Quiz Fever Hits Lucerne: The Thrilling Debut of the Swiss Team Quiz Championships!

The Official Recap from the Schweizerischer Quizverband

What a day for quizzing! On June 29th, the first-ever Swiss Team Quiz Championships electrified Café Parterre in Lucerne with a whirlwind of trivia, strategy, and unforgettable moments. Enthusiasts from across Switzerland—and even some from Germany—united for a festival of mind games, laughter, and fierce competition. Here’s your exclusive inside scoop!

The Battle Begins: Who Dares, Wins!

The morning buzzed with anticipation as teams assembled for the Swiss National Team Championship preliminaries. The best and brightest minds from Basel, Graubünden, Vaud, Bern, Zürich, Aargau, Neuchâtel, and beyond were joined by a special guest, a celebrated “Jäger” (Chaser) from Germany’s “Gefragt – Gejagt.”

Trivia titans clashed in a hotly-contested round of 80 questions, expertly crafted by reigning Swiss Singles Champion Marcel Zumstein. Team “Baahubali,” inspired by Bollywood heroics (Manuel Hobiger, Rajan Thambehalli, Renate Schär, Philipp Rohrer), roared to the top with an impressive 65 points. Hot on their heels were “Marc de Quiz” (Andy Vetter, Charlie Sarbach, Monika Sarbach, Renato Carlotti) with 59 points and “Smashing Pumpkins” (Markus Walser, Norwin Amiet, Prakhar Gupta, Salil Apte) with 58. Rounding out the final four, “Team Gipfeli” (Dimitrije Spasic, Paul Ratcliffe, Markus Klein) secured their spot with 44 points—proving size isn’t everything!

Written Rounds for the National Quiz in full flow

First Round Results:

Rank	Team	Result
1	BaahubaliManuel Hobiger, Rajan Thambehalli, Renate Schär, Philipp Rohrer	65
2	Marc de QuizAndy Vetter, Charlie Sarbach, Monika Sarbach, Renato Carlotti	59
3	Smashing Pumpkins:Markus Walser, Norwin Amiet, Prakhar Gupta, Salil Apte	58
4	Team GipfeliDimitrije Spasic, Paul Ratcliffe, Markus Klein	44
5	Verein für VitamineJulian Weber, Mihajlo Nenad, Till Odermatt, Zoe Odermatt	37
6	Beznau PowersCorinne Ringgenberg, Brigitte Sänz, Helene Portmann	36

Buzzer Madness: The Top 10 Challenge

Next up, the “Top 10 Buzzer Quiz”—a Family Feud-style showdown with a twist! Teams raced to buzz in and name the top or bottom picks from tricky lists, with surprise points for those daring enough to go for the extremes. With Markus Klein at the helm as quizmaster and question writer, adrenaline and friendly rivalries ran high as each team battled through at least three electrifying matches. One loss? No problem—everyone had a shot at redemption!

Semifinal Showdowns: Mind Over Matter

The semi-finals for the National Team Quiz were nail-biters. Scores from the prelims carried over, raising the stakes. In the first clash, “Baahubali” held their nerve to overcome “Team Gipfeli” 83–66, thanks to some deft quizzing (and only a brief scare!). The second semi, written by Marcel Zumstein, saw “Smashing Pumpkins” surge past “Marc de Quiz” with a decisive 104–87.

Semifinal	Team 1	Team 2	Result
1	Baahubali	Team Gipfeli	83:66
2	Smashing Pumpkins	Marc de Quiz	104:87

Buzzer Quiz Glory: The Final Face-off

After more buzzer drama, “Marc de Quiz” swept the Top 10 tournament, fending off “Lac de Quatre Cantons” (a rebranded “Baahubali”) in a dramatic gold match. “Verein für Vitamine” (Julian Weber, Mihajlo Nenad, Till Odermatt, Zoe Odermatt) from Basel and Graubünden claimed a hard-fought third place—congratulations, all!

The Bracket of the Top 10 Quiz

Marc de Quiz - Winners of the Top 10 Quiz

Lac des Quatre Cantons - Runners-up in the top 10 Quiz

Vereine for Vitamine - 2nd Runners-up in the top 10 Quiz

The Grand Finale: Triumph and Tension

The evening’s grand finale: “Baahubali” versus “Smashing Pumpkins” for the ultimate bragging rights. Carrying their earlier scores, teams navigated 12 diverse topics—from “Trigonometric Functions” to “Swiss cleaning brands,” “Members of the Cat family” to “Anti War Films.” Every point mattered, and with a late push, “Smashing Pumpkins” nearly snatched victory. But it was “Baahubali” who clinched the glory, dazzling the crowd with their knowledge of the Swiss Women’s Football team to become the inaugural Swiss National Team Quiz Champions! (Final written by Marcel Zumstein; quizmaster: Paul Ratcliffe.)

“Baahubali” - The inaugaral Swiss National Team Quiz Champions

Smashing Pumpkins - Swiss National Team Quiz Runners-up

And another medal - Marc de Quiz - Swiss National Team Quiz 2nd Runners-up

Thank You to Our Quiz Family!

To all participants, question writers, and the incredible Café Parterre team—THANK YOU! You made this a true marathon of memory, wit, and camaraderie. The Schweizerischer Quizverband Board is already dreaming up next year’s bigger and bolder event, with even more quizzes and surprises in store.

Stay sharp, quiz fans—see you in 2026 for another round of unforgettable trivia adventures!

Goodbye from the participants - See you again in 2026

The following teams participated:

Baahubali / Lac des Quatre Cantons: Manuel Hobiger, Rajan Thambehalli, Renate Schär, Philipp Rohrer

Beznau Powers: Corinne Ringgenberg, Brigitte Sänz, Helene Portmann

Marc de Quiz: Andy Vetter, Charlie Sarbach, Monika Sarbach, Renato Carlotti

Smashing Pumpkins / Hopelessly Helpless: Markus Walser, Norwin Amiet, Prakhar Gupta, Salil Apte

Team Gipfeli: Dimitrije Spasic, Paul Ratcliffe, Markus Klein, Marcel Zumstein

Verein für Vitamine: Julian Weber, Mihajlo Nenad, Till Odermatt, Zoe Odermatt