2025 Intercollegiate Championship Tournament Logistics Information
The 2025 Intercollegiate Championship Tournament (ICT) will be held at in Rosemont, Illinois (near Chicago), on April 4–5, 2025.
Registration will open on February 10, 2025.
Contents
Tournament Date
April 4–5, 2025 (Friday–Saturday).
Check-in will occur on Friday, April 4, but all gameplay will be on Saturday, April 5.
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.
Important Dates
- Wildcard requests may be submitted
- Registration opens
- Standby registration opens (teams who register in the first 24 hours are put into random order)
- Cancellation fee begins at $260
- Last day to make hotel reservations in our block
- Participation agreements due and rosters must be finalized
- Cancellation fee increases to $520
- The tournament begins!
Schedule
This schedule is tentative.
All times are listed in Central time.
Friday Evening
| Time | Event | Location | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. | Staff check-in | Hartsfield | Lobby Level |
| 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. | Team check-in | Conference Center foyer | Lobby Level |
Saturday Morning
| Time | Event | Location | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. | Secondary team check-in | Rosemont Ballroom foyer | Entry Level |
| 7:30 – 7:45 a.m. | Secondary staff check-in | London | International Level |
| 7:50 – 8:20 a.m. | Staff meeting | London | International Level |
| 8:00 – 8:20 a.m. | Player meeting | Rosemont Ballroom AB | Entry Level |
Saturday Gameplay
| Time | Event | Location | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Preliminary rounds (1–7) | Throughout the hotel | |
| 12:30 – 2:15 p.m. | Lunch (on your own) | ||
| 1:30 – 2:15 p.m. | Tiebreakers (Round 8) | Throughout the hotel | |
| 2:00 p.m. | Playoff schedule pickup | Rosemont Ballroom foyer | Entry Level |
| 2:15 – 5:45 p.m. | Playoff rounds (9–14) | Throughout the hotel | |
| 5:45 – 6:00 p.m. | Break | ||
| 6:00 – 6:10 p.m. | Playoff announcements | By text message | |
| 6:10 – 7:45 p.m. | Tiebreakers and finals (Rounds 15–17) | Throughout the hotel | |
| After finals | Awards | Rosemont Ballroom AB | Entry Level |
During the tournament, participants may text 213‑279‑6278 (“ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ”) with questions; tournament staff will answer incoming messages as quickly as they can. Standard messaging rates apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ has prepared answers to frequently asked questions about its national championships.
Rules and Eligibility
Gameplay will follow the Official ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ Rules. Player eligibility is governed by the College Eligibility Rules.
Teams and players in Division II are additionally subject to the Division II eligibility rules. Teams and players competing for the Undergraduate title in Division I are subject to the Undergraduate eligibility rules.
Qualification
Schools qualify to send teams to the ICT through their performances at Sectional Championship Tournaments (SCTs) held in February and at the 2025 Community College Championship Tournament (CCCT). Details about the way in which schools qualify for ICT and which players may represent a school at the ICT may be found on the ICT qualification page, which also details the effects on players’ Division II eligibility of playing in an SCT or qualifying for or playing at an ICT. ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ has answers for some frequently asked questions about eligibility.
Invitations will be issued as quickly as possible after the completion of the last Sectional Championship Tournament.
Three Division II invitations are reserved for the top teams from the CCCT.
Invitees have one week from ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ’s issuance of an invitation to accept or decline, though they may request an extension if additional time is required. The acceptance period may be shortened if invitations are awarded closer to the ICT. To accept an invitation, see below. To decline an invitation, write to [email protected]. (A team may later “un-decline” a declined invitation, in which case it will be placed first on the waitlist.)
Standby Teams
Teams who don’t receive an invitation may attempt to participate in the tournament on a standby basis. Standby signup begins on Monday, February 10, 2025. The order of standby teams who sign up in the first 24 hours will be randomized; standby teams who sign up after the first 24 hours will be added to the list in order of signup. Qualified teams may also attend on a standby basis. Standby teams are not guaranteed to participate; they are added to the field if replacement or additional teams are needed.
Wildcards
Teams who have not qualified as of Tuesday, February 4, 2025 will be able to request a wildcard invitation.
Field
The field for Division I is limited to 32 teams.
The field for Division II is limited to 32 teams.
Format
The following format will be used (separately in each division).
Preliminary Rounds (1–7) and Tiebreaker (Round 8)
Teams will be initially divided into four pools of eight teams, each of which will play a round robin.
After Round 7, teams will be ranked within their pools by win-loss record. If there is a tie crossing the boundary between second and third place, fourth and fifth place, or sixth and seventh place within a pool, it will be played off according to standard tiebreaker protocols in Round 8. Other ties will not be played off.
