Adelaide Summer 2023

A mere twelve-hundredths of a second decided the most dramatic contest of the weekend as Austen Au of Singapore edged Vietnam's Trung Tran to claim top honours in Skewb at Adelaide Summer 2023. Au posted a decisive final average of 5.83 seconds, featuring a best single of 4.50, just enough to withstand Tran's 5.95 average. Australia's Riley Love finished right behind in third place with a 6.09 average, ensuring the entire podium was separated by only twenty-six hundredths of a second across two rounds of intense solving.

Held on January 28 and 29, 2023, the cubing competition brought 166 competitors to the Prince Alfred College venue in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Across eight events and 14 rounds, the tournament delivered high-calibre speedcubing action as solvers tackled everything from side events to marquee disciplines. The international field showcased tremendous depth, with competitors from Australia earning 15 podium finishes, alongside six for Vietnam, two for India, and one for Singapore across the two days of competition.

The premier Rubik's Cube category delivered outstanding speed cubing across three full rounds for a field of 162 entrants. Vietnam's Tu Pham took the championship with a blistering winning average of 7.13 seconds, highlighted by the weekend's best single solve of 5.88 seconds. Seth Ferry from Australia took the runner-up spot with an 8.31 average, while fellow Australian Adrian Oon claimed third place with a 9.95 average. The 3x3 results cemented Pham's mastery on the main stage.

Pham doubled his title count in 3x3x3 One-Handed, securing victory with an impressive 13.46 average and a single solve of 9.28 against 56 entrants. Ferry again claimed second place with an 18.06 mark, ahead of Tran who clocked 19.43 for third. Ferry would not be denied gold across the weekend, however, sweeping the big cubes by capturing the 4x4x4 Cube in 36.68 seconds ahead of Tran (40.36) and Mehul Tandon (40.64), before winning the 5x5x5 Cube in 1:16.00 ahead of Matthew Flay (1:19.66) and Brock Hamann (1:21.09).

In the rapid-fire 2x2x2 Cube event, Gerard McGinley of Australia led 146 competitors across two rounds to capture the title with a 2.65 winning average and a 2.22 single. Tran secured another silver medal with a 3.50 average, while Tandon earned bronze at 3.54. McGinley also demonstrated remarkable versatility in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, taking third place with a 2:54.58 average behind Jeremy Crouther's 2:39.38 and champion Yinhao Ding, who won the two-round blindfolded event with a sharp 1:56.45 average.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, Adelaide Summer 2023 was filled with remarkable personal breakthroughs. Cameron Pollard produced a massive jump in 3x3x3 One-Handed, setting a personal best of 29.15 seconds that was 48.9 percent faster than his previous mark of 57.02, while also taking on his first ever official attempts in Skewb (12.84) and Pyraminx (4.47). Tom Nguyen Ngo also delivered a major leap in Skewb, cutting his best by 46.6 percent from 16.10 down to 8.59, while tackling eight events and making his first official attempts in 5x5x5 Cube (2:55.63) and 3x3x3 Blindfolded (2:47.09) to place sixth.

Several other competitors broadened their repertoires with tremendous drive. Adam Carter Schmidt slashed his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 43.3 percent to 5.44 seconds while logging his first official solves in Pyraminx (8.31) and Skewb (7.28). William Andrew Lau recorded a 38.5 percent improvement in Skewb to 10.70 and made first attempts in 4x4x4 Cube (1:32.39) and 5x5x5 Cube (3:13.61). Jeremy Arulampalam improved his Pyraminx best by 33.5 percent to 5.33, while Henry Hodges improved his 3x3x3 mark by 33.2 percent to 18.25. Harry Parkyn tackled eight events including first runs in One-Handed, 5x5x5, and Pyraminx, while Emmanuel Peter D'Souza entered six events with maiden attempts in 5x5x5, One-Handed, and Skewb.

The weekend concluded with an electric Pyraminx final, where Nathan Nairn of Australia took the title across 105 competitors with a 4.26 average and a 2.71 single solve, leading an all-Australian podium alongside Cody Driver (4.66) and Lucas Chung (4.96). From razor-thin margins at the top of the standings to dozens of new event milestones, the WCA competition at Prince Alfred College delivered a vibrant showcase of talent across every round.