DISCUSSIONS on “Rules for online games in HoMM3 and formulas for calculating player rating.”

Question - why is there a difference between points a and b?
What is the deep meaning behind this?
Why are there more stringent requirements for attacking a Castle?

This is to ensure that the opponents are on a more or less equal footing - to give the blue player the opportunity to buy reinforcements (which will appear in the Castle, not in the mine :)), or for both to fight without reinforcements, or the red player must ensure a chain of supply for their reinforcements (i.e., first capture the Castle, and then transfer new troops there).
I don't remember exactly, but it seems that the Chinese are even prohibited from attacking a Garrison with reinforcements and from blocking the blue player's reinforcement supply.

So, is there no exception for cavalry?:smile13:

No. Why should people get such a double advantage?

If there are 2 passages to one zone, and you break through one. Can you pass through the other passage, bypassing the shifted guard?

On XL+U templates and Diamond, it is allowed to pass from one zone to another without breaking through the shifted guard, regardless of anything.
For NON-XL+U templates, it is not allowed:

3.6.1. In order to pass from one zone to another through a specific passage, it is necessary to eliminate the guard of that passage. If there are several guards on the passage, it is enough to destroy any one of them.
.....
3.6.7. It is allowed to pass by the guards of the passage, without destroying them, in the case where
- the player has already passed through this passage (i.e., destroyed one of the guards);
- the player saw the opponent destroy one of the guards or pass through this passage;
- there is any other undeniable evidence that the guard was destroyed.

It is necessary to destroy at least one guard of a specific passage. There are no reservations about what the player has done in other parts of the map.