When a player wins at Dixiecon, he or she becomes a member of the ORDER OF THE KNIFE. This means the player has joined an elite group of Dippers, those who have bested many of the top players in the country. As a member of the Order, the player may be called on by the Tournament Director to help GM during a round, to help conduct a draw vote in another game, or in extreme cases Knifers may be asked to sit out a round to make the numbers work out evenly.
The top three players from each Dixiecon are also listed in the Dixiecon Hall of Fame, a mark of distinction for Dippers since the first Dixiecon in 1987. Most players who have become Knifers or Famers have played in other tournaments in other parts of the country to hone their skills. Don't expect to crack the top echelons of the hobby on your first try!
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ORDER OF THE KNIFE
Morgan Gurley (North Carolina) 1987 and 2002
Mark Stegeman (Virginia) 1988 and 1991
Dave McCrumb (Virginia) 1989
Jason Bergmann (California) 1990
Mark Franceschini (Maryland) 1992
Jim Yerkey (Maryland) 1993
Marc Peters (Wisconsin) 1995
Bruce Allen (North Carolina) 1996
Bruce Reiff (Ohio) 1994 and 1997
Chris Martin (D.C. area now) 1998 and 1999
Tom Kobrin (North Carolina) 2000 and 2003
Roy Rink (Delaware) 2001
Doug Moore (Maryland) 2004 and 2007
Brian Ecton (Maryland) 2005
Jim O'Kelley (Illinois) 2006
In 2002 all Knifers up until then played at the same Dixiecon, which was quite a field! In fitting fashion, the first ever Dixiecon winner, Morgan Gurley, won the 2002 event in his first Diplomacy tournament in many years. You can take the man out of Diplomacy, but you can't take Diplomacy out of the man...
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