This post is written to express my opinion; please simply take my final and firm view of the situation into account. I will not argue with anyone here, but if any friends have clarifying questions, I will try to find time and answer them in ICQ.

This is not an argument, but simply information (including, of course, my opinion).

I played with Alex only once; my impressions are purely personal:

In that game, a guaranteed victory was slipping away: if I had taken the harpies on the way to Pandora, I would have had the entire 5th level and the main hero, but instead, due to a lack of wisdom when taking it, I only had an advanced hero, which ultimately led to a legitimate surrender. BUT:

His understanding of ATGs – all the moves leading to victory – is, in my opinion, the most impressive among all the players I've played with. In other words, he works out ALL the options that can strengthen his position, and this is applicable to a specific pattern. There are many details – for example, a mage who has leveled up to around level 14 by defending resources, to whom a couple of angels were given for this purpose, and the coordinated work of the other "losers" in chains... There are many details, but the point is not this.
The point is that with such a game, maphacking is not needed at all to win. Of course, dwelling on the past is a faux pas, but in the Cobra case, the publicly blatant "maphacking" is more likely to indicate a blunder than a misuse that destroys the whole meaning of the game.

I'm saying this because subjectivity certainly has its place in any judgment.
But there are also well-known factors, namely:
the strength of someone AS A PLAYER.
And in the case of such strength, no one and nothing can sacrifice this strength, because by using maphacking, he himself doubts this strength!!!

And victory or defeat is just personal ambition, which takes a back seat to the meaning of the Game itself... sic! :)