ChGK, as a TV show, is taped from the Okhotnichy domik, located in Neskuchny Garden in Moscow.

The Russian version airs on Channel One (itself part of the VGTRK, or Russian state TV), is currently hosted by Boris Kryuk, and is produced by TV-Igra.

If the experts answer correctly, they receive no monetary prizes, whereas an incorrect answer from the experts yields, for the question's writer, a prize of 100,000 rubles. Which, prior to 2022, was 50,000 rubles + 10,000 rubles for every point scored by the viewers, up to 5 points, and an extra 100,000 rubles if the viewers win.

However, the best expert of any given game receives a prize from the general sponsor, currently called the Crystal Atom.

Each year in the game is split into four seasons, and actually comprises a tournament, with the spring and summer series being the preliminary rounds. Each season features 4 teams, with a final game featuring the best team of the season.

A loss incurred on air disqualifies a team of experts from playing again on air for the next 3 seasons.

Should any team win 6-0, that team advances to the winter series directly. And the best team in the seasonal final also advances to the winter series until another team ousts it by winning by the same score.

Any winning team by a 6-1 score (and 6-2 if there isn't any 6-1 in a series, then 6-3, and so on) will then participate in the autumn series and will advance to the winter series only if they win their game and the rest of the teams don't. The series final features the best team from the previous 4 games for any given season.

The best player among the winning team of the series final (other than the winter series), or the winning viewer, wins a crystal owl as a prize. If the viewers win the final, then the writer of the best question at the seasonal final receives the crystal owl, alongside a prize of 300,000 rubles.

The winter series comprise the best teams of each of the previous three seasons, plus the best experts on teams not winning their seasons forming the final team in the winter. The last team is known as the national team.

The best player on the team winning the winter series is instead awarded a diamond owl, along with a prize of 1 million rubles, and the winning team is known as the "club favorites". On the other hand, if the viewers win the final of the year, the writer of the best question wins the diamond owl as well as the prize of 1 million rubles.

Any sum not won by the viewers in the year is put into a deposit fund, which is withdrawn at the end of the year. The deposit is split into as many viewers as there are viewers who would win prizes, unless the experts answer the 13th sector incorrectly during the final (see Chapter 3 for more information on the 13th sector) When that happens, the host's share of the deposit is redistributed equally among all the question writers for the game.

Every fifth year, crystal and diamond owls are won by the entire team rather than just the best players, prizes known as the crystal and diamond nests respectively. The titles of master (for experts) or academician (for viewers) are also awarded then. The title of master is awarded for exceptional contributions to the game, while the title of academician is awarded upon either winning 6 games against experts, of which one results in winning an Owl, or winning two Owls.