Belgrade Open 2024

The halls of the Mathematical Grammar School buzzed with continuous clicking as rows of competitors inspected scrambles, set their timers, and launched into two days of intense puzzle solving. Belgrade, Serbia welcomed 57 contenders for the Belgrade Open 2024 across October 19 and October 20, turning the academic venue into an energetic arena. For dozens of participants arriving in the capital, this cubing competition served as an entry point into tournament play, with newcomers taking seats alongside seasoned veterans across 22 total rounds.

The 2024 gathering stood out for the massive influx of emerging solvers discovering the world of speed cubing for the first time. The official 3x3x3 Cube contest gathered 54 competitors across three stages, reflecting the steady grassroots enthusiasm in the region. As official timers started up on Saturday morning, the mix of fresh faces taking on their inaugural events and experienced hands chasing tenths of a second established a vibrant pace that held throughout the weekend.

Alexey Tsvetkov delivered an overwhelming performance across multiple categories, claiming top honors in six separate disciplines. In the 3x3x3 Cube, Tsvetkov secured victory with an impressive 6.32 winning average and a lightning-fast single solve of 5.61. Matej Marčok took second place with an 8.38 average, while David Arnaudov earned third with 9.87. Tsvetkov continued his dominance in the 2x2x2 Cube, logging a 1.20 winning average and a 0.98 single, finishing ahead of Marčok at 2.44 and Ivan Kapusta at 2.89.

The multi-event sweep by Tsvetkov extended across the shorter and alternative puzzles. He took first place in Pyraminx with a 2.41 average, outperforming a field of 39 contenders. In Skewb, Tsvetkov led the standings with a 3.19 winning average, followed by Viktor Nedeljković at 4.09 and Dušan Mašović at 4.76. He also claimed the 4x4x4 Cube crown with a 32.80 average, ahead of Aleksa Radovanović at 33.97 and Aleksandar D. Siljanoski at 35.99, before taking Clock with a 6.56 average over Mihajlo Stamenović at 6.85.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several solvers posted dramatic personal improvements across diverse disciplines. Filip Panić competed across three events, lowering his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 9.56, an improvement of 41 percent over his previous 16.20 mark, while also advancing his Pyraminx best to 8.35 by 22.5 percent and posting a 56.03 in the classic Rubik's Cube. Stefan Radoičić entered a single event and took his 3x3x3 Cube mark into single digits with a 9.96 personal best, slashing 36.6 percent from his previous 15.70. Vuk Krivokapić tackled five events, recording a 1:15.80 in the 4x4x4 Cube that was 32.5 percent faster than his previous best, alongside a 14.32 in the 3x3x3 Cube and a 3:15.38 Megaminx result.

First attempts and major breakthroughs highlighted the depth of the field throughout the weekend. Liam Zidar took on nine separate events, achieving a fourth-place finish in Square-1 alongside a 14.41 personal best that was 31.4 percent faster, a Clock best of 10.47 that was 25.2 percent faster, and a 7.83 in the 3x3x3 Cube. Nikola Simić earned seventh in the 2x2x2 Cube, dropping his Pyraminx best by 28.6 percent to 8.68, his 5x5x5 Cube mark by 20.8 percent to 1:27.22, and his 3x3x3 Cube mark to 9.10. Vuk Stošić logged four events, taking his first ever attempts at Pyraminx with an 11.95 and 4x4x4 Cube with 1:59.33, while improving his 3x3x3 Cube best by 16.8 percent to 27.31. Aleks Đorđević took his first ever attempts at Pyraminx with 6.98 and 4x4x4 Cube with 2:14.84, improving to 29.25 in 3x3, while Goran Tatomirov attempted 4x4x4 Cube for the first time with 2:13.70 and posted a 15.52 3x3 personal best.

The larger puzzles and specialized challenges produced great battles across nine official events. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Aleksa Radovanović captured the title with a 1:04.36 average, leading Aleksandar D. Siljanoski at 1:09.61 and Ivan Miletić at 1:21.25. Bogdan Čumić earned the Megaminx victory with a 44.00 average, finishing clear of Radovanović at 1:08.97 and Roman Sokolovskyi at 1:23.30. In Square-1, Sokolovskyi took the gold with a 17.42 average, holding off Vedran Štefulj at 20.68 and Nikola Aćimović at 22.55.

Host nation competitors made a massive statement on the leaderboards, capturing 15 podium places across the weekend, while Russian entrants secured 6, Ukraine 4, Croatia 1, and North Macedonia 1. The full range of results showcased both elite execution and the rapid progression of new talent at this WCA competition. For the local community tracking speedcubing progress, the official 3x3 results and breakthrough times logged at the Belgrade Open 2024 set an encouraging foundation for upcoming stages on the regional calendar.

Ucionice i hodnici koje nudi Mathematical Grammar School u gradu Belgrade, Serbia pretvoreni su tokom vikenda, 19. i 20. oktobra, u pravo boriliste za takmicare sa raznobojnim slagalicama. Stolovi za merenje vremena, inspektori sa stopericama i fokusirani pogledi takmicara ispunili su prostor tokom dva intenzivna dana. Ukupno 57 ucesnika okupilo se na turniru Belgrade Open 2024, spremnih da testiraju svoje prste i algoritme kroz cak 22 runde u okviru 9 razlicitih zvanicnih disciplina.

