Appleby Fall B 2023

Inside the Appleby College A.W.B. Alumni Centre for Athletics and Student Life, the tables buzzed with animated discussion, friendly scramble demonstrations, and shared puzzle tips. Competitors swapped technique advice between calls to the staging area, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere across the venue floor. While the stopwatches ran with tournament precision, the real pulse of the gathering came from the quiet bonds formed between practice solves. It was a day where collective passion set the tone for an exciting day of speedcubing.

Held on September 24, 2023, in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, Appleby Fall B 2023 gathered a total of 132 competitors for a full schedule of eight rounds across five disciplines. The single-day tournament provided plenty of opportunities for solvers of all experience levels to test their capabilities in an official WCA competition setting. From main-stage staples to complex side puzzles, the event showcased the rich diversity and high energy that speed cubing communities bring to each gathering.

The 3x3x3 Cube event drew a large field of 131 competitors across two packed rounds of Rubik's Cube solving. In the final, Morgan Yeh from Canada captured first place with an exceptional winning average of 6.86 seconds, alongside a best single solve of 6.43 seconds. Fellow Canadian Matthew Lee followed closely in second place with a 7.35 average, while Mexico's Diego Brizuela Crespo completed the podium in third place with a 7.84 average, highlighting the intense quality of the weekend's 3x3 results.

The side events at Appleby Fall B 2023 delivered equally compelling stories and showcased a broad range of puzzle proficiencies. Burno Li Chak Kwan of Hong Kong put on a dominant display, earning two separate event titles. In the Megaminx, Li Chak Kwan secured the top spot with a 39.69 average and a 36.96 single across 54 competitors, ahead of Matthew Lee in second at 45.54 and Arhaan Sareen in third at 47.11. Li Chak Kwan also took victory in the 5x5x5 Cube, recording a 53.37 average to lead Sareen with 54.53 and Yeh with 56.14.

Short-format solving and specialized rotation puzzles rounded out the competitive program with remarkably close margins. Andrew Mao topped a deep 117-competitor field in the 2x2x2 Cube, logging a blistering 1.57 winning average and a 1.17 single. Arhaan Sareen took second place with a 1.85 average, and Sihan Fu took third at 2.39. In Square-1, Diego Brizuela Crespo secured first place with an average of 7.03 and a best single of 6.33, finishing ahead of Burno Li Chak Kwan at 8.93 and Matthew Lee at 9.17 across the 38-competitor event.

Beyond the championship podiums, the heart of this cubing competition lived in the individual milestones earned throughout the brackets. Felix Burke took on four events, setting a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 2.09 that was 55.1 percent faster than their previous mark of 4.65, while logging a first ever Square-1 attempt of 32.59. Saketh Perumana tackled four disciplines, dropping their Square-1 personal best by 53.2 percent to 37.12 from 1:19.29 and logging a first 2x2x2 Cube try of 8.08. Advik Arunkumar entered three events, improving their 2x2x2 personal best by 49.5 percent down to 5.72 and posting a first Megaminx result of 3:54.95. Christopher Shen took on four events, taking 46 percent off their Megaminx record with a 3:00.19 and logging a first 5x5x5 Cube attempt of 4:26.39.

The wave of milestones continued as Luke Tomoyuki Tsai improved their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 42.8 percent to 24.89 and recorded a first Megaminx time of 3:56.17 across three events. Cliff Neilans made a first ever 5x5x5 Cube attempt of 3:14.60 while improving their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 38 percent to 5.08. Aliyas Pawlak entered four events, posting a first Megaminx try of 3:26.39 and cutting 36.2 percent off their 3x3x3 Cube record with a 14.96 solve. Nathan Payne completed three events, earning a 30.6 percent reduction on their 3x3x3 Cube best with a 21.91 and logging a first Megaminx mark of 3:28.18.

By the time the final awards were distributed, Appleby Fall B 2023 had shown what makes local tournaments special. Solvers celebrated shared progress, packed up their cubes, and exchanged well wishes with friends old and new. The day proved that whether contending for top spots or simply shaving seconds off personal records, the shared journey across rounds remains the central reward of tournament speedcubing.