Playoff Rounds (9–14)
Four playoff pools will be formed. The top pool will consist of the top two teams from each preliminary pool, and so on.
In the playoffs, teams will play the teams that are in their playoff pool and were in a different preliminary pool. Teams will then be ranked within playoff pools by their record among common opponents (carrying over one game from the preliminary rounds). Tiebreaker games from Round 8 are not considered in this ranking.
Finals (Rounds 15 and beyond)
For first place:
- If there is a single first-place team in the top playoff pool, and it is two or more games ahead of the second-place team(s), it will be declared the champion (without a final). If there is a tie for second place, it will be broken using standard tiebreaker protocols with full games substituted for half-games.
- If there are distinct first- and second-place teams in the top playoff pool with one win separating them, they will play an advantaged final. That is, the second-place team will need to win two games in a row to claim the championship, but the first-place team will only need to win one game.
- If two teams are tied for first place in the top playoff pool, they will play a one-game final.
- If three teams are tied for first place in the top playoff pool, the team with the third-highest points per tossup heard (PPTUH) (in the pool, including the carried-over game) will play one game against the team with the second-highest PPTUH; the loser of that game is the third-place team in the division, while the winner of that game will play the team with the highest PPTUH for the division championship.
- If one team is in first place in the top playoff pool and there is a tie for second place, the second-place tie will be resolved using standard tiebreaker protocols, the winner of which will play an advantaged final against the first-place team.
If there is a tie for third place in the top playoff pool among teams not involved in the finals, it will be broken using standard tiebreaker protocols with full games substituted for half-games. A third-place game will also be played if there were teams tied for second place whose final order among themselves was implicitly determined by PPTUH in tiebreaker seeding rather than a tiebreaker game.
Undergraduate Finals (Division I only)
If exactly one team eligible for the Undergraduate title is involved in a playoff for the overall title, it will be declared the undergraduate champion. If two or more teams eligible for the Undergraduate title are involved in a playoff for the overall title, then the game(s) played to determine the overall ranks will also be used for the Undergraduate ranks.
Otherwise, if the top Undergraduate team is more than six (overall) places ahead of the second-place Undergraduate team (treating tied teams as having the highest rank for which they are tied), then the top Undergraduate team will be declared the Undergraduate champion.
Otherwise (i.e., if the top Undergraduate team is not involved in a playoff for the overall title and is six or fewer places ahead of the second-place Undergraduate team), the Undergraduate teams that are tied for second place or higher among Undergraduate teams will play finals according to the same scheme as for the overall finals, ignoring the “two games ahead” case and with the stipulation that teams in a higher playoff pool are always considered to be ranked higher than teams in a lower playoff pool (even if teams in a lower playoff pool have an equal or better record).
If there is a tie for third place among Undergraduate teams, it will be broken using standard tiebreaker protocols with full games substituted for half-games. A third-place game will also be played if there were teams tied for second place whose final order among themselves was implicitly determined by PPTUH in tiebreaker seeding rather than a tiebreaker game.
Other Format Matters
In rare combinations of situations, the above rules may require more than three rounds to determine the top three teams. In such cases, ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ reserves the right to adjust the finals format so that no more than three rounds are required.
Teams not involved in finals and third-place games will be ranked by playoff pool and record in the playoffs (including one carried-over game). Ties in record will be left unbroken.
Situations not covered above will be addressed at the discretion of ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ. ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ may revise this format slightly prior to the tournament.
Fees and Payment
Registration will open on February 10, 2025.
The registration fee is $520 per team.
The registration fee only covers participation in the tournament. It does not cover transportation, lodging, food or other expenses.
Buzzer Discounts
No buzzer (or other) discounts are available for this tournament. ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ will provide all buzzer systems.
Cancellation
Teams who cancel their registration between February 28 and March 20 (inclusive) will owe a cancellation fee of $260 (half of the registration fee). Teams who cancel their registration on or after March 21, or who fail to show up to the tournament, will owe a cancellation fee of $520 (the full amount of the registration fee). These deadlines notwithstanding, teams 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 ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ’s discretion.
Payment
Within one week of registering, all teams (unless registered and coached by a school faculty member) must pay their registration fee or provide evidence of progress toward doing so. For teams who will pay through their schools, this can be a scan, screenshot, or photograph of forms initiating the school’s process for doing so. For teams paying by a check that doesn’t go through school bureaucracy, a photo of the check suffices. If this is not possible, the team should discuss the issue with ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ prior to that deadline.
