BASC 57 - Big and Blind 2024

The tables inside the multipurpose room at Olinder Elementary School were arranged for a demanding test of endurance and memory. Stopwatches rested alongside large layers of plastic mechanisms as solvers settled into their stations, studying color layouts in silence before donning blindfolds or launching into long series of algorithms. The atmosphere in San Jose, California, USA carried the focused intensity unique to big puzzles and memory disciplines, where a single misaligned layer or lapsed memo can undo minutes of calculated work.

BASC 57 - Big and Blind 2024 brought 46 competitors together on February 25, 2024, staging 7 events across 11 rounds. This speedcubing meet differed from a standard Rubik's Cube gathering by focusing entirely on higher-order hardware and unseen solutions. Success across the day was determined by steady execution rather than isolated flashes of speed, rewarding participants who could maintain composure through extended solves without conceding costly penalties or incomplete attempts.

In the 5x5x5 Cube, Max Park demonstrated that rock-solid consistency across a full round remains unbeatable. Park secured the title with an average of 36.80 seconds, backed by a best single of 36.03. Varun Mohanraj claimed second place with a 47.39 average, while Paul Mahvi took third at 54.21. The 7x7x7 Cube told a similar story of sustained pace, where Park again finished on top with a winning average of 1:46.00 after a preliminary best single of 1:41.96, outpacing Mahvi at 2:31.80 and Mohanraj at 2:37.18.

The 6x6x6 Cube final provided another example of steady pacing over high-risk turning. Varun Mohanraj navigated the two rounds of competition to claim victory with an average of 1:32.04 and a single of 1:29.99. Paul Mahvi earned the runner-up spot with a closely matched 1:33.72 average, while An Le rounded out the podium at 1:51.89. In a discipline where lockups and parity errors easily derail an average, Mohanraj delivered clean solves from start to finish.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones and personal bests at BASC 57 - Big and Blind 2024. Caleb Suh took on 6 events, achieving a personal best of 1:03.85 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded that was 30.8 percent faster than his previous mark, logging a personal best of 1:36.99 on 5x5x5 Cube, making his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 13:05.00, and finishing fourth in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind. Roei Hammel posted huge time drops across three disciplines, cutting his 7x7x7 Cube best by 18.2 percent to 3:22.25, improving his 6x6x6 Cube best by 15.6 percent to 2:24.67, and lowering his 5x5x5 Cube mark by 15.4 percent to 1:01.43 on his way to an eighth-place finish.

Other dedicated solvers expanded their repertoires across big layers and blindfolded disciplines. Dhruv Chalasani tackled his first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube with a time of 5:14.15 and improved his 5x5x5 Cube personal best by 17.6 percent down to 2:00.61. Vinh Vu lowered his 7x7x7 Cube personal best by 17.1 percent to 5:02.53 and his 6x6x6 Cube best by 16.6 percent to 2:33.61. Richard Anthony Parada finished fourth in 5x5x5 Blindfolded while cutting his 7x7x7 Cube personal best by 17 percent to 5:28.02 and his 6x6x6 Cube mark by 4.2 percent to 3:50.15. Robert Alan Marks logged his first ever attempts at both 5x5x5 Cube in 3:20.27 and 6x6x6 Cube in 6:12.25 alongside a 7x7x7 Cube personal best of 8:54.95. Tavia Jorjorian-Miller recorded a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube in 4:08.22, while Owen Vaughan logged a first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube in 3:37.23 and improved his 5x5x5 Cube best by 3 percent to 1:13.28.

The blindfolded categories demanded extreme cognitive stamina, where Graham Siggins swept every title on offer. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, Siggins posted a winning average of 20.94 seconds to lead Luke Meszar at 41.97 and Ben Yu at 1:00.42. During the weekend, Siggins also registered an 18.10 single and a 20.23 average in the event, leading a round where numerous competitors, including David Karalli with a 23.52 single, left their mark on the 3x3 results sheet in San Jose.

Siggins extended his mastery to the larger blindfolded formats, winning 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a single of 1:46.88 ahead of Matt Mao at 5:10.02 and Ben Yu at 6:38.63. In 5x5x5 Blindfolded, Siggins claimed first in 4:31.13, followed by Mao in 13:53.00 and Draco Tong in 30:15.00. The signature endurance display came in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, where Siggins solved 57 out of 64 cubes in 59:36, leading Ben Streeter with 10 out of 13 in 49:06 and Arjun Shetty with a flawless 5 out of 5 in 34:32.

The action at BASC 57 - Big and Blind 2024 underlined how vital repeatability and measured control remain in high-level speed cubing. Across the international field, United States competitors captured 18 podium positions, while Chinese competitors claimed 2 and India secured 1. Every successful solve at this WCA competition reflected deep preparation, reinforcing that composure under pressure remains the defining quality of this demanding cubing competition as the community heads toward future challenges in 2024.

When the final timers were packed away at Olinder Elementary School, BASC 57 - Big and Blind 2024 concluded having showcased the absolute extremes of puzzle solving. From the rapid-fire mechanical precision of the big cube finals to the silent, hour-long calculations of multi-blind attempts, the single-day gathering proved that victory in modern speedcubing belongs to those who turn reliable consistency into an art form.