Iako su klasicne kocke uvek pod lupom, manje zastupljene discipline i njihovi specijalisti otvorili su turnirski program u velikom stilu. Megaminx je doneo sjajnu demonstraciju brzine u kojoj je Bogdan Cumic slavio sa pobednickim prosekom od 44.00 sekundi, uz najbrzi pojedinacni pokusaj od 38.35. Iza njega, Aleksa Radovanovic je zauzeo drugo mesto sa 1:08.97, dok je Roman Sokolovskyi bio treci sa 1:23.30. Ova dvanaestostrana slagalica zahtevala je maksimalnu koncentraciju kroz dve naporne runde.

Na nesvakidasnjem Square-1 izazovu, Roman Sokolovskyi je prikazao impresivnu tehniku rotacije neobicnih slojeva i odneo pobedu sa prosecnim vremenom od 17.42 sekundi, postavivsi i najbolji pojedinacni rezultat finala od 14.15 sekundi. Na pobednickom postolju pridruzili su mu se Vedran Stefulj sa 20.68 i Nikola Acimovic sa 22.55 sekundi. U disciplini Clock, slagalici sa zupcanicima i brojcanicima, Alexey Tsvetkov je trijumfovao sa prosecnim rezultatom 6.56, nadmasivsi domaceg takmicara Mihajla Stamenovica koji je zabelezio 6.85 i Romana Sokolovskyog sa 7.13.

Velika kocka 5x5x5 privukla je iskusne takmicare gde je Aleksa Radovanovic briljirao i obezbedio zlatnu medalju sa pobednickim prosekom od 1:04.36 i najboljim singlom od 1:01.81. Drugo mesto pripalo je Aleksandru D. Siljanoskom sa 1:09.61, dok se Ivan Miletic popeo na trecu stepenicu postolja sa prosecnim vremenom od 1:21.25. Pored uspeha u specijalnim disciplinama, speedcubing scena je pratila i odlicne duele u standardnim formatima koje je doneo Belgrade Open 2024.

Iza borbe za pehare, turnir je doneo izvanredne licne uspehe i vazne iskorake za brojne ucesnike. Dmitrii Denisov je ostvario licni rekord u Skewb disciplini sa 9.09 sekundi, sto je cak 26.9 procenata brze od njegovog prethodnog najboljeg rezultata. Iason Kontopodis je nastupio u svih 9 disciplina, ostvarivsi cetvrto mesto u Clocku, licni rekord 15.48 u Square-1 koji je 23.2 procenta brzi od starog, kao i 8.60 u Clocku i 55.83 u 4x4x4. Kosta Savic je popravio svoje rekorde u 2x2x2 sa 7.18 sekundi, sto je 21.5 procenata bolje, i u 3x3x3 sa 18.29. Vuk Nesic je zabelezio svoj prvi ikada zvanicni pokusaj na 4x4x4 kocki sa 2:17.65, uz licni rekord u 3x3x3 od 18.55, sto je 16.4 procenta brze, i rezultat 6.46 na Pyraminxu.

Cetiri takmicara su upravo ovde zabelezila svoje prvo WCA takmicenje u karijeri. Dimitrije Dobrodolac se oprobao u cak 8 razlicitih disciplina, upisavsi prve zvanicne rezultate: 15.00 u Skewbu, 10.53 u 2x2x2 i 24.89 u Clocku. Martin Alan Marinkovic je debitovao na cetiri fronta, postigavsi 18.00 na Pyraminxu, 3:35.53 na 4x4x4 kocki i 24.82 na standardnoj kocki. Petar Stefanovic je postavio prva vremena u tri discipline sa 15.29 na 2x2x2, 24.90 na Skewbu i 24.46 na Pyraminxu, dok je Milutin Andric takodje otvorio karijeru sa tri prva rezultata: 13.19 na Pyraminxu, 7.50 na 2x2x2 i 17.81 na 3x3x3 kocki.

Glavna disciplina, Rubikova kocka 3x3x3, okupila je cak 54 takmicara kroz tri runde. Alexey Tsvetkov je osigurao pobedu impresivnim prosecnim vremenom od 6.32 sekundi u finalu, uz najbolji pojedinacni pokusaj od 5.61 sekundi. Matej Marcok je zauzeo drugo mesto sa odlicnih 8.38 sekundi, dok je David Arnaudov kompletirao podijum sa prosekom 9.87. Tsvetkov je bio neumoljiv i u drugim brzim formatima, trijumfujuci u 4x4x4 kocki sa 32.80, Skewbu sa 3.19, Pyraminxu sa 2.41 i 2x2x2 kocki sa sjajnim prosekom od 1.20 sekundi.

Nakon dva dana intenzivnog nadmetanja, ovo zvanicno takmicenje u brzinskom slaganju slagalica pokazalo je sirinu regionalne scene. Domaci takmicari iz Srbije osvojili su ukupno 15 postolja, takmicari iz Rusije 6, Ukrajine 4, dok su Hrvatska i Severna Makedonija zabelezile po jedno postolje. Belgrade Open 2024 u prestonici Srbije za 2024. godinu uspesno je zatvorio zavesu, ostavivsi takmicarima pregrst oborenih rekorda i dragoceno iskustvo pred naredne izazove.