Auckland Matariki Open 2024

Adrien Auvray Matyn delivered a masterclass on home soil at Every Nation Auckland City, capturing the premier 3x3x3 Cube title with a blistering 6.81 winning average and a round-best 5.94 single. The standout performance anchored a remarkable multi-event display that highlighted a bustling weekend of speedcubing action in Auckland, New Zealand. Running across June 28 and June 29, the Auckland Matariki Open 2024 gathered 88 competitors across 9 events and 24 rounds of intense play, drawing dedicated puzzle solvers from across the region and beyond for an unforgettable mid-year showcase.

The 3x3 results in the main event reflected an exceptional standard of execution across three elimination rounds featuring 87 competitors. Auvray Matyn held firm in the final against determined domestic opposition, leaving Richard Yiheng Tao in second place with a 7.67 average and Alexander Vujcich taking third with 7.90. The victory cemented Auvray Matyn as the premier performer of the competition, as he repeatedly demonstrated technical poise and composure on the classic Rubik's Cube on his way to topping the podium.

Auvray Matyn expanded his medal collection across specialized disciplines, claiming top honours in both Square-1 and 3x3x3 One-Handed. In Square-1, he registered a winning average of 5.74 and a best single of 5.27 over three rounds of 18 competitors, finishing comfortably ahead of Camerone Chin of Malaysia on 10.29 and Ashley Foster on 10.63. Transitioning to one-handed solving among 37 entrants, Auvray Matyn posted a 13.12 average to outpace Jesse Brooke at 13.53 and Andrew Feng of the USA at 13.67, bringing his individual title haul to three.

Big cube specialists also commanded attention during the Auckland Matariki Open 2024, with Angela Braganza securing an impressive double victory in the 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube. Braganza secured the 6x6x6 crown over 20 entrants with a 1:46.42 average and a 1:31.01 single, edging Richard Yiheng Tao at 1:49.20 and Kalvin Lum at 1:59.56. In the 7x7x7 event featuring 17 competitors, Braganza again captured gold with a 2:37.46 average, ahead of Tao at 3:01.94 and Lum at 3:08.62, while Alexander Vujcich collected the 5x5x5 Cube title with a 51.55 average over Tao at 53.53 and Braganza at 59.23.

The shorter formats delivered fast-paced finishes across deep brackets. Richard Yiheng Tao took gold in the 2x2x2 Cube final, averaging 1.83 to finish ahead of Alexander Vujcich on 1.87 and Adrien Auvray Matyn on 1.92 in a 73-player field. In Pyraminx, Elyas Eyou recorded a 2.30 winning average and a 1.55 single among 51 entrants, finishing clear of Tao on 2.68 and Auvray Matyn on 3.11. Meanwhile, Brandon Harris captured the Clock title over 32 entrants with a 3.58 average and a 3.19 single.

Beyond the podium finishes, the cubing competition provided fertile ground for personal breakthroughs and ambitious event debuts. Atticus Cook turned in a massive 64.3 percent improvement in Square-1, cutting their personal best to 16.64 from 46.59, while also dropping their Pyraminx best by 46.1 percent to 4.22 across five events. Adam Chen surged in Pyraminx with a 3.55 mark that beat their prior best by 61 percent. Rory Bannatyne tackled four disciplines, slicing their 3x3x3 Cube best by 51.3 percent to 12.33, while also making their first official attempts at 3x3x3 One-Handed with 37.00 and Pyraminx with 8.02. Isaac Russell logged three events, setting a 16.59 personal best in 3x3x3 that improved upon 29.68 by 44.1 percent alongside a first attempt at 2x2x2 Cube of 5.44.

The depth of progress continued with Austin Carter, who entered four events and improved their Pyraminx personal best by 42.9 percent down to 6.93 while clocking 22.79 in their first ever 3x3x3 One-Handed attempt. Kaden Ho entered three events, achieving a 4.93 personal best in 2x2x2 Cube that was 40.5 percent faster than before, while also recording debut marks of 9.70 in Pyraminx and 13.99 in Clock. Oliver Ren took on a demanding nine-event schedule, securing a 4.30 personal best in Pyraminx that was 33.2 percent faster than their past standard, and adding debuts in 6x6x6 Cube at 3:24.90 and 7x7x7 Cube at 4:57.52. Lucas Volodzskis entered five events, earning an 8th-place finish in 3x3x3 Cube alongside first attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:33.38 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 16.80.

First-time entrants added further energy to the gathering, with Carol Egan, Isaac Ly, Archer Dixon, and Juno Andersen all taking their first steps at a sanctioned WCA competition. In total, New Zealand competitors took 24 podium spots, accompanied by two for Malaysia and one for the USA. As the final rounds wrapped up at the Auckland Matariki Open 2024, the busy two-day schedule concluded as a thoroughly successful celebration of speed cubing excellence in 2024.