Confirmed.
All this time I haven't been particularly verbose in confirming reports and participating in discussions that arose, so toward the end I decided that I am not "a trembling creature" but "have the right."
About the game
I always played SMAC, played it for about 3 years, and now in the playoffs, when the very first turn removed them all in all 4 games, I took the SMAC tempo and couldn't maintain it under the conditions of other templates. JC is a separate discussion altogether; on it, my eyes just go all over the place and mistakes pile up one after another. However, that's why I took part in the Newbie — to learn. For myself, I accomplished my goals of advancing from the group stage and am quite satisfied with that.
About the people
When I first registered, I asked everyone to play so I could get a report and have the opportunity to participate in the Newbie. I encountered all sorts of people; some agreed, while others wrote that I'm a noob and our game is pointless (e.g., Gunar). At the time, I thought that all players here were arrogant and haughty. But this tournament showed that this is far from the case! There are wonderful, pleasant people whom it's very enjoyable to play with, and moreover, they are the majority.
About the organizers
Although, it's quite possible that it's hard to call smart the people who work on a gaming forum for free 3-6, or even 9-12 hours daily and run tournaments that bring them neither profit nor loss. Anton and Dima spent almost the entire day yesterday to organize 4 minutes of a show./
For myself, I'll say that I'm glad I got to participate and meet wonderful players and people! Thanks to everyone and good luck!