‘Jeopardy!’ legends — including a formidable player from 1985 — are competing against each other in a new tournament

When one “Jeopardy!” tournament ends, a new one begins.

On Wednesday, a day after crowning the winner of its highly anticipated Tournament of Champions, “Jeopardy!” begins its inaugural Invitational Tournament, which features a mix of popular players in recent years (like “Jeopardy!” Masters competitors Amy Schneider, Sam Buttrey and Andrew He) and some fun throwbacks (like Chuck Forrest, the 1986 Tournament of Champions winner), the Deseret News reported.

Here’s an overview of the tournament and what to expect.

How the ‘Jeopardy!’ Invitational Tournament works

Throughout the tournament, the contestants will compete for the $100,000 grand prize and an invitation to compete in the upcoming “Jeopardy!” Masters tournament, according to a news release sent to the Deseret News.

Twenty-seven players will compete across nine quarterfinal games, with nine players moving on to the semifinals. The top three players to emerge from the semifinals will compete in a first-to-win-two series.

Who is hosting the ‘Jeopardy!’ Invitational Tournament?

Ken Jennings will be hosting the tournament.

Late last year, Sony, which produces “Jeopardy!” announced that the quiz show would be moving forward with Jennings as its sole host. Jennings previously told The Hollywood Reporter that Mayim Bialik’s exit from “Jeopardy!” came as a surprise.

“It took me off guard, because I loved working with ... Mayim and I’m going to miss her,” the 74-game “Jeopardy!” champ said. “I can’t speak to her decision-making process or her opinions about it. But on my end, I’m just a fan of ‘Jeopardy!’ and I’m always delighted to host when they call upon me. I just feel extremely lucky to have even been considered for this job, as a non-broadcaster.”

Who is competing in the ‘Jeopardy!’ Invitational Tournament?

Per a “Jeopardy!” news release, below is the full roster of contestants:

• Brandon Blackwell — a 2008 Teen Tournament semifinalist and current competitor on ABC’s “The Chase.”

• Colby Burnett — a 2012 Teachers Tournament winner, 2013 Tournament of Champions winner, Battle of the Decades semifinalist and All-Star Games second runner-up.

• Sam Buttrey — a 2021 Professors Tournament winner, 2022 Tournament of Champions second runner-up and 2023 “Jeopardy! Masters” participant.

• Lilly Chin — a 2017 College Championship winner and 2017 Tournament of Champions semifinalist.

• Arthur Chu — a Season 30 11-game champion and 2014 Tournament of Champions first runner-up.

• Leonard Cooper — a 2013 Teen Tournament winner and All-Star Games competitor.

• Celeste DiNucci — a Season 22 five-time champion, 2007 Tournament of Champions winner and Battle of the Decades participant.

• Chuck Forrest — a Season 2 five-game champ, 1986 Tournament of Champions winner, Super Jeopardy! quarterfinalist, Million Dollar Masters tournament semifinalist, Ultimate Tournament of Champions Nifty Nine finisher and Battle of the Decades.

• Dhruv Gaur — a 2018 College Championship winner and 2019 Tournament of Champions semifinalist.

• Victoria Groce — a Season 22 one-game champion and current participant on ABC’s “The Chase.”

• Andrew He — a Season 38 five-game champion, 2022 Tournament of Champions first runner-up and 2023 “Jeopardy!” Masters fourth-place finisher.

• Ben Ingram — a Season 29 eight-game champion, 2014 Tournament of Champions winner and All-Star Games participant.

• Matt Jackson — a Season 32 13-game champion, 2015 Tournament of Champions first runner-up and All-Star Games first runner-up. (Note: Jackson sits at No. 10 for both highest winnings in regular season play and all-time winnings on the “Jeopardy!” Leaderboard of Legends).

• Alex Jacob — a Season 31 six-game champion, 2015 Tournament of Champions winner and All-Star Games competitor.

• Mackenzie Jones — a Season 36 eight-game champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions quarterfinalist.

• Sam Kavanaugh — a Season 35 five-game champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions winner.

