August Bank Holiday Cheltenham 2023

A total of 208 competitors gathered across two days of intense puzzle action, turning Leisure at Cheltenham into a lively hub of speedcubing camaraderie. August Bank Holiday Cheltenham 2023 ran from August 26 to August 27, bringing together solvers from multiple nations to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. Across 20 rounds in 7 distinct disciplines, the atmosphere between official stages remained energetic as participants shared tips, scrambled puzzles for peers, and celebrated shared milestones throughout the busy 2023 bank holiday weekend.

The flagship 3x3x3 Cube drew an impressive field of 201 competitors through four separate stages of play. Thomas Bevan secured top honours in the main Rubik's Cube category with a consistent winning average of 8.57 seconds, backed by a quick best single solve of 7.84 seconds. Close behind in the 3x3 results, Tomas Lin claimed second place on the podium with an 8.89 average, while Tom Salmon rounded out the all-British top three with an average mark of 8.92 seconds.

The multi-stage drama extended into the 2x2x2 Cube, an event featuring four rounds and 160 participants that ended in a razor-thin finish. Anael Champion took first place representing France with a stellar 1.83 average, having recorded a lightning single of 1.06 seconds during the round. Danny Morgan secured second place on the podium with a 2.01 average, narrowly beating out James Tuppenney who finished third with a 2.02 average in one of the tightest contests of the cubing competition.

Side events offered plenty of variety and excitement beyond the standard cubes. Nicholas Archer dominated the 3x3x3 One-Handed event among 101 entrants, claiming victory with a 9.05 average and a 7.92 single, ahead of James Alonso at 12.73 and Tomas Lin at 16.09. Over on the pyramid-shaped Pyraminx puzzle, Satya Bhavesh Gala led 167 competitors to win with a 4.68 average, fending off Danny Morgan at 4.78 and James Alonso at 5.16 in a tense final round.

Bigger hardware demanded equal precision and stamina across the two-day schedule. Dean David topped the 4x4x4 Cube standings in a 114-person field with a decisive 30.99 average and a 26.10 single, finishing clear of Danny Morgan at 33.27 and Daniel Chiu at 35.11. Danny Morgan returned to the top spot in the 5x5x5 Cube, averaging 59.37 seconds as the sole solver under one minute, followed by Nicholas Archer at 1:05.25 and Harvie Partridge at 1:06.62.

Behind the podium finishes, the heart of this WCA competition belonged to the remarkable personal breakthroughs achieved across the scoreboards. Harry Colliver slashed his previous 2x2x2 mark by 62.6 percent to register a 2.46 personal best while also completing his first ever 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 1:24.49 and his first Skewb attempt in 6.23. Ben Fountain also delivered a huge 52.8 percent improvement on 2x2x2 to record 3.25, while charting official debuts in 5x5x5 at 3:10.20 and Skewb at 8.94. Idris Andrews took on three events and dropped his 3x3x3 best by 49.8 percent down to 16.48, additionally logging first attempts in Pyraminx at 9.31 and 4x4x4 at 1:30.84. Toby Haworth tackled seven events, trimming his 2x2x2 best by 47 percent to 3.36, cutting his 4x4x4 best by 41.4 percent to 53.72, and registering a debut 3x3x3 One-Handed solve of 46.45.

The personal milestones continued across every stage of the arena as solvers took on fresh challenges. Owen Sims showed great speed by lowering his Pyraminx best by 39.6 percent to 6.95, while also recording his first official 5x5x5 solve in 2:32.90 and a 35.73 debut in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Preston Mee improved his Skewb personal best by 37 percent down to 8.13 and tackled debut attempts on 2x2x2 with 3.62 and one-handed with 57.30. Vir Srivastava delivered a strong 35.2 percent improvement on the classic 3x3x3 to reach 20.13, while securing first-time results of 7.75 in Pyraminx and 11.39 in Skewb. Noah Webb took a 37th-place best finish in 2x2x2 alongside a 32.1 percent personal best of 3.43, alongside first official runs in 4x4x4 at 1:40.67 and one-handed at 46.93.

In the Skewb tournament, Ariel Benchetrit outpaced a field of 122 entrants across three rounds, capturing the title with a 3.31 winning average and a 2.36 best single solve. Harry Owen earned the second podium position with an average of 4.09, followed by Harvie Partridge who claimed third place with a 4.37 average. The shared enthusiasm between rounds underscored why speed cubing thrives on community support as much as raw speed on the timer.

As August Bank Holiday Cheltenham 2023 drew to an end, competitors packed up their timers and puzzles with plenty of shared memories and new benchmarks. Across 20 rounds of structured play, the weekend highlighted the vibrant social spirit and deep competitive focus that define regional gatherings in Gloucestershire. With new personal marks set across every event, solvers left ready to build on their progress heading into the next season of competition.