Bay Area Speedcubin' 66 - Belmont 2024

138 competitors gathered on November 9, 2024, to contest 14 rounds across seven events as regional talents faced off on the solving mats. The stage was set at Crystal Springs Uplands School - Middle School in Belmont, California, USA, where local contenders met visitors representing international delegations. Bay Area Speedcubin' 66 - Belmont 2024 served as a high-stakes arena for puzzle specialists seeking to defend their home turf against challengers hailing from across the globe, creating intense drama from the opening heats to the final podium presentations.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube contest, the traditional centerpiece of any WCA competition, drew a massive field of 135 entrants across three elimination stages. United States competitor Micah Yeo held off fierce regional opposition to capture the title, compiling a decisive 7.52 winning average and logging a best single of 6.87. Vismay Murthy pushed hard for the top spot, securing second place with an 8.29 mark, while Paul Mahvi locked in third with an 8.58 average. These definitive 3x3 results demonstrated the incredible depth present throughout the regional lineup.

Big cube specialists found their own intense showdown in the 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube divisions. Paul Mahvi staged a commanding performance to secure two gold medals for the United States. In the 4x4x4 Cube event, Mahvi averaged 27.22 to finish ahead of Japan's Yuki Nomura (野村優希), who took silver at 31.41, with Mitchell Lane rounding out the podium at 33.23. The battle repeated in the 5x5x5 Cube, where Mahvi claimed the victory in 53.72, again besting Nomura, who finished second in 55.77, while China's Matt Mao earned third place with a 1:08.21 average.

Short-format speedcubing witnessed another double-gold sweep as Trevor Mendelson dominated both the 2x2x2 Cube and Pyraminx tables. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Mendelson averaged 1.92 to edge out fellow American Ezra Severson at 1.96 and Stanley Tran at 2.23. Mendelson duplicated his winning ways on the Pyraminx, taking top honors with a 3.13 average ahead of Stephen Zhu at 3.45 and India's Pravith Velmurugan at 3.58. The 2x2x2 rounds were particularly fast across the board, setting an electric pace for the entire speed cubing program.

Clock and Skewb featured similarly hard-fought duels between distinct solving styles at Bay Area Speedcubin' 66 - Belmont 2024. Jaidon Poraminthara Lin (เจเดิ้น ปรมินทร์ หลิน) set the benchmark in Clock with a winning average of 3.54, outpacing Alessandro Diomampo at 4.05 and Ethan Mendelson at 4.37. Meanwhile, the Skewb final concluded with Dean Jacob Adamo Susskind taking the crown with a 3.30 average, besting Ezra Severson at 3.67 and Sid Shivnath at 4.25 to close out the varied slate of official events.

Beyond the championship podiums, the official scorecards were filled with tremendous personal milestones and breakthroughs across every round. Colin Hartman delivered one of the weekend's sharpest drops, cutting his Clock personal best by 62.5 percent down to 13.11 while also improving his 2x2x2 Cube mark to 2.71. Arjun Nighojkar trimmed his Skewb best by 60 percent to 8.09, shaved his 2x2x2 Cube time by 27.5 percent to 3.21, and lowered his 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 19 percent to 1:05.41. Jeffrey Silverman sliced his Rubik's Cube best by 52.4 percent down to 19.01 and registered his first official 2x2x2 Cube result of 6.33.

First-time event appearances also marked a memorable weekend for several dedicated participants navigating the crowded competition schedule. Chloe Ho tackled seven separate events, achieving a best finish of 41st in 5x5x5 Cube, making initial event attempts in Pyraminx at 9.87 and Clock at 17.76, while lowering her 2x2x2 Cube time by 22.9 percent to 3.84. Benjamin Chan took on all seven disciplines, earning 51st in 5x5x5 Cube with an inaugural 3:06.65, alongside debut attempts of 31.07 in Clock and 9.19 in Skewb. Ethan J. Lim logged first-time efforts in Pyraminx with 15.37, Skewb with 8.57, and 4x4x4 Cube with 1:32.05.

Other notable progress emerged across the ranks as competitors pushed their limits in Belmont. Prajin Vikraman entered six events, logging maiden attempts of 15.76 in Clock and 15.97 in Skewb while improving his 3x3x3 Cube best by 8.6 percent to 17.06. Saai S. Shingare posted an initial Skewb solve of 10.89 and dropped their Pyraminx mark by 29.3 percent to 9.49 across five events. The sheer variety of puzzles provided every entrant the chance to test their skills against peers from across the state and beyond.

With 17 podium places captured by the United States, two by Japan, and one each by China and India, the international flavor enriched an already vibrant regional clash. Bay Area Speedcubin' 66 - Belmont 2024 highlighted the technical precision required across every discipline, leaving competitors with new milestones to celebrate as they look forward to future challenges on the circuit.