Bellevue Squan Fest 2024

A blistering 5.92-second final average on Square-1 by Sameer Aggarwal set the tone for an intense day of head-to-head racing in the Pacific Northwest. Meeting on November 2, 2024, at the Bellevue Church of Christ venue, a compact roster of 33 speedcubing competitors gathered for Bellevue Squan Fest 2024 in Bellevue, Washington, USA. The single-day tournament put local skill on full display across five distinct puzzle categories, spanning 12 rounds of relentless solves.

Across the schedule, Aggarwal and rival standout Ron G. Arama repeatedly traded supremacy across different puzzle classes. While traditional Rubik's Cube solvers often keep their focus on standard speed cubing layouts, this meet tested versatility. Arama claimed the Pyraminx crown with a 3.11 winning average, fending off Vikram Haldar at 3.44 and Saharsh Sai Vontela at 3.67. Haldar kept the pressure on through three intense rounds involving 26 entrants, but Arama sealed the win with a round-best 2.87 single.

The rivalry between the top seeds deepened in the 2x2x2 Cube, an event drawing 30 competitors across two rounds. Arama secured his second title of the meet by averaging 2.27 in the final, edging out Adhiyan Kumaresan at 2.50 and Ishaan Bansal at 2.66. Earlier in the preliminary round, Aggarwal laid down a tournament-low 1.43 single, while Arama logged a 1.48 single and a 2.07 average to establish his pace. Despite missing the 2x2x2 podium, Aggarwal remained a constant threat across the rest of the roster.

Aggarwal struck back forcefully in the 4x4x4 Cube, leading a 28-player field through two competitive rounds. Logging a 24.47 single and a 28.82 winning average, Aggarwal comfortably secured top honors ahead of Jonathan Truchot at 32.29 and Benjamin Gottschalk at 34.96. The matchup demonstrated how different regional specialists adapt when stepping away from routine 3x3 results to manage the larger mechanisms and parity algorithms required on big cubes.

In the specialty event giving the tournament its name, Aggarwal dominated Square-1 with unrivaled consistency over three rounds. His winning average of 5.92 stood well clear of Gottschalk, who took second with 8.39, and Walter Lee Wilson, who claimed third at 12.21. Aggarwal also added a sharp 4.56 single during the final. In the big cube category, the 6x6x6 Cube brought 18 participants to the tables, where Kevin Hays posted a winning 1:23.07 average and a 1:21.92 single, holding off Aggarwal at 1:30.43 and Truchot at 1:56.73.

Behind the fight for tournament silverware, the ranks were fueled by significant personal milestones. Reajnithdra Thesis Ly delivered one of the weekend's standout progressions, dropping their Pyraminx personal best to 1.38, an improvement of 70.9 percent over their previous 4.74 mark, while also shaving 19.8 percent off their 6x6x6 Cube best with a 3:09.30. Malikai Bass took on two events and sliced their Pyraminx personal best down to 5.37, running 69.3 percent faster than their prior 17.49 record. Eden Choi tackled three disciplines, achieving a 7.39 Pyraminx personal best, a 1:09.57 4x4x4 mark, and a 4.44 2x2x2 result.

Fresh milestones continued down the standings as Mauricio Antonio Escobar III lowered his Pyraminx personal best to 2.89, cutting his previous mark by 48.8 percent while also establishing a 1:16.29 in 4x4x4 Cube. Lukas Kaulius completed his first ever attempt at Pyraminx with a 10.65 solve and trimmed his 2x2x2 personal best by 18.6 percent to 7.02. Milo Fuller improved across two events, recording a 3.57 in 2x2x2 and an 11.05 in Pyraminx. Miles Goodman contested five events, achieving a best finish of 7th in Square-1 with a personal best of 11.52 alongside a 2.89 in Pyraminx. Kennen Fong stepped onto the official floor for their first WCA competition, logging debut marks of 7.76 in Pyraminx, 5.89 in 2x2x2, and 2:53.38 in 4x4x4.

When the final timers stopped at Bellevue Squan Fest 2024, the United States swept all 15 podium positions across the five disciplines. With double victories from both Aggarwal and Arama, alongside Hays taking the 6x6x6 Cube title, the regional talent delivered a complete display of speed. The gathering proved that a focused cubing competition can generate elite results and personal milestones across every tier of the field as the 2024 season progresses.