What the West failed to realize until well into the quiz bowl postseason was that an active intellectual games circuit already existed in Russia, even though erudition wasn't the primary aim of games they were playing. Which was the main reason why Krasnaya Armiya ended up being a major question vendor in Russia, and even being able to sell questions on export markets, such as the US WWCHSQ and a coed mirror of the Russian WWCCQ, hosted by Tulane University. However, their best-selling sets are the easiest sets, or Tripartite sets.

Especially surprising when no one expected Russia to even play at the SSNCT, or Small Schools National Championship Tournament, much less win it. Voronezh #12 won the traditional small schools division but it was somehow enough for RT to present Russia as regaining superiority in the educational arena.

Getting Russia to compete at the ACF Nationals or ICT proved rockier than expected, since the RUQB realized too late that their so-called Red Army would stand a much better chance of competing at ACF Nationals if they hosted an ACF Regionals site. Speaking of the ACF Nationals, Rossiya-Kultura, a VGTRK (Russian state television) subsidiary, signed a contract with the ACF to carry the final game at ACF Nationals, with an option for additional games should a Russian team qualify in subsequent years. Which allows every team qualified for it to attend without paying entry fees so long as Russian state TV was willing to foot the bill. In so doing, the primary way to watch ACF Nationals, and good quiz bowl, for that matter, was through Russian TV.

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However, even though the Tripartite Tournament, directed by the RUQB chairman in person, was also a SCT site, Far Eastern Federal University, the host institution, finished last, with one of its players going so far as to say his lack of English proficiency caused him to score 0 PP20TUH. On the other hand, Moscow State won the college division of the Tripartite Tournament and clashed with Tulane B at the Division II final, which was ultimately won by Tulane. That year, Tulane A lost Division I at the ICT despite holding a one-game advantage at the final.

Yet, despite some success at the SSNCT and ICT Division II, Russia, fielding 25 teams each at the MSNCT and HSNCT, had the best results at the MSNCT, with Novosibirsk #206 being in the top-5, led by the grandniece of the RUQB chairman.

Of course, the Quiz Bowl World Cup was mostly covered by Russian media, with the coverage available internationally primarily being made through RT and FTPFTC. And, even though the first edition was female-only, and the playoffs were held in Ostankino Palace in Moscow, with Russia winning the middle school division, and the US winning the other two, subsequent editions were mixed. And the entire US team for the college division was made up of Green Wave players.