenses.

Cancellation

Players who cancel their registration between March 1 and March 14 (inclusive) will owe a cancellation fee of $130 (half of the registration fee). Players who cancel their registration on or after March 15, or who fail to show up to the tournament, will owe a cancellation fee of $260 (the full amount of the registration fee). These deadlines notwithstanding, players will always have a seven-day grace period after registering during which they can cancel without incurring a fee.

Failure to submit participation agreements on time may be treated as a cancellation, including incurring a cancellation fee, at NAQT’s discretion.

Cancellation due to COVID-19

NAQT expects all prospective participants to follow the recommendations of the CDC (and any other applicable health agencies) with regard to isolation, quarantine, not traveling, etc., based on testing positive for COVID-19, having symptoms thereof, or having been exposed to people who are symptomatic or who have tested positive, etc.—even if that means they are unable to participate in the tournament.

NAQT will waive cancellation fees for any player who is unable to participate due to following such recommendations, or whose chaperone is unable to participate due to following such requirements, though NAQT strongly prefers affected players whose chaperone is unable to participate to find an alternative chaperone if at all possible. For a cancellation fee waiver, notice should be given to NAQT as early as possible, supporting documentation or information may be required, and the offer is only available to players who are in full compliance with other requirements pertaining to payment, submission of participation agreements, etc.

Payment

Once you have finished registering, click “View Cost.” Follow the page’s instructions to request an invoice (so we have the proper billing information), and you will be offered the opportunity to pay by credit card. If the information is not correct, write to billing@naqt.com with the details.

You can also pay by sending a check, payable to “NAQT,” to

National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC
11521 W 69th St
Shawnee, KS 66203–3749

Spots in the field are not guaranteed until payment is received.

Questions

The tournament will use the tossups from the Division II ICT set, plus perhaps additional (newly written) tossups. No bonuses will be used at this tournament. Players unfamiliar with college-level questions may see a sample of a past year’s Division II ICT set.

Participation Agreements

Players, coaches, and chaperones must sign a participation agreement covering expectations, media coverage, etc. All agreements must be submitted to participate@naqt.com by Sunday, March 24, 2024.

For players who are under age 18, both the player and their parent/guardian must sign the agreement. For players who have reached age 18, NAQT strongly recommends and requests that the parent/guardian sign in addition to the player.

Download Player Agreement Form Download Chaperone Agreement Form

The signature(s) on the participation agreement must be handwritten, not typed. The agreement may be submitted by sending a scan or photo to participate@naqt.com. Only the last page is required unless the participant is indicating a preference not to be recorded (in which case the page with the checkbox to indicate that preference must be included).

Chaperones

Every player must have a chaperone, subject to the following rules:

The chaperone must be a legal adult.
The chaperone must be reachable by text message (at a number provided to NAQT) throughout the tournament, to the maximum extent possible given availability of cellular networks.
The chaperone must be with the player at most times during the tournament, traveling, and downtime. If the chaperone is not with the player, NAQT is not obligated to contact the chaperone in situations short of an emergency. In particular, NAQT will not contact absent chaperones regarding protests.
The chaperone must always be near enough to the player to (physically) reach them in less than ten minutes.
The chaperone may also be the chaperone for other players at the tournament, thus potentially reducing their regular proximity to the player (but without nullifying any of these requirements).
The chaperone must complete a participation agreement.
The chaperone must be the same person for the entire tournament.

All players’ parents/guardians must affirm (via the participation agreement) that they accept their child’s chaperone and the chaperone’s role of responsibility.

Players who wish to request a variance from the chaperone policy should write to NAQT at ipnct@naqt.com well in advance of the tournament to discuss their situation.

Checking In

The primary check-in period will be from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. in the Conference Center (Lobby Level) on Saturday, April 6. During this period NAQT will distribute information folders, answer questions, and take care of other administrative matters. There will be a late check-in period on Sunday morning, but NAQT prefers that as many players as possible check in on Saturday night.

To check in, each player (or their chaperone) should come to the check-in area to receive their information folder.

