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What? Where? When?

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What? Where? When? (known as ChGK) is a famous intellectual game show. It is a major part of Russian-language media and other CIS states. The game has been popular since the mid-1970s. Today, it is much more than a simple television program. It has grown into a competitive sport organized by the World Association of Intellectual Games. More than 50,000 teams play this sport version of the game around the world.

Russian ChGK Championship (27 February, 2005)
Russian ChGK Championship (27 February, 2005)

The game pits a team of six experts against a "team of TV viewers." The viewers send in questions for the experts to solve. For every question, the experts have a strict time limit of one minute. They must use logic, intuition, and insight to find the correct answers. If the experts succeed, they earn a point. If they fail, the viewers' team earns a point. The viewer who sent the question also receives a monetary prize if the experts are wrong. Experts do not receive monetary prizes for their skill.

The game's setup is very specific and relies on a round table. This table is divided into 13 distinct sectors. Twelve of these sectors contain envelopes with pre-checked questions from viewers. The 13th sector is different because it uses a computer to select a random question from the Internet. These Internet questions are not pre-checked, so their quality is not guaranteed. A spinning top with an arrow determines which sector is played next. If the arrow lands on a sector that was already used, the game moves to the next sector in a clockwise direction.

There are several special ways that questions are presented to the experts. Some questions involve media like video clips or audio recordings. Other questions use a "black box" placed on the table. The experts must figure out what is inside the box without opening it. They might hear music or see a picture to help them think. There are also fast rounds called "Blitz" and "Superblitz." In a Blitz, the team must answer three easier questions with only 20 seconds of discussion each. In a Superblitz, the discussion is even faster, and only one expert remains at the table.

The history of the game began with Vladimir Voroshilov. He was an artist, a director, and a television host. He developed the game between 1975 and 1977. The very first version aired on September 4, 1975. That early version focused more on general knowledge than on logical reasoning. In those first games, two families competed from their own homes. By December 24, 1977, the format changed to the modern style. In those early years, Voroshilov was not allowed to appear on screen. He was only a voice that the viewers could hear.

Winning the game involves reaching specific scores and managing risks. Usually, the game continues until one side reaches 6 points. If an expert team reaches 5 points, they can declare "the final round." In this round, only one expert plays to try and win the game with a 6:0 score. They must give the exact answer, as no variations are accepted. There are also large prizes involved for the viewers. In the 2022 season, winning questions were awarded 100,000₽. The best player of the year is even awarded a special prize called the Diamond Owl.

What? Where? When? is a unique example of how competition and friendship can exist together. Even though teams are competing, they often show a spirit of collaborative work. Other expert teams in the room often suggest the best answers to the playing team. This happens because of a tradition of friendship within the intellectual game clubs. The game also uses technical tools like "music pauses" for timeouts. These pauses can be used for advertisements or as a way to manage the flow of the show. It remains a complex test of human intelligence and teamwork.

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File:Russian ChGK Championship (27 February, 2005).jpg
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