I think a gap of 1 cm (about 0.4 inches) is about right.
The MSR Whisperlite and Dragonfly stoves recommend that gap between the pot and windscreen be 1 inch "for optimum performance".
You also may want to consider raising the wind screen just a bit, allowing for a draft underneath but covering the pot higher up.
That brings up an interesting point. The MSR windscreens sit directly on an aluminum heat reflector disk with no gap. That would be an interesting experiment - with and without a gap at the bottom of the windscreen.
I'm trying to think of whether a stove transfers heat through convection (air movement), conduction (movement of heat through materials), or radiation (heat coming directly from the flame). I think its mostly by radiation. I think.
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