AlphaCubing B 2023

A total of 81 competitors lined up for the main event at AlphaCubing B 2023, setting the stage for a dramatic finish that came down to fractions of a second. Hosted in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA on May 7, 2023 at the Hilton Alpharetta Atlanta, the one-day speedcubing gathering brought together 83 participants across six different disciplines. The premier 3x3x3 Cube bracket spanned three intense rounds, demanding absolute precision from everyone who advanced toward the decisive final stage.

The concluding round of the Rubik's Cube turned into a razor-thin duel between Kerry Creech and Luke Garrett. Creech secured the tournament victory with an average of 6.88 seconds, holding off Garrett, who posted a 7.01 average, by barely more than a tenth of a second. Caleb Chen completed the podium in third place with an average of 7.04 seconds, while Creech also locked down the round's best single solve at 5.58 seconds. These tight 3x3 results capped a high-pressure finale at the tables.

Creech added two more trophies to build a dominant treble across the schedule. In Clock, Creech took top honours with a winning average of 4.42 seconds and a single of 3.84, finishing ahead of Vishwa Sankar at 4.83 and Garrett at 5.28. Creech then claimed first place in Pyraminx with a 2.05 average and a 1.54 single, outpacing Keon Wilson at 2.57 and Garrett at 2.69. The performance made Creech the most prolific victor across the entire 13 rounds of competition.

Luke Garrett responded with standout performances in the specialized hardware categories. Garrett captured the 3x3x3 One-Handed title with a decisive 10.25 average and a best single of 8.93, clear of Andreas Lambropoulos in second at 12.24 and Creech in third at 13.85. Garrett followed that up by claiming the 5x5x5 Cube crown, turning in a winning average of 53.69 seconds and a 49.13 single, leading Sankar with a 55.85 and Katie Hull at 57.33 on the podium.

Beyond the championship battles, the tournament floor hummed with notable individual breakthroughs that the podium summaries rarely show. Alik Cotton produced one of the most striking drops of the day in Pyraminx, cutting their personal best down to 5.56 seconds from an earlier mark of 15.86, a 64.9 percent improvement, while also lowering their 3x3x3 mark to 15.96. James T. Steed sliced 53.5 percent off their Pyraminx record with an 8.43-second effort and logged their first official Clock solve at 25.78. Jack Vernon Gentile took on six separate events, earning a 14th-place finish in One-Handed with a 19.39 personal best, improving their previous time by 47.7 percent.

Fresh faces and new event entries were plentiful throughout the weekend. Nikita Bukhanistyi posted a Pyraminx personal best of 5.44 seconds, 34.1 percent faster than their prior best, while completing maiden attempts in One-Handed at 55.32 and 5x5x5 at 4:21.21. Luke Sloan took 16th place in the 3x3x3 Cube after lowering their personal best to 9.42 seconds, a 32.2 percent drop, alongside first-time marks in One-Handed at 25.54 and 6x6x6 at 3:02.83. Tyler Strohm entered four events, posting a Clock personal best of 26.02, 33.2 percent faster than before, while making first attempts in Pyraminx at 10.29 and 5x5x5 at 4:37.45. Gianna Marie Martinez improved their 3x3x3 record to 24.20, an improvement of 16.6 percent, and Harrison Shin tackled all six events, setting a 6x6x6 personal best of 5:49.31.

Big-cube solving reached its peak in the 6x6x6 Cube event, where Vishwa Sankar delivered an impressive series of turns to win the gold. Sankar clocked a winning average of 1:38.11 with a fast single of 1:31.51 across two rounds of play. Hull secured the runner-up position with a 1:44.33 average, while Garrett collected another top-three award in third place at 1:48.50, ensuring an all-United States sweep of the medals across the event programme.

AlphaCubing B 2023 offered an engaging showcase of fast-paced speed cubing in Alpharetta, balancing world-class times at the top with valuable milestones for first-time entries. With 18 podium spots earned by domestic talent and dozens of personal milestones achieved, this WCA competition concluded as a tightly contested chapter for speedcubers across the region as they look ahead to the next cubing competition on the calendar.