Professional StarCraft is much like chess. Grandmaster chess players memorise the starting moves and save their formidable brain power for the true contest – the middle game. It’s the same in StarCraft. “For the first half of the game, all of the players know the timing – of building a base and units – and how to play,” Mind says. “So you try to optimise it for the second half, when you cannot predict how the game will go on.” Just as in chess, the centre of the map is critical – he who controls the centre controls the flow of the game. It is quickest to go from the centre to anywhere else in the map, and speed is of the essence. “I play by dominating the map,” he says, blinking slowly. “If you dominate the centre, you will win. I am proud of that.”

After a 3-1 victory over Woongjin, the players are allowed outside, where their personal fans swamp them in droves. Nearly all of the fans are female, teenage or in their 20s, and they praise their favourite player while offering him a gift of a tasty snack. There’s a definite flirtatiousness about the whole affair, and it’s not uncommon for a player to date a fan. One of the followers says that she organises fan meetings when a player wins. What do they do there? “We usually ask him some questions, but usually about fun stuff,” she laughs. “We ask what he did to win, and then we ask him to dance for us.” Dance? Do they really dance? “Yes. They dance,” she says, giggling.

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