European Quizzing Championships
The European Quizzing Championships (EQC) are an annual multi-disciplinary quiz event, in which representatives from various countries compete as individuals, in pairs, and/or in teams (club or national).
History
As most of the top players in the world are Europeans,[1] the EQC are almost on a par with the WQC. The playing environment differs drastically, though, as the EQC is played in one place only, in English only (WQC is played in the language of each country) and has several competitions with more than one player (pairs, national teams - for four players, and clubs - also four players). In 2016 the EQC was part of the 2016 Quiz Olympiad.:[2]
The 2010 event attracted media attention from BBC Radio Derby[3] and was the subject also of a BBC Radio 4 documentary presented by the comedian, and quiz enthusiast, Paul Sinha.[4] The 2006 event in Paris was also the subject of a well received Channel 4 documentary 'Quizzers' by the director Paul Whittaker, shown in the UK as part of the series 'New Shoots'.[5][6]
Individual champions
England's Kevin Ashman and Olav Bjortomt are the most successful candidates with six and four individual European titles, respectively. Belgian Nico Pattyn [7] upset all the locals in 2007 in Blackpool, to become the first Belgian to win the trophy. In 2012, Germany's Holger Waldenberger won with the last question on musician Dr. John, while trailing by one point from Igor Habal. Ronny Swiggers took another Belgian victory in 2013.
| Year | Venue | Winner | Runner Up | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Ghent |
 Kevin Ashman |
Nico Pattyn |
Pat Gibson |
| 2005 |  Tallinn |
Kevin Ashman |
Indrek Salis |
Pat Gibson |
| 2006 |  Paris |
Kevin Ashman |
Mark Bytheway |
Lieven Van den Brande |
| 2007 | Blackpool |
Nico Pattyn |
Lieven Van den Brande |
Pat Gibson |
| 2008 |  Oslo |
Kevin Ashman |
Pat Gibson |
Olav Bjortomt |
| 2009 |  Dordrecht |
Kevin Ashman |
Olav Bjortomt |
Pat Gibson |
| 2010 | Derby |
Olav Bjortomt |
 Tero Kalliolevo |
Pat Gibson |
| 2011 | Bruges |
Kevin Ashman |
Pat Gibson |
Olav Bjortomt |
| 2012 | Tartu |
 Holger Waldenberger |
Igor Habal |
Olav Bjortomt |
| 2013 | Liverpool |
Ronny Swiggers |
Nico Pattyn |
Jesse Honey |
| 2014 |  Bucharest |
Olav Bjortomt |
Kevin Ashman |
Tero Kalliolevo |
| 2015 | Rotterdam |
Olav Bjortomt |
Ronny Swiggers |
Pat Gibson |
| 2016 |  Athens |
Olav Bjortomt |
Kevin Ashman |
Pat Gibson |
| 2017 |  Zagreb |
Pat Gibson |
Olav Bjortomt |
Kevin Ashman |
| 2018 |  Venice |
Pat Gibson |
Tom Trogh |
Ronny Swiggers |
| 2019 |  Sofia |
Ian Bayley |
Kevin Ashman |
Tero Kalliolevo |
| 2020 |  Kraków |
Pairs champions
Introduced in 2005, Belgian and Anglo-Irish pairs have dominated this event.
| Year | Venue | Winners | Runners Up | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Tallinn |
Ian Bayley/Pat Gibson |
Marnix Baes/Bart Permentier |
Nico Pattyn/Paul Arts |
| 2006 | Paris |
Paul Arts/Marc Van Springel |
Mark Bytheway/Kevin Ashman |
Keith Andrew/.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Sean O'Neill |
| 2007 | Blackpool |
Erik Derycke/Tom Trogh |
Albert November/Ronny Swiggers and Jussi Suvanto/Tero Kalliolevo |
|
| 2008 | Oslo |
Albert November/Ronny Swiggers |
David Stainer/Olav Bjortomt |
Mark Bytheway/Kevin Ashman |
| 2009 | Dordrecht |
David Stainer/Olav Bjortomt |
Ian Bayley/Pat Gibson |
Mark Bytheway/Kevin Ashman |
| 2010 | Derby |
Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson |
Tero Kalliolevo/Jussi Suvanto |
David Stainer/Olav Bjortomt |
| 2011 | Bruges |
Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson |
Erik Derycke/Tom Trogh |
David Stainer/Olav Bjortomt |
| 2012 | Tartu |
Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson |
Tero Kalliolevo/Jussi Suvanto |
Holger Waldenberger/ Dorjana Širola |
| 2013 | Liverpool |
Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson |
Olav Bjortomt/David Stainer |
Tero Kalliolevo/Jussi Suvanto |
| 2014 | Bucharest |
Tero Kalliolevo/ Ronny Swiggers |
Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson |
Olav Bjortomt/David Stainer |
| 2015 | Rotterdam |
Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson |
Olav Bjortomt/David Stainer |
Didier Bruyere/ Ian Bayley |
| 2016 | Athens |
Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson |
Olav Bjortomt/David Stainer |
Didier Bruyere/ Ian Bayley [8] |
| 2017 | Zagreb |
Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson |
Olav Bjortomt/David Stainer [9] |
Didier Bruyere/ Ian Bayley |
| 2018 | Venice |
Tero Kalliolevo/ Ronny Swiggers |
Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson |
Derk De Graaf/Tom Trogh |
| 2019[10] | Sofia |
Kevin Ashman/Pat Gibson |
Didier Bruyere/ Ian Bayley |
David Stainer/Olav Bjortomt[11] |
| 2020 | Kraków |
National Team champions (four players each)
The English and Belgian teams have contested in most finals, England has won the most titles, nine. The foursome of Kevin Ashman, Mark Bytheway, Pat Gibson and Olav Bjortomt failed to retain the title in 2008 in Oslo, the winning Belgian team composed of Ronny Swiggers, Nico Pattyn, Erik Derycke, and Tom Trogh, but rebounded in 2009. In 2011 Finland became the third team to win the title, beating Norway in the final. The deciding question after the long and even match with tough questions was about a very common Nordic plant Hepatica. Both teams failed to answer correctly and Finland won. So far five countries have won medals: England, Belgium, Finland, Norway and Estonia.
