Interesting topic. Although I didn't finish playing up to the memoirs (and it's doubtful I will, given my busy schedule), I can still share some things.

I live in the city of Barnaul. As a hero gaming center, it's practically unknown, but it has produced players who played a significant role in the development of the hero gaming community. I got acquainted with the game in 2003 (it's a pity it was so late, when the major hero gaming gatherings were already declining). I played in my first online tournament at an internet cafe. The rules of that newbie tournament now seem funny: a random map M without underground was played, with a 2-minute control time. If no winner was determined by the end of the 3rd month (!!!), a final battle was scheduled. Later, I was one of the organizers of a university tournament, which a girl won with 100% success! And this victory was hard-earned in a tough fight, with no easy wins or gentlemanly behavior from the male participants. I remember in the final battle, we both destroyed huge armies, and I was left with a large stack of dendroids, while she had only a couple of devils, which I somehow didn't consider dangerous. And then I realized that I had lost completely... The residents of Heroes Portal are well familiar with the nickname Lady Ash. She actively participated in the official and online sections of the game, boosting online activity during a difficult time when Armageddon and BalaMut left the Portal. Another strong hero gamer who used to beat Stepan BalaMut was MaximusX. He was one of the first to explore the theory of templates, and you can find his template section on my website. Together with Ancient from the Far East, he developed templates for BY tournaments. Unfortunately, these wonderful people have left the hero gaming community. But they have been replaced by an active newcomer, Alessandro, who is now more than just a newcomer. Sasha quickly gained experience and is now leading the selection for the Premier League on the Portal and several other author tournaments.

Well, that's basically it. It's a pity that the main hero gaming centers are far from Barnaul. I've only had a couple of opportunities to meet hero gamers from other cities in person. It was two years ago in Moscow - I was there for a couple of days on business and met with Vigo and Vitalik. And last year, I visited the glorious city of Michurinsk, where we ate shashlik and played with Nagann, Scorp, Mizrael, Rapper, and his charming sister TaKotoraya...

Best regards to all my wonderful friends and acquaintances in the hero gaming community!