When it comes to playing the game show "Jeopardy," it's best to brush up on your Shakespeare.

Mt. Lebanon High School sophomore Christopher Weis isn't doing a whole lot of cramming in anticipation of his trip to California next month. But he did find a recent purchase at Barnes and Noble helpful: a little flow-chart of Shakespeare plots and characters.

"Hey, it works," said Christopher, who will be one of 15 contestants in the Oct. 6-7 teen tournament. It will be taped in Sony's Culver City studios.

"At the auditions, there was a question about the play, 'As You Like It.' "

The chart came in handy this summer when Christopher and his family went to New York City in November for his in-person tryout. Thousands of teen-age contestants took an online test as the first step toward qualifying.

Of those, 300 advanced to auditions in various cities, where they played the game and tried to look television-ready.

He got to play a mock game and discovered that knowing the answer and just buzzing in isn't enough.

It's all in the timing. "On the side of the [question] board, they have these lights that tell you when you can buzz in," Christopher said. "If you buzz in too soon, you get locked out."

He must have made a good impression on the producers.

"I knew the odds for getting on were very long," he said. "I thought I did well at the audition, and there's a written test you take there. Still, it was a real surprise for me [to make the cut]."

Christopher is a good student who reads a great deal, said his mother, Elisabeth, but she was impressed by his calm at the audition.

The lights and camera equipment, "do not bother him in the least," she said. "He plays violin and piano, so he's used to people watching him."

It also helps that Christopher, who considers sports and geography -- two "Jeopardy" category mainstays -- among his strengths. He has broadcast experience, doing sideline interviews during Mt. Lebanon football games for the school district cable network.

Pop culture, not to be confused with the ever-popular "Jeopardy" category, Potpourri, he added, is where he'll have to wing it.

There's a lot at stake for finalists. Just making it to the tournament means at least $5,000 for each contestant, according to Mrs. Weis.

The families were told a second-round appearance is worth $10,000, with at least $15,000 for third place, at least $25,000 for runner-up and $75,000 for the champion.

"So, at a minimum, he gets $5,000, which is stunning to him, and to us," Mrs. Weis said.

Christopher's trip is also gratis, with free hotel, airfare for him and at least one parent, and bonuses such as tickets to the nearby Universal Studios and theme park.

His parents, Elisabeth and Phillip, plus older brother Andrew and possibly some cousins, plan to be in the audience.

There's a chance he won't be the only one in the family taking his shot at the Daily Double this year. Andrew, a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh, qualified for an audition in New York recently.

He tried out as an adult for the regular show. But he also plans to take the online test for "Jeopardy's" college tournament Oct. 1.

The family was told the two-week teen tournament will be broadcast beginning Nov. 10.

"We've already told him we're gong to have a 'Jeopardy'-watching party," said his mother. "Although one of my sisters said, 'Don't tell us how he does.' "

"I said 'We CAN'T tell, [Sony doesn't] let you.' "

"Winning a game and winning the tournament would be nice," Christopher said. "But certainly it's just great to be on "Jeopardy' in the first place."