Battle of Waterloo 2024

Inside RIM Park, the steady clicking of plastic mechanisms and the rhythmic chime of digital timers signaled the start of a packed two-day schedule. Tables stretched across the hall as 152 competitors gathered for Battle of Waterloo 2024 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Across June 8 and June 9, the venue hummed with focused preparation and quick turnarounds as puzzle enthusiasts took their stations for a weekend dedicated to the craft of speedcubing. With 20 total rounds scheduled across nine distinct disciplines, the competition promised a thorough test of versatility and nerve.

Saturday opened with a sweeping slate of qualifying rounds, establishing an intense pace across both classic twists and specialty puzzles. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Morgan Yeh set the benchmark early before taking the final with an average of 27.30 seconds and a single of 25.96. China competitor Max Xiong followed in second place with a 28.61 average, while Omar Ellabban secured third at 30.15. The larger 5x5x5 Cube also concluded its rounds as Ellabban captured the title with a winning average of 46.81, followed closely by Hong Kong competitor Burno Li Chak Kwan at 49.31 and Yeh at 51.47.

The initial day of action continued with diverse events that challenged different mechanical skill sets. In Skewb, Nicholas Patterson navigated the bracket to take top honors with a final average of 3.43 seconds, edging Max Kaloshi at 4.00 and Li Chak Kwan at 4.30. Meanwhile, the side-event schedule featured Megaminx and Clock, where Burno Li Chak Kwan recorded a winning average of 34.11 on the dodecahedral puzzle, and Lucas Nieuwland secured the Clock title with an average of 5.07 seconds ahead of USA competitor Harsha Paladugu at 6.07.

Beyond the fight for top seeds, the weekend schedule offered a major proving ground for competitors expanding their repertoires across multiple categories. Jacob Zhuang delivered a standout breakthrough during the two-handed and specialty rounds, cutting his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best down to 42.35 seconds, which was 51.6 percent faster than his previous mark of 1:27.53, alongside an 8.2 percent improvement on his 2x2x2 Cube mark to 6.81. Johnny Kattan took on a full workload of nine events, logging his first official attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 7:15.17, Pyraminx at 17.15, and Clock at 31.98. Daniel Kruis also completed nine events, posting first-time marks of 6.15 in 2x2x2 Cube, 37.23 in Clock, and 2:38.23 in 5x5x5 Cube. Brandon Woodward completed nine categories as well, registering initial times in Clock at 19.61, Megaminx at 2:34.49, and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 41.14.

Other competitors similarly seized the busy timetable to record their first official results across new disciplines. Olivia Park tackled seven events across the weekend, logging first-ever attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:57.76, Pyraminx at 10.47, and Clock at 19.27. Colin Taylor completed eight events, recording debut times of 1:42.58 in 4x4x4 Cube, 13.37 in Clock, and 39.89 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. William Shen entered seven events and produced first official results in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 19.11, Skewb at 5.07, and Clock at 49.59. Louis Wang took on six events, securing first attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:29.60, Pyraminx at 8.99, and Skewb at 12.36, contributing to a vibrant atmosphere of personal progression across the arena.

When Sunday arrived, the focus shifted toward the shorter formats and the final rounds of the classic events. In Pyraminx, Harsha Paladugu led the field with a 2.64 average and a 1.84 single, outperforming Kaloshi at 3.56 and Adrian Panszczyk at 3.58. The 2x2x2 Cube bracket drew 125 competitors, ultimately won by Ryan Wu with a sharp 1.77 average, finishing ahead of Matthew Lee at 2.20 and William Zhou at 2.69. This dynamic WCA competition highlighted how quickly margins shrink when solving smaller mechanisms under match conditions.

Single-handed solving also reached its conclusion on Sunday in 3x3x3 One-Handed, where 82 competitors vied for the podium. Stanley Wang emerged on top with a winning average of 11.58 seconds, supported by a 10.11 best single. Lee claimed his second runner-up finish of the weekend with a 12.06 average, while Brennen Lin took third place at 12.88. The standard of speed cubing remained exceptionally high as competitors moved directly from the specialty finals into the closing stages of the main event.

The centerpiece of the entire gathering was the four-round traditional Rubik's Cube competition, bringing 147 entrants to the tables. Across four rounds of cuts, the standard 3x3 results came down to a razor-thin finish in the final round. Brennen Lin took victory with an average of 6.96 seconds, narrowly holding off Morgan Yeh who finished second with an average of 6.97. Stanley Wang completed the podium in third place at 7.30 seconds. The 2024 showdown underlined the depth of Canadian talent, with host nation solvers taking 20 podium positions alongside strong showings from Hong Kong, the United States, and China.

As the final stopwatches clicked off at RIM Park, Battle of Waterloo 2024 concluded two full days of high-level solving. From the marathon multi-event campaigns of emerging solvers to the sub-seven-second decider on Sunday afternoon, the weekend demonstrated the breadth of competitive puzzle solving. With equipment packed away and scores verified in the international database, the community turned its attention forward to the next season of regional challenges.