Beachside Auckland 2024

Inside the Bucklands and Eastern Beaches Memorial Hall, the morning light stretched across tables arranged for deliberate problem solving. Speedcubing usually brings to mind the silent, studious tension of Fewest Moves where competitors sit with pen and paper mapping out theoretical turns over a full hour. Here in Auckland, New Zealand on April 6, 2024, the hall traded that slow analytical stillness for the relentless clack of plastic and high-speed mechanical precision across eleven intense rounds of action.

The one-day WCA competition brought together 64 competitors ready to test themselves across five diverse events. Beachside Auckland 2024 featured everything from the large, complex layers of the 6x6x6 Cube to the two-sided geared faces of Clock and the twelve-sided Megaminx. With timers triggering in fractions of a second, the energy in the venue reflected the sheer focus required to master each specialized discipline.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew the full field of 64 entrants through three contested stages. In the final, Andrew Feng of the USA captured top honours with a winning average of 5.94 seconds, which included the competition best single of 5.15 seconds. Chris Mills of New Zealand secured second place with an average of 6.52 seconds, while New Zealand compatriot Richard Yiheng Tao earned third on the podium with a mark of 6.76 seconds, rounding out the top 3x3 results.

Fast action on the smaller puzzles saw Yuki Gao of China claim victory in the 2x2x2 Cube. Gao recorded a winning average of 1.43 seconds after three rounds among 52 competitors, alongside a best single of 1.23 seconds. Alexander Vujcich of New Zealand followed closely in second place averaging 1.61 seconds, having set a single of 1.21 seconds and an average of 1.86 seconds earlier in the event, while Ram Thakkar of India secured third place with an average of 1.62 seconds.

Beyond the podium finishes, the cubing competition served as a proving ground for competitors pushing their own boundaries. Joshua Benjamin tackled five separate events and delivered substantial improvements, lowering their Clock personal best to 16.79 seconds, which was 47.7 percent faster than their previous mark of 32.08, while improving their Megaminx personal best to 2:19.19, a 40.9 percent drop from 3:55.52, alongside a first attempt at 6x6x6 Cube of 6:56.04. Tobi Janssen recorded a 42.5 percent drop on 2x2x2 Cube with a new personal best of 3.27 seconds down from 5.69, took their 3x3x3 Cube best down by 14.4 percent to 16.29 seconds, and logged a first Megaminx attempt of 2:38.30.

Other competitors marked significant milestones across the tables. Rasmus Cacdac made a first attempt at Clock in 16.33 seconds and improved their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 40.9 percent to 3.67 seconds. Vo Nhu Vinh Khang registered first career attempts in Megaminx at 2:27.02 and Clock at 26.84 seconds, while setting a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 2.21 seconds. Ethan Ruoqing Chen dropped their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 42.8 percent to 5.44 seconds and improved on 3x3x3 Cube to 26.12 seconds. Khanh Nhu Bao Vo tried Clock for the first time with a 47.74 single, Kayden Dong trimmed 39.1 percent from their 2x2x2 Cube mark to reach 12.48 seconds, and Tiffany Li took part in their first WCA competition, recording initial marks of 5.43 on 2x2x2 Cube and 15.40 on the classic Rubik's Cube.

The specialized puzzles delivered gripping head-to-head battles through the afternoon. In Clock, Brandon Harris took the title with a winning average of 3.87 seconds and a best single of 3.39 seconds across two rounds of 31 solvers. Richard Yiheng Tao claimed second place with an average of 4.21 seconds, and Edwin Shen took third with 4.47 seconds. On the Megaminx, Alexander Vujcich led the pack with a 31.16 winning average and a single of 28.31 seconds, finishing ahead of Harris at 38.46 seconds and James Macdiarmid at 44.35 seconds.

The big cubes capped off the schedule with the 6x6x6 Cube, where 23 competitors took to the tables for a single decisive round. Richard Yiheng Tao clinched first place with a winning average of 1:56.45 and a single of 1:46.57. Linus Kunath of Germany took second place averaging 2:00.98, and James Macdiarmid collected another podium spot in third with a time of 2:16.30. In total, New Zealand competitors claimed 11 podium spots, alongside podium finishes from China, the USA, Germany, and India.

As timers were packed away at Beachside Auckland 2024, the day concluded as a testament to the growth of speed cubing in the region. From seasoned solvers setting top averages to debutants recording their first official times, the competition delivered high-caliber results across all five events on the roster.