Austin Tiny Puzzles 2023

Seventeen competitors gathered in Oak Hill in Southwest Austin for a full day of dedicated speedcubing across three fast-paced events. Held on November 18, 2023, Austin Tiny Puzzles 2023 offered seven intense rounds of competition. While traditional 3x3 results typically capture the headlines at broader tournaments, this gathering in Austin, Texas, USA, turned the spotlight onto three alternative formats: 2x2x2 Cube, Pyraminx, and Skewb.

The 2x2x2 Cube event stood out as the centerpiece of the meet, featuring three full rounds that produced a wave of career milestones and record performances. Matthew Bidwell set the benchmark in the event, logging a single of 2.68 and an average of 3.36 during the rounds before securing first place overall in the finals. The event featured widespread personal records from the field, underscoring the high level of execution achieved throughout the day.

In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Matthew Bidwell captured the title with a winning average of 3.99 alongside a best single of 2.43 across the round. August Rhyne secured second place with an average of 4.37, having earlier logged a 2.28 single and a 3.71 average. Rune Thomas Coulbourne claimed the third podium position with an average of 4.48 after recording a 2.85 single and a 4.85 average in earlier tournament action.

The Pyraminx competition brought fifteen solvers to the tables across two competitive rounds. Gustavo Guerra delivered the top performance of the event, earning the victory with a 5.16 winning average and a round-best single of 4.58. Dakshik Dhanapal followed in second place with an average of 6.87, while Siddharth Reddy took third on the podium with a mark of 7.00 in the final round.

Skewb rounded out the slate of events with thirteen entrants battling through two rounds. Siddharth Reddy earned the top spot on the podium with a winning average of 6.63 and a best single of 4.05. Gustavo Guerra finished in second position with an average of 6.86, and Matthew Bidwell collected third place with an average of 7.37, concluding an impressive all-around performance across multiple categories.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors achieved major milestones on the competition floor. James De-Ji Pee delivered one of the weekend's largest jumps, cutting his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 4.66, which was 27.6 percent faster than his previous 6.44 mark, while also posting a 9.74 in Pyraminx to improve by 11.7 percent. Benjamin Williams took on the 2x2x2 Cube and shaved 22.2 percent off his prior benchmark with a new best of 5.14. Levi Sylvester James contested three events, earning a best finish of 4th in 2x2x2 Cube while dropping his single down to 2.92 for a 14.6 percent improvement. Vyom Sharma entered three events, taking 5th in Skewb while lowering his Skewb best to 5.62, a massive 21.9 percent reduction from his previous 7.20.

First attempts and new discipline debuts also shaped the narrative of the tournament. Pablo Armendariz tackled three events, finishing 5th in 2x2x2 Cube with a 9.1 percent personal best improvement to 3.09 while logging his first official attempts in Skewb with 13.73 and Pyraminx with 10.10. Santi Fields completed their first official WCA competition, taking on two disciplines to record an 11.11 in Pyraminx and a 6.79 in 2x2x2 Cube. Wyatt Riedel also marked their competition debut at the event, recording an official 15.76 single on the 2x2x2 Cube.

The single-day meet demonstrated the depth of the regional speed cubing scene across specialty disciplines. With competitors from the USA capturing all nine available podium positions, Austin Tiny Puzzles 2023 offered an efficient showcase of precision solving across seven total rounds. From early rounds through to final averages, every solver contributed to a dynamic day of Rubik's Cube variants and focused competition in Texas.