WASHINGTON -- The power of hypnosis and hometown pride gave Michael Weiss the edge Monday.

The three-time U.S. champion won his qualifying group as the World Figure Skating Championships began. Weiss, of McLean, Va., edged Japan's Takeshi Honda and fellow American Ryan Jahnke in Group B despite two-footing three jumps, including both his quads.

Hours later, heavy favorite Evgeni Plushenko easily won the second qualifying session. The Russian nailed two quadruple jumps and eight triples to beat American Tim Goebel.

Weiss, who won the national title in January despite two mediocre performances, did more than enough on a morning when nearly all 20 men looked half asleep.

"I did some hypnosis before I went to bed at about 12 or 12:30, and I was up at 4:45 and had a 6:30 practice,'' Weiss said. "We used the morning to wake up and get the body going and the legs moving.

"Skating in the morning draw was something I was concerned about.''

As was having a skybox at the MCI Center filled with family and friends. Weiss' rooting section numbers about 70, and while the crowd was slim -- perhaps one-quarter of the building was full when he skated -- it was very supportive.

Surprisingly, only two American flags waved when Weiss was introduced. When the two-time world bronze medalist (1999, 2000) finished, his wife, Lisa, was jumping wildly and pumping her arms at the sideboards.

Lisa Weiss said her husband was looking forward to this event even more than the Olympics. And when Michael was done hitting six triple jumps, he gave a Tiger Woods uppercut.

"It's always intense in competition,'' Weiss said. "It being your home crowd makes it more intense. But to me, it's just focus. If we can channel all that in the right direction, it works better for you.''

The 26-year-old Weiss is using the hypnosis to enhance that focus. During two 45-minute sessions a day, he works with Topher Morrison, who teaches hypnotism and has known Weiss for nearly three years.

"This is the first year he has really stepped it up,'' Morrison said. "I think an athlete that does not tap into the mental as well as the physical is not reaching for his full potential.''

Few of the other skaters came close to reaching that level in qualifying, which is worth 20 percent of the total score. The other American in the group, Jahnke, skated superbly, though, in his first appearance at worlds.

Jahnke, of Colorado Springs, Colo., got a first-place vote for a clean program that included eight triples, the most by anyone in the session.

"I love being here,'' said Jahnke, a surprise second at nationals behind Weiss. "I feel like I belong here. I don't feel strange or anything.''

Honda, the bronze medalist at the 2002 worlds, is coming off an ankle injury. He was hurt on the liftoff of a quadruple salchow last month, forcing him to miss the Grand Prix final after he won Four Continents with a terrific performance.

Monday was not terrific.

"I was scared to go,'' Honda said after stepping out of the jump. "I was thinking, 'Should I do a triple or do a quad?' But I said, 'You know what, do it!'''

He did not do enough else to pull ahead of Weiss.

"It was OK,'' Honda said. "I was just surprised I got 5.4s, especially right after Four Continents. I got 6.0s and 5.9s there.''

Plushenko, the 2002 Olympic silver medalist who won the 2001 world crown, was practically done with his toughest tricks halfway into his 4½-minute program. He opened with a massive quad toe loop-triple toe loop-triple loop combination, the third time he has landed his trademark series, and that asserted his superiority.

"I like to skate and I like to jump,'' he said with a smile.

Plushenko is fighting "a little injury'' in his left knee, but he sure looked healthy Monday.

Goebel, who has had a disappointing, injury-filled season after winning the bronze medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics and the silver at last year's worlds, was pleased to be second in his group.

"After the really difficult year I had, that would be a great success, just being on the podium,'' Goebel said.

The small crowd didn't seem disturbed by the judging system in use at worlds. Seven of 10 judges' marks count for qualifying, but anonymously. None of the judges on the panel is identified by country, either, and only a range of marks is announced.

So no one knows if the 6.0 for presentation Plushenko received actually counted in the tallies.