In round one, 45 players won their games. Now they join nine seeded opponents in Jeopardy! lore for 18 more game. The 18 winners then face off for six slots. The two winners of those semifinal games have a date with destiny in the form of one Ken Jennings for a three-day final. The winner of those games wins $2 million. Second place is guaranteed $500,000, while third place is guaranteed $250,000.

No wild cards, no second chances. It's (my favorite words when it comes to Jeopardy! tourneys) win or go home.

KYLE HALE Senior, Texas A&M Katy, TX Won $15,000 (3/29)	RICK KNUTSEN Musician/stay-at-home dad Brooklyn, NY Won $23,201 (3/30)	DAN MELIA College professor Berkeley, CA Won $19,600 (2/21)

Jeopardy! categories: States of the Union, Tonight Show Hosts, Quotes, A Day's Calories in One Meal, Famous Pairs, Body Language

Daily Double: $1000 States of the Union. Dan ($10,000 way over Rick's $2800 and Kyle's $1600; both will end with these totals) bets $3000. The clue: New Castle was this mid-Atlantic state's first capital. Dan's guess: "What is Delaware?" Dan is on fire to end the round with $13,000.

Double Jeopardy! categories: US Presidents, Shocking Art, Push the "Button", World of Nobel Prize-Winning Authors; Here's Looking at You, Kid; We'll Always Have Parris Island.

Daily Double #1: $1600 US Presidents. Rick ($4400 to Dan's $13,000 and Kyle's $1600) makes it true. Clue: in 1893, James K. Polk's tomb was moved from his estate to the state Capitol grounds in this city. Rick's guess: "What is Nashville?" Correct for $8800. And Rick... misses the sweep.

Daily Double #2: $800 Shocking Art. Dan ($15,400 way over Rick's $6800 and Kyle's -$400) already has an insurmountable lead. Why not make it darn near impossible to catch?  He fronts $3600. Clue: his mural at Rockefeller Center was destroyed because it included a depiction of Lenin. Dan's guess: "Who is Diego Rivera?" Correct for $19,000.

End of Round:
Kyle - $3600
Rick - $9600
Dan - $33,800

Is it safe to say that Dan is the man to beat at this point? Reminder. In round 2, runners-up are guaranteed $10,000, while the winner is guaranteed at least $20,000.

Final Jeopardy! Category: 16th Century Names. Answer: as a foe of the Spanish, he's been called "The Queen's Pirate" & a "gran luterano" Correct response: Who was Sir Francis Drake?

Kyle's question: Who was Drake? (RIGHT) Wager: $1. Final score: $3601.
Rick's question: Who was Drake? (RIGHT) Wager: $0. Final score: $9600.
Dan's question: Who was Francis Drake? (RIGHT) Wager: $3800. Final score: $37,600.

That would be a yes. Dan is the first player to move to the quarterfinal round with $37,600, giving him a total thus far of $57,200.

Tomorrow, three more champs enter the fray.