| Year | Venue | Winner | Runner Up | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ghent |
England (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Pat Gibson, David Stainer) |
Belgium Belgium (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Leo De Haes, Jean Marivoet) | |
| 2005 | Tallinn |
Belgium (Patrick Andries, Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Jo Vandenbroucke) |
England (Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Barry Simmons, David Stainer) | |
| 2006 | Paris |
Belgium (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Tom Trogh, Marc Van Springel) |
England (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) |
Norway (Trine Aalborg, Harald Aastorp, Dag Fjeldstad, Marie Haavik) |
| 2007 | Blackpool |
England (Kevin Ashman, Mark Bytheway, Pat Gibson, David Stainer) |
Belgium (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
Norway (Trine Aalborg, Tore Dahl, Thomas Kolåsæter, Ole Martin Halck) and Finland (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Tuomas Tumi) |
| 2008 | Oslo |
Belgium (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
England (Kevin Ashman, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Bytheway, Pat Gibson) |
Finland (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Tuomas Tumi) |
| 2009 | Dordrecht |
England (Kevin Ashman, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Bytheway, Pat Gibson) |
Belgium (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
Norway (Harald Aastorp, Ole Martin Halck, Lars Heggland, Thomas Kolåsæter) |
| 2010 | Derby |
England (Kevin Ashman, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson, Jesse Honey) |
Belgium (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
Finland (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Timo Toivonen, Tuomas Tumi) |
| 2011 | Bruges |
Finland (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Timo Toivonen, Tuomas Tumi) |
Norway (Tore Dahl, Ole Martin Halck, Lars Heggland, Thomas Kolåsæter) |
Belgium (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
| 2012 | Tartu |
England (Kevin Ashman, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson, Jesse Honey) |
Finland (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Ilkka Tiensuu, Timo Toivonen) |
Belgium (Bernard Kreps, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
| 2013 | Liverpool |
England (Kevin Ashman, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson, Jesse Honey) |
Belgium (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
Norway (Harald Aastorp, Tore Dahl, Ole Martin Halck, Thomas Kolåsæter) |
| 2014 | Bucharest |
England (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) |
Belgium (Nico Pattyn, Gerben Smit, Ronny Swiggers, Lars Van Moer) |
Norway (Harald Aastorp, Ole Martin Halck, Thomas Kolåsæter, Geir Kristiansen) |
| 2015 | Rotterdam |
England (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) |
Belgium (Erik Derycke, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
Estonia (Ove Põder, Igor Habal, Illar Tõnisson, Tauno Vahter) |
| 2016 | Athens |
England (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) |
Belgium (Gerben Smit, Stijn Gyselinckx, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers) |
Norway (Tore Dahl, Ole Martin Halck, Thomas Kolåsæter, Geir Kristiansen) |
| 2017 | Zagreb |
England (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) |
Belgium (Gerben Smit, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
Finland (Tero Kalliolevo, Jussi Suvanto, Tuomas Tumi) |
| 2018 | Venice |
Norway (Tore Dahl, Ole Martin Halck, Lars Heggland, Thomas Kolåsæter) |
Belgium (Nico Pattyn, Gerben Smit, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
England (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) |
| 2019 | Sofia |
England (Kevin Ashman, Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Pat Gibson) |
Belgium (Lander Frederickx, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers, Tom Trogh) |
Norway (Tore Dahl, Ole Martin Halck, Thomas Kolåsæter, Geir Kristiansen) |
| 2020 | Kraków |
Club champions (four players each)
After the first years the event was dominated by two British teams. Since 2007 the questions have been set by a team of quizmasters from different nationalities, in order to eliminate too much local flavour. Milhous Warriors (2006 line-up Kevin Ashman, Mark Bytheway, Tim Westcott, Sean O'Neill) who won in Paris in 2006. Broken Hearts (Olav Bjortomt, Ian Bayley, Mark Grant, David Stainer) made it three straight 2007-2009, then it was Milhous again with Pat Gibson replacing the late Mark Bytheway. 2012 winner JFGI is the first champion to have quizzers from several countries: Tero Kalliolevo and Jussi Suvanto from Finland, Ove Põder and Tauno Vahter from Estonia. In 2012, 2014 and 2017 all top three teams included several nationalities.
