Across the Woods Kentucky B 2023

Zayn Khanani sealed a dominant weekend in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, securing victory in the 3x3x3 Cube with an 8.13 winning average to close out Across the Woods Kentucky B 2023 on December 17, 2023. As the 2023 speedcubing calendar reached its final stretch, this late-season cubing competition gathered 33 competitors at the William T. Young Campus Center. Across 17 rounds and seven events, the one-day gathering offered contenders an important late-year proving ground to lock in marks before the racing calendar flipped over into the new year.

The 3x3 results in the main event capped off three rounds of intense classic Rubik's Cube solving. Zayn Khanani delivered a single solve of 6.42 on the way to his winning 8.13 mark in the final. Braden Richards took second place on the podium with an 8.32 average, while Hassan Khanani rounded out the top three at 9.08. The main bracket highlighted the high standard maintained across the tournament, serving as the centerpiece of a packed schedule.

In the 2x2x2 Cube, Hassan Khanani claimed the title with a blistering 1.64 average, highlighted by a 1.09 single. Sujan Feist pushed him closely to finish runner-up with a 1.72 average, while Zayn Khanani took third place at 2.41. In the preliminary rounds of the event, Zayn Khanani logged a 0.67 single and a 1.55 average, while Hassan Khanani recorded a 1.08 single and a 1.79 average among several fast times posted across the field.

Square-1 action saw another top finish from Hassan Khanani, who captured first place with a 6.82 average and a round-best 5.62 single. Zayn Khanani followed on the podium in second place with an 8.46 average, ahead of Braden Richards in third at 12.64. The discipline brought 11 competitors together over two rounds, setting a rapid benchmark for the specialty event in the Lexington venue.

Zayn Khanani expanded his gold medal tally in Skewb and 3x3x3 One-Handed. In Skewb, Zayn Khanani took first place with a 2.51 average over Evan Brown at 4.48 and Dominic Brandi at 4.59. The 3x3x3 One-Handed final saw a Khanani family sweep of the top three spots, as Zayn Khanani won in 13.61, Ibrahim Khanani took second in 15.87, and Hassan Khanani earned third in 16.20.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several speed cubing participants made remarkable strides during the day. William Christian cut his Clock personal best by 61.6 percent down to 7.48, took sixth place in the event, improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 29.9 percent to 5.41, and recorded a 9.79 in his first Pyraminx attempt. Saathvik Bondalapati entered four events, logging a 6.48 personal best on 2x2x2 Cube along with debut attempts in Skewb at 19.25 and Pyraminx at 22.48. Vivaan Singh tackled Clock for the first time with a 38.85 and achieved personal bests of 5.29 on 2x2x2 Cube and 13.77 on Pyraminx. Francis Vu took on five events, achieving a best finish of 10th in 3x3x3 One-Handed while registering first-time marks in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 26.86, Skewb at 7.04, and Clock at 10.31.

The progress continued across every corner of the tournament roster. Case Gillespie tackled six events, finishing 11th in 3x3x3 Cube, posting debut times in Clock at 18.55 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 27.14, and shaving his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 17 percent to 2.98. Addison Tencza contested five disciplines, finishing eighth in Pyraminx while logging personal bests of 10.03 in Clock, 5.28 in Skewb, and 4.37 in 2x2x2 Cube. Oscar Weinmann completed his first WCA competition by taking on four events, setting debut times of 8.96 on 2x2x2 Cube, 28.33 on Skewb, and 31.05 on 3x3x3 Cube. Robert William Marcum also made his official debut, posting an initial 12.22 in Pyraminx, 18.48 in 2x2x2 Cube, and 1:26.76 in the 3x3x3 Cube.

Keenan Darkins emerged victorious in Clock, taking the title with a 7.16 average to edge out Hassan Khanani at 7.33 and Braden Richards at 7.49. In Pyraminx, Jake M. Hanson captured first place by averaging 3.23 with a 2.67 single, holding off Braden Richards at 3.41 and Zayn Khanani at 4.59 across three competitive rounds.

With all 21 podium positions claimed by United States competitors, Across the Woods Kentucky B 2023 delivered a decisive conclusion to the year in the region. The winter meet highlighted both seasoned podium regulars and advancing athletes as the competitive community looked ahead to fresh milestones in the upcoming season.