Berkeley Weekday in Spring 2024

Anto Kam delivered the standout performance of the day by securing the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title with a winning single of 38.89 seconds, having earlier posted a blazing mark of 20.44 seconds in the preliminary phase. Staged on March 12, 2024, the one-day gathering drew 25 dedicated competitors to the ASUC Student Union Martin Luther King Jr. Building, Tilden venue in Berkeley, California, USA. Across two distinct puzzle disciplines and four rigorous rounds, the meet tested both long-haul stamina and instantaneous calculation under strict competitive conditions.

The competitive format played a decisive role in shaping the final standings across both events at Berkeley Weekday in Spring 2024. With three separate rounds dedicated to 3x3x3 Blindfolded, participants faced progressive qualification pressure where execution without vision demanded absolute consistency to survive successive elimination cutoffs. Meanwhile, the 6x6x6 Cube was condensed into a high-stakes single round where every turn directly influenced the final podium standings. This contrasting structure meant that blindfolded specialists had multiple opportunities to calibrate their execution, while big-cube solvers faced immediate finality from their very first solve.

In the 6x6x6 Cube, An Le put on a clinic of pacing and precision over a grueling series of attempts. Le captured first place with an overall winning average of 1:42.07, anchored by a best single effort of 1:35.37 across the field of 14 competitors. Kevin Lee took the second step on the podium with a disciplined average of 1:49.33, while Nico Harper secured third place with an average of 2:00.74. Navigating the sheer hardware friction and high piece count of the massive puzzle in a single-round format required composure from start to finish.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded final delivered dramatic moments as solved states hinged on complete mental recall. Anto Kam from Hong Kong claimed the victory atop the podium with the round-winning mark of 38.89 seconds. Jimmy Kingston of the USA earned second place with a successful time of 1:15.62, while Ethan Jan locked up third place with a time of 2:26.44. In a demanding discipline where a single displaced corner or miscalculated edge cycle results in a complete DNF, managing the balance between inspection memory and mechanical execution defined the podium finishers.

The format allowed multiple competitors to establish new benchmarks through successive rounds of blindfolded solving. Ethan Jan logged a best single of 1:38.14 and an average of 1:49.30 during the earlier stages, while Jimmy Kingston posted an earlier single of 1:05.16. Other noteworthy marks from the blindfolded rounds included Cindy Xiaoyue Huang recording a 50.97 single, Ruby Lu notching a 1:44.37 single, and Ben Yin posting 1:51.00. Edward Zeng added a 2:06.41 single and TJ Kelly logged a 4:01.58 single, demonstrating how repeated round exposure helps solvers push beyond baseline efficiency.

Away from the top of the leaderboard, several solvers capitalized on the format to achieve substantial personal progress. Edward Zeng dropped his 6x6x6 Cube mark down to 2:58.00, an improvement of 16.8 percent compared to his previous best of 3:33.92, while also achieving a best finish of 4th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded across two entered events. TJ Kelly improved by 13.1 percent in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, lowering their mark to 2:46.67 from an earlier 3:11.81. Ruby Lu brought their 6x6x6 Cube personal best down to 2:18.73, shaving 8 percent off an earlier 2:30.75, while Alejandro Jatem Flores registered a 4.9 percent improvement with a 3:15.44 mark in the 6x6x6 Cube.

Other competitors took advantage of the focused schedule to establish milestones in the speedcubing arena. Tsukasa Sano tackled their first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube, earning a best finish of 7th with a time of 2:43.25. Ben Yin improved by 4.5 percent in 3x3x3 Blindfolded to register a new best of 1:51.00, while Sean Yang lowered their 6x6x6 Cube personal best by 3.9 percent to 2:35.04. Dawson Kern stepped up for their first WCA competition, taking on one event during the busy weekday schedule, while Vivek Verma posted a personal best of 2:51.86 to take 8th place in the 6x6x6 Cube.

The intense weekday gathering provided an exceptional demonstration of classic speed cubing across specialized events. While fans tracking global rankings regularly review 3x3 results, this WCA competition put the spotlight on memory mastery and big-cube precision. Over the course of the day, solvers manipulated the classic Rubik's Cube mechanism in unseen orientations and tackled the multifaceted layers of larger hardware. With 25 competitors contributing to four intense rounds, Berkeley Weekday in Spring 2024 stood as a testament to the technical diversity of competitive cubing.

As the final timers stopped in the Martin Luther King Jr. Building, the podium counts reflected five top-three finishes for the USA and one for Hong Kong. The well-defined round structures rewarded competitors who maintained tactical control across long solves and memory trials alike. Berkeley Weekday in Spring 2024 wrapped up as a concise yet impactful cubing competition, leaving participants with sharp personal improvements and valuable tournament mileage as they head into future stages of the season.