History:

Yale Certamen was created with two primary goals―to establish a premier, national Certamen tournament accessible to all players, regardless of ability, and to introduce students to Yale and Yale’s Classics Department. As Yale Certamen enters its thirteenth year, we are pleased with how far we have come, but continue to seek ways to improve.

Nine years ago, we introduced the revolutionary two-bracket system, allowing both more and less experienced teams to compete against teams of more similar ability. This system has proved effective and will return in all divisions this year. Additionally, this year we are focusing on standardizing question difficulty across rounds. We hope this will ensure a more pleasant and equitable playing experience for all involved.

Last year, we virtually welcomed 35 schools from 16 states, including Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Illinois, and Wisconsin. These students had the opportunity to hear from one of Yale’s renowned Classics faculty members, Professor Jessica Lamont. This year will offer the opportunity to meet more members of the Yale Classics community.

Above all, however, Yale Certamen offers the chance to make new friends and enjoy the game of Certamen. With that in mind, we encourage you to register for this year’s tournament and join the fun. See you in November!

Team:

Yale Certamen unites classics enthusiasts from across the university. Our members have diverse interests and majors, but come together to help share their love of Certamen. Our current board members are Anya AitSahlia ‘25 (Classics), Jinwoo Kim ‘25 (Computer Science), and Joe Laufer ‘25 (Classics).