In past years there has been a long line just after check-in opens, so we encourage players to keep an eye on the line and check in when the line is short. There is no need to check in immediately.

Players that don’t arrive at the hotel until after check-in closes on Saturday may check in early Sunday morning. Players that checked in on Saturday do not need to check in again on Sunday.

Since the Intercollegiate Championship Tournament (ICT) is using many of the same questions on Saturday at the same site, no competitor (or coach or spectator with ties to a competitor) in the IPNCT may watch any part of the ICT, including the awards ceremony. Similarly, no ICT participant or attendee (in any capacity) may be a coach, chaperone, or player at the IPNCT. This applies to both divisions of the ICT.

Standby List

Potential players willing to travel to the tournament site without a guaranteed spot may sign up for the standby list. Such players will only play if a spot opens up, and if they play, they will play for free.

Awards

Plaques will be given to the top 53 players overall and the top players in each subject area (history, literature, etc.). Subject awards will be based on the first six rounds (i.e., the rounds in which all players are playing).

Each plaque will be personalized with the name of the player and have a list of their overall finish and top subject performances. These plaques will be ordered by NAQT following the tournament and shipped to the players who earned them.

Transportation

Flights

Participants are strongly encouraged to fly into Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), which is extremely close to the hotel. They may also fly into Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), but it is much less convenient.

Ground Transportation

The hotel runs a free shuttle every 15 or 30 minutes (depending on time of day) to transport people from O’Hare to the hotel (and vice versa). As of 2024, the shuttle pickup location has changed; it is now outside of Door 2A on the Arrivals Level of Terminal 2. There is also a pickup location by Door 5E in Terminal 5, but that is much less convenient for most domestic arrivals.

There is no such shuttle for Midway. A taxi between Midway and the hotel will cost $35 or more, or you can take the CTA’s Orange and Blue Lines for $3 per person (getting on at the Midway Orange Line station, transferring to the Blue Line downtown, and getting off at the Rosemont Blue Line station, which is about one block from the hotel).

Driving Directions

The hotel’s address is 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Rosemont, Illinois.

Parking

Parking standard vehicles at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare costs $18/day plus tax, including in-and-out privileges. Participants traveling to the tournament in buses should contact the hotel in advance to discuss parking options.

To receive the discounted parking rate, participants staying at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare should mention when checking into their guest rooms (not the tournament) that they have parked at the hotel and validate their ticket. Participants not staying at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare should use the manual validator box at the Information Desk to validate their parking ticket. (Do not use the manual validator box if you are staying overnight at the hotel.)

Hotel

The official hotel for the tournament is the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago. (There are two Hyatt hotels in Rosemont; the one hosting the tournament is the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago.)

Rooms with one king bed are available for $123 per night, and rooms with two double beds are available for $131 per night. To receive the group rate, rooms must be booked using the group reservation link by Thursday, March 21, 2024 (and before the block fills). It is also possible to book by calling 800-544-9288 and mentioning the group code “DAMB,” but hold times are often long.

Between the IPNCT and the other events scheduled to take place at the hotel, it is expected that the hotel will run out of rooms. NAQT strongly recommends that players book their rooms as early as possible, particularly if they want rooms with two double beds.

Guests with concerns about rooms on high floors should discuss that with the hotel as early as possible. The hotel may be able to assign sleeping rooms on lower floors. However, games may still be held on high floors.

Under Illinois law, otherwise tax-exempt organizations are still required to pay hotel occupancy taxes. (Title 86, chapter 1, section 480.101, subsection b.4 of the Illinois Administrative Code; see also question and answer on the Illinois Department of Revenue’s website)

Food

The hotel will operate food stands for lunch near the Perks coffee shop on the Entry Level. Burgers, sandwiches, salads, pizza, and similar food will be available.

There is a food court with a variety of typical food-court-style restaurants at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago mall at 5220 Fashion Outlets Way. To get to the Fashion Outlets from the hotel, walk west on Bryn Mawr, turn left onto River Road, then turn right onto Balmoral Avenue until you get to Fashion Outlets Way. The food court is a 15-minute walk from the hotel.