To request an invoice, once you have entered all the information that can affect costs (but not necessarily entered your roster or other information that doesn’t affect cost), at the bottom of your registration page, click “View Cost.” Verify that the listed information is correct, and if so, follow the instructions to request an invoice so that we have the proper billing information. You will also be offered the opportunity to pay by credit card.
ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ accepts checks, but those paying by check must be mindful of the payment timing requirement mentioned above. Checks should be made payable to “ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ” and should be sent to
ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ, LLC
11521 W 69th St
Shawnee, KS 66203–3749
Please send questions about billing to [email protected].
Participation Agreements
Players and coaches must sign a participation agreement covering expectations, media coverage, etc. All agreements must be submitted to [email protected] by Friday, March 21, 2025.
The signature(s) on the participation agreement must be handwritten, not typed. The agreement may be submitted by sending a scan or photo to [email protected]. 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).
Checking In
The primary check-in period will be from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the Conference Center (Lobby Level) on Friday, April 4. During this period ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ will distribute information folders, answer questions, process payments, verify rosters, and take care of other administrative matters. There will be a late check-in period on Saturday morning, but ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ prefers that as many teams as possible check in on Friday night.
To check in, each team should send only one representative to the check-in area. That person will be given the team’s information folder. Others should not enter the check-in area.
Teams that don’t arrive at the hotel until after check-in closes on Friday may check in early Saturday morning. Teams that checked in on Friday do not need to check in again on Saturday.
Awards
The top three teams in Division I (Overall), Division I (Undergraduate), and Division II (Overall) will each receive team trophies. The top eight individual scorers in Division I, the top eight individual scorers in Division II, and the top four undergraduate scorers in Division I will be given All-Star awards.
All-Star awards will be based only on the preliminary rounds, not the playoff rounds. Players must have played at least 80 tossups to be eligible for All-Star awards.
Transportation
Flights
Participants are strongly encouraged to fly into (ORD), which is extremely close to the hotel. They may also fly into (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 (lowest 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 ’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 $19/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 outside the control room 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 . (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 $125 per night, and rooms with two double beds are available for $134 per night (plus applicable taxes and fees). To receive the group rate, rooms must be by Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. Central time (and before the block fills). It is also possible to book by calling 800-544-9288 and mentioning the group code “LZM9,” but hold times are often long.
Between the ICT and the other events scheduled to take place at the hotel, it is expected that the hotel will run out of rooms. ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ strongly recommends that teams 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, , subsection b.4 of the Illinois Administrative Code; see also )
Food
The hotel will (tentatively, but almost certainly) 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 mall at 5220 Fashion Outlets Way. To get to the Fashion Outlets from the hotel, 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 . These are more suited for evening meals and are a away.
Participants can also order carry-out or delivery from local restaurants.
Honor Code
ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ works to ensure that quiz bowl is a safe, welcoming, fair, and respectful activity for everyone and expects all participants to do the same.
All tournament participants are bound by the ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ Honor Code to behave responsibly and ethically. Participants should read the entire Honor Code, but as a summary, all participants must…
- Treat all people present with courtesy.
- Avoid action or speech that is hateful or discriminatory toward others.
- Avoid behavior that disrupts the competitive integrity of quiz bowl.
- Abide by all decisions of the tournament staff and honestly report details of game situations to tournament staff.
“Participants” for this purpose includes players, coaches, chaperones, institutional representatives, other people associated with a team, spectators, and tournament staff.
Behavior that is in violation of the honor code must be reported to tournament staff as soon as is practical.
Advocate Program
Because ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ 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). Advocate Program staff will be available in many places around the tournament site.
Feedback about problematic behavior can, of course, always be sent to ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ by email ([email protected]) 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 ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ’s agreements to share critical information with other quiz bowl organizations.
Spectators
In general, spectators are welcome to attend any and all parts of the tournament (though some areas may have limited capacity). However, players at the next day’s Individual Player National Championship Tournament and their friends, relatives, coaches, and chaperones may not be in the game rooms (or even the same general area as the games).
No registration or tickets are required for spectators.
Sightseeing
Companion Mobile App
ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ has created a companion mobile app for attendees. The app includes the tournament schedule (with the ability to set reminders for various events), links to results, maps of the venue, connections to social media, and other important documents related to the tournament.
Further Questions
To ask specific questions about the ICT, write to [email protected].
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!
Social Media
The official hashtag for the tournament is ict; please use this tag for all posts about the tournament.
Remember that question content for the championship cannot be posted online (or shared through other channels)! This means that players, coaches, spectators, and moderators should not discuss clues, answers, or even overall themes (e.g., “Lots of opera”) with people on other teams (even those from the same school).