A Tuesday in Ashfield 2024

Curtis Chai put together a blistering 1.65-second winning average in the 2x2x2 Cube, punctuated by a 1.36 single, setting the tone for a remarkably varied day of speedcubing. The private residence venue in Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA hosted A Tuesday in Ashfield 2024 on December 31, 2024. A compact field of 12 competitors tackled a full slate of 12 distinct events across 13 rounds, turning the final day of the 2024 calendar into an exhaustive showcase of puzzle diversity.

The competition program spanned everything from the standard Rubik's Cube to towering big cubes, non-twisty puzzles, and side events. Rather than narrowing focus to standard formats, the gathered field rotated through two-layer sprints, complex polyhedral turns, and mechanical dials. In total, all 36 podium positions across the tournament were claimed by United States competitors, with Chai and Aedan Bryant dividing all twelve event victories between themselves throughout the day.

Chai dominated the sprint and mid-range formats. In addition to his 2x2x2 crown, Chai secured victory in the marquee 3x3x3 Cube with a winning average of 7.47 seconds and a best single of 6.01, topping the 3x3 results ahead of Bryant's 8.72 and Jacob Schwartz's 10.39. Chai also captured first place in Clock with a 4.71 average, Pyraminx with a 2.55 average, Skewb at 3.93, Megaminx at 49.36, and the 5x5x5 Cube with a 57.43 average.

Bryant answered with command over the big cubes, one-handed turning, and mechanical permutation. He locked down the 4x4x4 Cube with a 32.95 average, edging Schwartz at 35.23 and Chai at 35.45. Bryant then swept the remaining long-format events, taking the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:55.68 average and the 7x7x7 Cube in 3:16.01. Adding versatility to power, Bryant also won 3x3x3 One-Handed in 15.95 seconds and conquered Square-1 with a winning average of 10.39.

Beyond the title race, the smaller field allowed individual milestones to flourish across varied formats. Tommy Chestnutt posted a dramatic 26.4 percent personal best drop in the 7x7x7 Cube with a 10:51.00 single, alongside a 16.7 percent improvement on 6x6x6 at 7:40.93 across his eight events. Luke Chestnutt took on all 12 events, finishing fourth in 7x7x7 while dropping his 4x4x4 single to 40.86, a 17.7 percent improvement. Jalen Shareef also completed all 12 disciplines, taking fifth in 6x6x6 and cutting his Square-1 best by 20.9 percent to 15.71 seconds.

Other competitors delivered standout breakthroughs in specialised brackets. Matthew Isabella entered eight disciplines, finishing fifth in 4x4x4 and lowering his Skewb best by 13.2 percent to 8.02 seconds. Olivia Faith Kim contested six categories, recording her first ever attempt at Skewb with a 17.49 single and taking seventh in Megaminx while trimming her 2x2x2 best by 32.9 percent to 4.48 seconds. Ming Chai (柴明) reached fourth place in Clock across six events, improving their personal best single to 7.30 seconds.

Julian Kim, the founder and developer of Speedcubing.app, completed a heavy schedule across 10 events at the competition. He logged five personal bests during the day, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in Pyraminx with a 5.49 average and 3.48 single. Kim made his first career attempt at the 5x5x5 Cube, recording a single of 2:18.55 to place eighth, while posting personal bests of 49.76 seconds in 4x4x4 Cube, 6:35.01 in 7x7x7 Cube, 1:31.21 in Megaminx, and 26.86 in Square-1.

The marathon schedule demonstrated how much speed cubing depth can fit into an intimate gathering. A Tuesday in Ashfield 2024 closed out the year by testing solvers across twelve different disciplines without a break in momentum. Every competitor on the roster handled heavy workloads, concluding an intense cubing competition that celebrated the full breadth of the WCA competition catalog before turning the page to a new season.