Here's the list of the winners and their chosen prizes:

1st - Kirbilot; Neo SNK Pack
2nd - Zoel; Neo Geo Pocket Color and games
3rd - Senisan; Classic SNK Pack
4th - BulletTrain; CvS2 Keychains
Most Improved Player - The CleaningGuy; 6" PVC figure of Mai Shiranui

Running this contest has been very rewarding and sometimes difficult. It's hard to comprehend how much of a time commitment such an endeavor will be. I often had a hard time balancing my 3-4 times a week workout with playing KoF and completing other necessary tasks such as grocery shopping or working late. I think I was able to complete my part of the bargain fairly well.

Looking back, I wonder if the contest should have been over 2 weeks instead of 3. Many people were starting classes at the beginning and this resulted in a lower completion rate than I'd targeted. I'd bet that more games over a shorter period may have been better but I wanted to give players as much time as necessary for practice and learning the game. My own practice was the gauntlet you guys ran me through. I improved in more ways than anyone can imagine. I was forced to learn how to cope with up to 2 continuous hours of playing an intense fighter. That's a great way to improve your psychological approach to fighters. I also had to constantly learn new tricks, combos and tactics just to keep up with the players. Thanks to this, I haven't lost an online arcade match since Week 2 of our contest.

I'm quite happy I held this contest. At least a few people were turned onto the game and quite a few saw the gauntlet thrown before them and rose to the challenge. The King of Dtoiders 2009 was an enriching experience and a wonderful way to give back to this community that's so important to me.

What's next?
I really want to get into the habit of holding monthly ranking battles. I will try to start this in November, if people are excited enough about it. I am thinking about doing single elimination, Japanese style tournaments for this. Let me know if you'd participate in the comments.