Kevin Hyde (left), who just returned from duty in Iraq, was the Chief Tournament Director for the event. Richard Klein assisted.

NCCA treasurer Gerben Hoekstra making a list, and checking it twice.

John Walker of Black Mountain manned the demo board for five painstaking rounds.

Thad Rogers was on hand to serve up the latest in chess books, gear, and software.

Land of the Sky XXII was a good success with 199 competitors from many states.

Melvin Carter of Georgia wore his politics with pride.

These two have reached their floors! Brothers Zachary (L) and David High take a breather between rounds.

What happened?! Josh Lawson & Reynaldo Diaz in the analysis room.

A Tough Pairing! Kevin Huang (L) had his hands full against NC Champion Ron Simpon in round one. Three amigos from Charlotte observed.

GM Punch? GM Sergey Kudrin goes in for the kill. Actually, his game with Tennessee's Peter Bereolos ended in a draw.

Stare Master? Josh Lawson (R) gives his opponent Daniel Gurevich some game face.

Trick or Treat? Georgia's Daniel Gurevich (L) fought Greensboro's Josh Lawson to a dead draw.

The Dominator! Charlotte's Dominique Meyers (L) upset former NC Champion Miles Ardaman in round two. Myers also made Expert at the tournament. Wow!

Elbow Grease: Former NC Champion IM Tim Taylor worked hard to defeat NY's Sam Barsky.

Tennessee Waltz: Michael Carroll (L) chess wrestles with Doug Hyatt. Both hail from Tennessee.

Thomas Paradis (L) and Marc Roach square off in round two action.

Board One Pressure Cooker: GM Alexander Ivanov (L) faced tough IM Tim Taylor in round three action.

Champions Collide, several pawns injured...FM Miles Ardaman seeks to wreck former SC Champion Wayne Christiansen's position.

Chess Gravitas: NC Champion FM Ron Simpson battles IM Bryan Smith in round three action. See our games database for the spectacular (!!) finish.

Could you take a photo of the back of my head? David Stamper (L) keeps climbing the chess food chain. Michael Klibner was his 3rd round opponent.

Chess Stretch! Dr. Gil Holmes (R) reaches for new heights in his game with Milton Kicklighter.

Charlotte Expert Patrick McCartney in deep thought.

Michael Carrol (L) and Samuel "X-Man" Xin chess it up in round three.

Charlotte's Dominique Myers (R) attempts to give third round opponent GM Sergey Kudrin an Excedrin headache.

Power Chess: Neil Jarrett (R) pulled out all the stops to defeat master attacker Randy Lovelace in round three.

Don't Mess with Texas? Kirill Kuderinov of Texas rounded up a win in round three against NM Russell Potter.

Pennsylvania's James Larsen (R) fought a tough game with Georgia's Matthew Torrance.

I don't know him, but I've met his clock! Aaron Waters (R) tangles with third round opponent Alvin Zhang.

NCCA President Victor Beaman (R) faces Florida's Hesham Hassan in round three.

Reynaldo Diaz (L) and Joshua Taylor toss pawns in round three.

The Thinker: Fabio Hurtado (R) does some mental gymnastics in his third round game with SC's David Causey.

Nice Guys Do Get Paid: Alexei Gorbonov (R) earned clear 2nd place with a score of 4.5 points. Here he is seen with 3rd rd opponent John Vonderlieth.

Chess Acrobats: Jacob Parrish (L) and Virginia's Richard Skinnell play positional chicken in round three.

National Master & former NCCA President Neal Harris (right) takes on Shawn McIntosh in round three.

NC Invitational Champion FM Andrey Chumachenko (L) and Georgia's Ryan Moon in round three action.

NCCA Vice President Gary Newsom (L) flexes his chess muscles in round three action with Ramses Celestin.

The glasses are off! Virginia's Joel Harrison (L) and Tom Brown go toe to toe in round three.

Hocus Focus: Thomas Paradis looks for chess magic in his round three matchup with Melvin Carter.

Charlotte's Patrick McCartney (R) faced the tactical stylings of Josh Lawson in round three.

