To have a shill make moves in a game...any game is cheating. Period. The purpose of a game is to have fun,do your best and try to win. Not do someone else's best.
Steve was right about the analogy to Nomad and checkers. As with ANY game here on BK to make moves that are not your own whether by using an operative,a program or a friend....is simply cheating.
This could all have been avoided had Mr. Trice not said he could win by using his spreadsheet. If he had just played and then remarked on the use of the spreadsheet after the game had ended,there wouldn't be the problem of his paranoia that there would be collusion.