I believe your skill level is higher than that of your aforementioned "friends" (this opinion didn't just come to me out of the blue... I reviewed the reports)... therefore, my opinion regarding your candidacy is negative. The only thing you can change now is to beg for a word from the tournament judges, but then, as the host, I will be obliged to let in a couple more players, with whom it will be difficult for you to cope... and what will this beginner do, where there is an endless gradation of skill levels?
p.s. Not a single Yegor is allowed to participate in the tournament... Vaflya, you're not a beginner, you yourself wrote about having 13 years of experience... Yostairs, maybe you haven't been playing for that long, but it's unknown how much you've played on another portal, but your skill level is evident even in casual matches. Positive and zoog, should we just throw everyone into the same pile, and I'll participate too?