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.

RYAN HOLZNAGEL Writer orig. from Forest Grove, OR Won $15,000 (3/7)	CHRIS MILLER Retail specialist Louisville, KY Won $21,799 (3/14)	DAVE TRAINI High-School administrator Moorestown, NJ Won $15,000 (2/14)

Jeopardy! categories: Areas of Expertise, AP Female Athletes of the Year; Hey, JD!; The Reduced Shakespeare Company, Libraries, What Have "V" Here?

Daily Double: $1000 Libraries. Chris ($800; Dave, ditto; Ryan, half that) risks the maximum of $1000. The clue: the Ralph J. Bunche Int'l Affairs Center is part of this Washington, DC university's library. Chris' guess: "What is Georgetown?" Correct response: What is Howard? Chris drops to -$200.

Common thread in Reduced Shakespeare Company: every truncated (but frickin' funny) play ends in at least one death by sharp pointy object.

End of Round:
Ryan - $3200
Chris - $3600
Dave - $4400

Double Jeopardy! categories: Expertise of Areas, Movie Portrayals, Thinkers, Santa's Eight Tiny Reindeer, Haiku D'etat, In the "Raw"

Daily Double #1: $1200 Thinkers. Ryan ($10,800 to Dave's $11,200 and Chris' $6400) bets $2222. Clue: his 1820s work on democracy in America suggested giving it a try back home in France. Ryan's guess: "Who is de Tocqueville?" 2 right for $13,022.

Daily Double #2: $1600 Expertise of Areas. Dave ($13,200 slightly over Ryan's $13,022 and Chris' $6400) wagers $3000. Clue: it's the area of a Major League Baseball infield (the part enclosed by the baselines). Dave's guess: "What is the diamond?" Correct response: What is 8100 square feet? Dave gets it, as he drops to $10,200.

End of Round:
Ryan - $11,022
Chris - $11,600
Dave - $9000

That area category really hurt'em as Chris storms back. In round 2, runners-up are guaranteed $10,000, while the winner is guaranteed at least $20,000.

Final Jeopardy! Category: In the Dictionary. Answer: much in the news of the world at the end of June 2004, it's the only English word to contain "GNT" consecutively. Correct response: What is sovereignty?

Dave's question: What is ? (WRONG) Wager: $3000. Final score: $6000.
Ryan's question: What is knighted? (WRONG) Wager: $7117. Final score: $3905.
Chris' question: What is sovereignty? (RIGHT) Wager: $10,445. Final score: $22,045.

One of the more recent champs comes back in more ways than one with $43,844 as Chris Miller joins Dan Melia, Steve Chernicoff, Michael Rooney, Michael Daunt, Shane Whitlock, Brian Moore, Jerome Vered, Robert Slaven, and Matt Zielenski.

Ten seats decided, still eight to go. See you tomorrow!