What a tournament! John "Jack" Brooks (L) defeated Scholastic Champion Jonathon McNeill in round three on his way to a 4.0 finish.

GM Sergey Kudrin (L) jots down a move in his game with Dominique Myers.

Tennessee's Doug Hyatt (R) had a tough fourth round pairing with FM Miles Ardaman.

Got Chess? Yes, he does! Harold Mitchell (R) fought his way back from an exchange down to draw his game with Tom Hales.

Shawn McIntosh (R) fought former SC Champion Wayne Christiansen to a draw in round four.

Last Round Blues: NM Russell Potter (L) lost a tough endgame to Georgia's Ryan Moon in round five.

For all the marbles: Mike Williams (L) and Jacob Parrish go to the mat in round five as Wilder Wadford observes.

Florida's Hesham Hassan (L) enters the ring with Walter Overman in round two.

A Star is Born? David Stamper (R) had a great tournament, picking up 86 rating points. Tracy Callis of Virginia was his fifth round opponent.

Chess is not like a box of "chocolits." Zachary High studies the creamy center of a sweet position.

99.44% pure chess! Virginia's Emily Collins (R) battles South Carolina's William Taylor in round three.

Chesstopher Columbus: Virginia's Tracy Callis (L) stakes out his territory in round three action against Antonio Sobremisana.

Border Battle! NC's Fabio Hurtado and SC's David Causey fought to a draw in round three action.

Moore Chess: Bob Moore concentrates on his position in round three.

Scholastic Princess in Action: Kanokorn "Kob" Gerdswant (L) focuses on her game with Modesto Garcia in round three.

Aaron Waters is all business in round three action.

Bishop Power! Spencer Singleton (L) gives Edwin Collins diagonal nightmares in round three.

Bruce Goodwin (L) and Harold Mitchell bump heads in round three action.

Cunningham's Defense? Georgia's NM Robert Cunningham (R) kept FM Peter Bereolos at bay to secure a draw in round three.

David Stamper considering his options.

The pride of Waynesville Chess Club: Ellis Jones (R) locks horns with Ian Morton in round three.

Chess Actress? Liz Taylor (R) in her third round match with Robert Presswood. (Liz is IM Tim Taylor's wife)

Sorry, I didn't catch the name. Two unknown opponents chess it up.

IM Bryan Smith gets ready for his next game.

SC Showdown! Kenzie Moore(L) and Bill Corbett drew in round three. Each had an excellent tournament, with Corbett tying for 3rd place!

Fight or Flight! Zachary High (L) and Paul Pires in round three.

Scholastic Sensation Devin Duque (L) had a stellar tournament performance, earning 139 rating points. His third-round opponent was J. Robert Mahan.

West Virginia's Gilbert Stone (R) and Ean Kitchens face off in round three.

Matt Embler (R) battles Raymond Hight in round three.

Virginia's Josh Lilly (L) in a game with an unknown opponent.

Greensboro's Jacob Parrish had a serious game face in round three action with Virginia's Richard Skinnell.

Unknown opponents in action.

More unknown players in action.

Two players chess it up.

Winfred Gatlin (R) does battle with an unknown opponent.

Walter High (R) plays Arthur Annis (?) in round four.

Scholastic Showdown! Unknown youngsters at play.

Scholastic Sharp Shooter! Joseph Swann (R) picked off Edwin Collins in round four action. Rear: Chad Moody (R) faces David Phillips.

Can I get a Gallon of Orange Juice to go? Greensboro's Jacob Parrish (L) and Georgia's Benjamin Moon lock horns in round four.

Tangled Up in Chess: Allen Woodby (L) and James Sawyer battle it out in round four.

Power Chess! Ken Baxter (R) and Cezarte Ramos in round four action. Rear: Patrick McCartney (R) and Ramses Celestin.

Hassan Hashemloo (L) squares off in round four action with Charles Roberson as Hendersonville Chess Club's Jim Brunner observes.

In the Zone: Brittney Dewitt (R) focuses intently during her game with Christian Ruel.

Goodness, gracious, great pawns of fire! Georgia's Reece Thompson (L) and SC's Douglas Holmes slug out a bishop vs. knight endgame in round 4 action.