ALL1- Empire State 2024

The competition floor inside the Albany Capital Center buzzed with intense focus and flying plastic as solvers from across North America gathered for a packed weekend of puzzles. With timers clicking and judges watching every turn, the stage was set in Albany, New York, USA, on November 2 and November 3 for ALL1- Empire State 2024. Across twenty rounds of play, fifty-two competitors put their preparation to the test in this fast-paced Rubik's Cube showdown.

The shortest, sharpest events delivered electric drama from the very first turns. In the 2x2x2 Cube, speed cubing ace William Lavoie set the standard with blisteringly quick hands. Lavoie claimed victory across two rounds of competition with a winning average of 1.84 seconds alongside a best single solve of 1.22 seconds. Ryan Hughes secured second place with an average of 2.37 seconds, while Nico Ozsvath rounded out the podium in third with a 2.41 average.

The marquee 3x3x3 Cube contest stood out as a highlight of the weekend, drawing fifty competitors through three tightly contested stages. When the final round dust settled, Levi Gibson captured the title with a tournament-winning average of 8.37 seconds and a best single effort of 7.33 seconds. Evan Liu took the runner-up spot with an 8.64 average, while 2x2 champion William Lavoie added another podium to his weekend tally by finishing third with a 9.08 average in the final 3x3 results.

While the short sprints took center stage, Livia Kleiner delivered a dominant masterclass across the larger puzzles throughout ALL1- Empire State 2024. Kleiner swept the major hardware by winning the 4x4x4 Cube with a 32.24 average, the 5x5x5 Cube with a 56.80 average, and the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:36.40. Evan Liu pushed hard in each of those events to claim second place across all three big cube podiums, complemented by third-place finishes from Jeffrey Chen in 4x4x4, Louis Truong in 5x5x5, and Jihu Mun in 6x6x6.

Away from the championship finals, the heart of any cubing competition lies in the personal milestones achieved across the venue. Nour Samkough produced massive leaps forward, slicing 42.8 percent off their 4x4x4 personal best to reach 1:00.16, trimming their 5x5x5 mark by 34.7 percent down to 1:49.02, and improving their 3x3x3 time by 25 percent to 15.09. Aahil Abbas also made significant strides, cutting their 2x2x2 best by 38.3 percent down to 3.81 seconds. Benjamin Downs achieved major personal records across three disciplines, dropping their 2x2x2 mark by 25.1 percent to 3.31 seconds, their Clock mark by 21.5 percent to 8.65 seconds, and their 4x4x4 time by 21.1 percent to 1:35.24. Dylan Nickelsburg improved their Skewb best by 23.5 percent to 4.72 seconds and their 3x3x3 best by 10.1 percent to 7.96 seconds on the way to a ninth-place finish in 3x3x3.

Several competitors broadened their repertoires with ambitious event loads and debut outings. Miles Schwarz tackled six events, knocking 23.1 percent off their Clock personal best with a 7.44-second solve and logging a first career Megaminx attempt of 2:40.10. Elliot Voigt entered eight disciplines, logging a first career 6x6x6 result of 5:34.55 and chopping 17.5 percent off their 5x5x5 best to finish in 1:50.81. Sebastian Vargas entered eight events as well, successfully completing debut attempts in 5x5x5 at 2:24.40, Square-1 at 1:06.61, and 6x6x6 at 5:40.57. First-time participant Jonny Dietrich made an impressive entrance into competitive speedcubing by taking on five events, establishing marks in Clock at 31.60, 4x4x4 at 1:52.41, and 2x2x2 at 11.34.

The side events provided their own share of thrilling finishes across the weekend. In the Clock event, Angelo Terpening emerged victorious over thirty-six entrants with a 4.66 winning average, edging out Evan Liu at 4.80 and Rex Ozsvath at 4.87. Ryan Hughes claimed the Skewb title with a sharp 3.36 average ahead of Livia Kleiner at 3.82 and Evan Liu at 3.94. In Square-1, Zach Ridall took top honors with an 8.46 average over Wang Ma at 10.08 and Ryan Hughes at 10.93, while Nicolas Naing dominated the Megaminx field with an impressive 29.31 winning average.

The United States led the international medal count with twenty-four total podium placements, accompanied by two podiums for Canada and one for China. By the time the venue cleared out, ALL1- Empire State 2024 proved to be an exceptional showcase of dexterity and dedication for seasoned contenders and debutants alike. As the 2024 speedcubing calendar continues to unfold, every competitor left Albany with new benchmarks to chase in their next WCA competition.