There are also several restaurants offering more formal dining at the Parkway Bank Park Entertainment District. These are more suited for evening meals and are a twelve-minute walk away.

Participants can also order carry-out or delivery from local restaurants.

Advocate Program

Because NAQT believes that quiz bowl is an activity for everybody, and in which all participants should feel welcome and respected, we have established the Advocate Program to make sure select tournament staff are available to hear reports about problematic behavior and comments by anyone at the tournament.

Staff wearing blue ribbons that say “Advocate” have been specifically selected to receive reports about inappropriate behavior (as opposed to run-of-the-mill questions about the quiz bowl aspects of the tournament). At least one such staff member will generally be available at the Information Desk during tournament hours; if no such person is available (e.g., due to being on a break), the other Information Desk staff can be asked to have a senior tournament official come to the Information Desk to hear the report. Additional Advocate Program staff will be available in many places around the tournament site.

Feedback about problematic behavior can, of course, always be sent to NAQT by email (advocate@naqt.com) or other channels such as the Misconduct Reporting Form, but the Advocate Program is intended to allow for in-person reporting of sensitive complaints on-site so they can be handled immediately.

Reports are confidential to the extent permitted by law and NAQT’s agreements to share critical information with other quiz bowl organizations.

Practice Material

Participants may be interested in practicing on questions from previous years to prepare for the event. All of NAQT’s past regular-season sets are available, as are the sets from previous championships.

Participants may also want to study frequency lists, Power Up study guides, and/or Thumbs Up! question anthologies. These are also available on our practice materials page.

Finally, participants may want to look at the information contained in NAQT’s free You Gotta Know articles before the tournament. These detail the most frequently asked-about question topics in a wide variety of areas.

Spectators

Spectators are welcome to attend any part of the tournament (though some areas may have limited capacity).

No registration or tickets are required for spectators.

Sightseeing

Chicago has a variety of world-class attractions that should appeal to anybody, especially to quiz bowlers!

The easiest way to reach most of Chicago’s downtown attractions is to ride the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA’s) ‘L’ trains, for which there is a stop within easy walking distance of the hotel: Exit the hotel and walk west on Bryn Mawr; turn right on River Road and pass under I-190 and the CTA tracks. The entrance to Rosemont station on the CTA Blue Line will be on your right. Board trains bound for “Loop” or “Forest Park” (not for O’Hare!) for the 35-minute ride into downtown Chicago.

Once you’re downtown, the Art Institute of Chicago (Blue Line to Monroe, walk 1 block south to Adams and 3 blocks east) features dozens of tossup-worthy works, including Nighthawks and American Gothic, and adjoins both Millennium Park and Grant Park, home to Cloud Gate (“The Bean”) and Buckingham Fountain, respectively. Just a bit further south is the Museum Campus (Blue Line to Jackson, walk 1 block east to State Street and Jackson and catch bus 146 toward Museum Campus), which is home to three major institutions: the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the historic Adler Planetarium, which was the first planetarium in the Americas.

The Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower; Blue Line to Jackson, walk 4 blocks west) offers stunning views of the Chicago skyline; so does 875 North Michigan Avenue (formerly the John Hancock Center; Blue Line to Chicago station, bus 66 toward Navy Pier), located on Michigan Avenue in the heart of famed Magnificent Mile. Further afield are the Lincoln Park Zoo (Blue Line to Western, bus 73 to Clark/North), the Chicago History Museum (5 minutes walk from the zoo), and the Museum of Science and Industry (Blue Line to Jackson, walk 1 block east to State Street and Jackson and catch bus 6 toward 79th/South Shore), which is housed in a structure originally built for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

Companion Mobile App

NAQT has created a companion mobile app for attendees. The app includes the tournament schedule (with the ability to set reminders for various events, on iOS), links to results, maps of the venue, help reaching the Information Desk, connections to social media, and other important documents related to the tournament.

Further Questions

To ask specific questions about the IPNCT, write to ipnct@naqt.com.

We look forward to answering any and all questions, no matter how expansive or trivial, in the hopes of eliminating any possible confusion or mistakes in participants’ plans. If something’s not clear, let us know!