Leaving Heroes of Might and Magic in protest of Alex’s removal from the Facebook group.

But if that had happened 3 years ago, Alex would have said the same thing about Old Man, and what would have happened to the person who said it.

Well... first, Old Man would probably have explained in a rude way what he thinks about the offender and where his place is. Then, depending on the situation.

I'll answer for myself: if I were the organizer of any tournament, I would immediately disqualify the player if he allowed insults directed at me. And unfair play has nothing to do with it.

If a judge allows himself to be insulted, and for good reason, then this is a reason for the judge to resign due to insufficient professional competence, and not to wave a saber.

Regarding the topic at hand, yes, the decision is disappointing. Technical error in the game is undeniable, but disqualification from the tournament is like saying, "we tried to prove cheating, but we failed, so to avoid looking like fools, we decided to impose at least some kind of sanction."

For your information, in jurisprudence there are only 2 options - either the defendant is guilty, or he is not. There is no intermediate option. If guilty of cheating, then it's a disqualification. If not, then it's a technical error in the game, due to the fact that the Guest's knowledge of the situation could have influenced the result.

Furthermore, rude behavior, in my opinion (and not only mine), is permissible towards anyone who accuses another of cheating without providing sufficient evidence. And it doesn't matter what status this person has - statuses come and go, but relationships remain. So I understand Alex's reaction; I myself would not be shy about using strong language in such a situation.