Chestnuts Galore!
Welcome to a safe trivia space.
This post is six-months old!
The schedule has changed - Please see here for more details on the current schedule!
But the below is still a pretty good introduction to what this community is all about!
We also have a Discord now! Join here!
Who the heck am I?
Hello! I’m Alex.
My family connect every week over our local trivia night to share our battles with office doldrums, exciting new lifestyle choices, and juicy family drama. I, however, get a little too into the trivia part of the night. Not only is trivia a fantastic conversation starter, but I’ve found an indescribable joy in digging up that long lost memory in the dusty recesses of my spongy cortex.
When I missed a question, the massochist in me would study it. Miss a question on Roman and Greek Gods? Time to read up about Apollo. Miss a question on lunar missions in 1969? Time to read up about Apollo. Miss a question on iconic music halls famous for launching the careers of many artists? The list goes on.
Little by little, I realised the echochamber I lived in spiritually, mentally, politically, emotionally… grew a little larger. I was eating foods from around the globe I would have politely refused. I was reading harrowing books that changed my views on topics I hadn’t considered from a different perspective. I was listening to songs from genres and artists I would have sneered at. I was watching South Korean dramas that would have never made me cry otherwise. Why did you have to sacrifice yourself Mr. Sunshine!? Why!?!?!
But who shared my love for learning? Turns out… A HUGE Australian and global community! In my short years of being in the community, I have sat thousands of quizzes, lost thousands of quizzes, met quizzing stars, been snubbed by quizzing stars, and grown exponentially in my knowledge of the world and my place within it. I even got to travel to be on a gameshow, and represent Australia in an international quiz! (I’m really bad, I was just a warm body… but it was an unforgettable opportunity).
What I love most about this quirky microcosm is that there is a clear goal. Learn more, and you will see results. I’m still a larvae in my quizzing journey. A wee bug amongst a quizzing garden. But I am so excited to grow and continue growing in this welcoming community.
So what is this all about then?
I have gained so much from the community, and now its time to give back. My goals are three pronged:
Provide a resource so both you and I can learn more about our world, one fact at a time
Get as many new people interested in quizzing so that more interesting facts are shared from person to person
Build a strong community of people keen on sharing knowledge and helping others grow
I am fulfilled if you learn something you would never have looked for anywhere else.
What am I offering?
(OUTDATED: Check out this post for the current schedule The End of the A-to-Z (And the Birth of Something New!)
Well, mon ami, I am glad you asked in such a direct way. And I’m glad you used such a commanding voice! Strong, yet gentle.
Well..
The schedule is as follows:
EVERY WEEKDAY
10 General Knowledge questions from varying categories. These will follow the New York Times Crossword difficulty scale - growing harder from Monday to Friday. Casual conversation on Monday, serious quiz study by Friday. The hope is that anyone on any point of their quizzing journey will enjoy it.
EVERY SATURDAY
A weekly wrap up of breaking news events in a quiz format - hopefully picking up on things that quizzers might find interesting
EVERY SUNDAY
A MYSTERY THEME quiz - where all of your answers are shared by a mystery theme! Crack the theme to help you with some of your trickier questions!
EVERY MONTH
A big 100 Question quiz! Though these take a LOT of effort to write - so stay tuned on the frequency of this one, as I might need to make it seasonal.
So… all of that is free… what does this subscribe button do?
Wow, pertinent question again! You really have your eye on the ball.
You get… DOUBLE the questions on Weekdays.
You also get a link to an online quiz, so you can compete with all other subscribers and track your progress! Subscribers will get a button along with the regular quizzes, they will go to an online quiz, they can answer the questions there, and then they can see a dynamic leaderboard! You will be competing against the best quizzers in the world - and instantly have a mainline to the quizzing community at large. Or, of course, you can interact with DOUBLE the questions without the competitive element, but still see how the rest of the world went.
(Also you can submit answers with a cool pseudonym… I respect all lurkers)
I think this is a fun way to watch your quizzing skill improve and engage with the community at large - but the main goal is sharing knowledge, so there will still be 70 questions a week for those free subscribers!
You will also get an anki packet - of all the questions each month. That way, you’ll never forget a question you learn here!
What’s your star sign?
Uhhhh… I’m not really sure what that has to do with quizzing… but it’s Sagittarius. Do you have any other questions?
Yeah! Do you think this call-and-response bit is getting stale?
Nah… I think we’ve got one more in the tank.
So what makes your questions writing unique?
Ah! Now that’s a good question.
There is a giant and fantastic community of quiz writers out there. I wish only to join their ranks. But I have a penchant for writing questions that are “figure-out-able“. I hide clues in my questions, and make sure there is always another way in from the hard facts. For example, a normal question might read:
”What is the largest port city in North Africa?”
No idea. I’d maybe guess Alexandria. Instead I would ask something like…
”The largest port city in North Africa goes by what name, which a Spaniard might call a particular house on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C.? It is also the name of a Best Picture Oscar Winning movie, and notable tourist spots in the city include the Hassan II Mosque and Rick’s Cafe. Would you like me to… read this question again, Sam?”
Now you see Mosque, so likely Islamic city. Spanish name, so maybe Morocco. Eventually, you’d find CASABLANCA - which means HOUSE, WHITE in Spanish. OH! CASABLANCA the movie! Which is set in Rick’s Cafe!
And that bolt of inspiration is the indescribable joy from earlier. I love those questions.
Okay… but why is it called Chestnuts?
It’s quizzing lingo! You’re a quizzer already!
A chestnut is a question that comes up over and over and over. Hopefully this page is nothing but chestnuts, so you can cover all the gaps that you might otherwise miss.
I hope to see you in the quizzing community soon. Now get quizzing!