• Larissa Kelly — a Season 24 six-game champion, 2009 Tournament of Champions first runner-up, Battle of the Decades participant and All-Star Games winner. (Note: Kelly sits at No. 9 for all-time winnings on the “Jeopardy!” Leaderboard of Legends).

• Alan Lin — a Season 33 six-game champion, 2017 Tournament of Champions first runner-up and 2019 All-Star Games second runner-up.

• David Madden — a Season 21/22 19-game champion, 2006 Tournament of Champions semifinalist and All-Star Games winner. (Note: Madden sits at No. 7 for all-time “Jeopardy!” winnings, No. 8 for highest winnings in regular season play and No. 8 for most consecutive games won, per the Leaderboard of Legends).

• Pam Mueller — a 2000 College Championship winner, 2001 Tournament of Champions semifinalist, 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions Sweet Six finisher, Battle of the Decades semifinalist and All-Star Games second runner-up.

• Terry O’Shea — a 2014 College Championship winner and 2014 Tournament of Champions semifinalist.

• Dan Pawson — a Season 24 nine-game champion, 2009 Tournament of Champions winner and Battle of the Decades quarterfinalist.

• Jennifer Quail — a Season 36 eight-game champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions first runner-up.

• Austin Rogers — a Season 34 12-game champion, 2017 Tournament of Champions second runner-up and All-Star Games participant.

• Amy Schneider — a Season 38 40-game champion, 2022 Tournament of Champions winner and “Jeopardy!” Masters fifth-place finisher. (Note: Schneider is second behind only Ken Jennings for most “Jeopardy!” games won. She also sits at No. 4 for highest winnings in regular season play, and No. 5 for all-time “Jeopardy!” winnings, per the Leaderboard of Legends).

• Monica Thieu — a 2012 College Championship winner, 2013 Tournament of Champions quarterfinalist and All-Star Games first runner-up.

• Jason Zuffranieri — a Season 35/36 19-game champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions semifinalist. (Note: Zuffranieri sits at No. 8 in a tie with Madden for most consecutive games won. He also sits at No. 7 for highest winnings in regular season play, per the Leaderboard of Legends).

The ‘Jeopardy!’ Invitational Tournament schedule

Below is the full lineup for the nine quarterfinal games, per the official “Jeopardy!” website:

Note: This section will be updated each night to note the winner of each game.

• March 20: Quarterfinal 1 — Dan Pawson, Pam Mueller, Andrew He.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan website, Andrew He had a slow start but landed on — and correctly answered — both Daily Doubles in the second round to give himself a large lead going into the final round. He, who was the only one to correctly answer the Final Jeopardy clue, won the game and earned the first spot in the semifinals.

• March 21: Quarterfinal 2 — Leonard Cooper, Jason Zuffranieri, Larissa Kelly.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan website, Kelly had a large lead at the end of the first round. And although Cooper and Zuffranieri were able to stay in the running by making large wagers on Daily Doubles in the second round, Kelly maintained her lead, correctly answered the Final Jeopardy clue, and secured her spot in the semifinals.

• March 22: Quarterfinal 3 — Terry O’Shea, Matt Jackson, Alan Lin.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan website, Matt Jackson, who was a favorite to win, dominated the game from start to finish. And thanks to a Daily Double late in the game — which gave Jackson another $12,000 — Jackson secured his victory and spot in the semifinals before the Final Jeopardy round.

• March 25: Quarterfinal 4 — Celeste DiNucci, Austin Rogers, Amy Schneider.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan website, this quarterfinal match marked the second runaway game in a row in the tournament. This time, it was Amy Schneider who secured a victory and spot in the semifinals — although none of the contestants got the Final Jeopardy clue right.

• March 26: Quarterfinal 5 — Mackenzie Jones, Arthur Chu, David Madden.

• March 27: Quarterfinal 6 — Alex Jacob, Jennifer Quail, Brandon Blackwell.

• March 28: Quarterfinal 7 — Sam Kavanaugh, Chuck Forrest, Monica Thieu.

• March 29: Quarterfinal 8 — Victoria Groce, Dhruv Gaur, Ben Ingram.

• April 1: Quarterfinal 9 — Lilly Chin, Colby Burnett, Sam Buttrey.