| Year | Venue | Winner | Runner Up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Bromley |
Café Den Hemel (Paul Arts, Eric Moereels, Nico Pattyn, Marc Roels) | Clockwork (Marnix Baes, Erik Derycke, Bart Permentier, Goele Van Roy) | Beunhazen (Patrick Begaux, Yvo Gheyskens, Eric Hemelaers, ) |
| 2004 | Ghent |
Martine Van Camp | Here Jezus | Beunhazen |
| 2005 | Tallinn |
Duubel (Ove Põder, Tauno Vahter, Rein Põder, Peeter-Erik Kubo) | Turvas (Jaan Allik, Leino Pahtma, Matis Song, Alar Särgava) | Kalamaja Tsirkus (Anne-Malle Hallik, Madis Replik, Tenno Sivadi, Alar Tiidt) |
| 2006 | Paris |
Milhous Warriors (Kevin Ashman, Mark Bytheway, Tim Westcott, Sean O'Neill) | Geeks | Les Coeurs blessés |
| 2007 | Blackpool |
Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, David Stainer) | Clockwork (Marnix Baes, Erik Derycke, Bart Permentier, Tom Trogh) | Café Den Hemel (Paul Arts, Chris Braxel, Eric Hemelaers, Nico Pattyn) |
| 2008 | Oslo |
Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, David Stainer) | It's Grim Oop North (Pat Gibson, Barry Simmons, Rob Hannah, David Edwards) | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) |
| 2009 | Dordrecht |
Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, David Stainer) | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) | Vatican City (Gerben Smit, Bart ???, Nick Mills, Dag Fjeldstad) |
| 2010 | Derby |
Milhous Warriors (Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Sean O’Neill, Tim Westcott) | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, David Stainer) | Clockwork (Marnix Baes, Erik Derycke, Bart Permentier, Tom Trogh) |
| 2011 | Bruges |
Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, Jesse Honey) | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) |
| 2012 | Tartu |
JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) | Alzheimer (Ronny Swiggers, Bernard Kreps, Staf Dujardin, Ed Toutant) |
| 2013 | Liverpool |
Milhous Warriors (Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Sean O’Neill, Tim Westcott) | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) | Clockwork (Marnix Baes, Erik Derycke, Bart Permentier, Tom Trogh) |
| 2014 | Bucharest |
Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, Didier Bruyere) | JFBI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Igor Habal, Tauno Vahter) | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) |
| 2015 | Rotterdam |
Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, Didier Bruyere) | Clockwork (Tom Trogh, Bart Permentier, Erik Derycke, Marnix Baes) | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) |
| 2016 | Athens |
Café Den Hemel (Paul Arts, Chris Braxel, Nico Pattyn, Ronny Swiggers) | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, Didier Bruyere) | Milhous Warriors (Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Sean O’Neill, Tim Westcott) |
| 2017 | Zagreb |
Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) | JFGI (Tero Kalliolevo, Ove Põder, Jussi Suvanto, Tauno Vahter) | Sage Supercilia (Igor Habal, Mark Henry, Sebastian Klussmann, Mark Ryder) |
| 2018 | Venice |
Sage Supercilia (Igor Habal, Mark Henry, Sebastian Klussmann, Mark Ryder) | Europalia (Derk De Graaf, Thomas Kolåsæter, Dorjana Širola, Holger Waldenberger) | Molly McGuires (Lorcan Duff, Steve Perry, Tim Polley, Shane Whitlock) |
| 2019[12] | Sofia |
Sage Supercilia (Igor Habal, Mark Henry, Sebastian Klussmann, Mark Ryder) | Broken Hearts (Ian Bayley, Olav Bjortomt, Mark Grant, Didier Bruyere) | Milhous Warriors (Kevin Ashman, Pat Gibson, Sean O'Neill, Tim Westcott) |
| 2020 | Kraków |
References
- "Current Standings – World Quiz Rankings".
- "Welcome to the European Quizzing Championships 2015".
- "BBC News website article, featuring audio of interviews with contestants". 15 November 2010.
- "BBC Radio 4 Extra - Paul Sinha's Quiz Culture". BBC.
- "New Shoots on the RedBird website".
- "IMDB page on Paul Whittaker's film 'Quizzers'".
- "Norwegian Quiz Association Interview With Nico Pattyn".
- Belgian Nico Pattyn and American Ed Toutant finished in third place, but as the latter is not a European, the bronze medal went to Ian Bayley and Didier Bruyère.
- Estonian Igor Habal and Canadian Paul Paquet finished in second place, but as the latter is not a European, the silver medal went to Olav Bjortomt and David Stainer and bronze medal to Ian Bayley and Didier Bruyère.
- "Pairs Championship Results". World Quizzing Association. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- Americans Steven Perry and Tim Polley finished in third place, but as they are not Europeans, the bronze medal went to Olav Bjortomt and David Stainer.
- and