Berwick Fall 2023

A blistering 6.34-second average on the standard 3x3x3 Cube by Carson Widjaja stood as the defining mark of the weekend at Saint Mary's Church. Across eight rounds of intense play, Berwick Fall 2023 delivered sharp, relentless turning that stood in direct contrast to the quiet deliberations often seen in slower analytical events. While disciplines like Fewest Moves demand an hour of patient drafting and paper notation, this gathering in Berwick, Pennsylvania, USA, was entirely about pure physical velocity and split-second reaction times under tournament pressure.

The one-day WCA competition on September 16, 2023, brought together 49 competitors across five distinct disciplines. Rather than calculating efficient move counts with pens, solvers leaned over timers and raced to trim fractions of a second across the board. The atmosphere inside the venue was defined by fast-paced rounds and dramatic showdowns at the solving stations, providing a classic showcase of American speed cubing talent in late 2023.

Carson Widjaja captured top honors in the marquee 3x3x3 Cube category, pairing his winning 6.34 average with the single quickest solve of the day at 5.67 seconds across two rounds. Shaun Mack took second place in the 3x3 results with an average of 7.77 seconds, while Aaron Jake Wong secured third on the podium with an 8.13 mark. Widjaja also claimed gold in the 4x4x4 Cube, posting a winning average of 30.03 seconds and a sharp 25.09 single, edging Mack who finished runner-up at 31.14.

Shaun Mack dominated the remainder of the slate, capturing three titles to complete an exceptional day of speedcubing. Mack earned victory in the 2x2x2 Cube with a 2.55 average and a best solve of 1.77 seconds, narrowly leading Widjaja who took second with 2.79, followed by Patrick Neely in third at 3.30. In the Clock event, Mack registered a 5.72 winning average and a 5.36 single, finishing ahead of Zach Ridall at 7.85 and Stephen Griggs at 8.28 in the 27-competitor field.

Mack capped his triple-gold performance by taking the Pyraminx crown with a 2.63 average and a 2.11 single across two competitive rounds. Yuki Nagai finished in second place with a 4.26 average, while Widjaja added another podium finish to his tally by claiming third place at 5.34. Across every event, the podiums reflected an intense contest between the weekend leaders, with all fifteen podium places claimed by United States competitors in an impressive collective performance.

Beyond the championship battles, the cubing competition provided fertile ground for personal breakthroughs and ambitious event debuts. Roger Getts delivered an extraordinary improvement in the 2x2x2 Cube, setting a personal best of 3.38 seconds that was 71 percent faster than his previous mark, while also taking on Clock for the first time with a 19.12 effort. Jacob A. Abell cut his Pyraminx personal best by 51.6 percent down to 8.87 seconds and made his first official attempt at the 4x4x4 Cube, finishing in 1:59.44. Andrew Christian dropped his Clock record by 52.5 percent to 12.60 seconds, and Grey Adams lowered his 2x2x2 Cube best by 53.7 percent to 5.19 seconds.

The depth of participation was equally evident among solvers taking on new puzzles and entering the tournament circuit for the first time. Carter Strouse tackled five events at Berwick Fall 2023, recording a career-best ninth-place finish in Clock with a first attempt of 9.86 while debuting in Pyraminx at 5.32 and 4x4x4 Cube at 58.40. Hayden Slaski entered five disciplines, setting a 4x4x4 Cube best of 56.64 that was 37 percent faster than before alongside a 5.81 debut in Pyraminx. Aiden Seojin Kook made his tournament debut across four events, logging 20.20 in the Rubik's Cube and 7.70 in Pyraminx, while Amanda Sanon launched her official journey across three events, including a 9.19 debut on the 2x2x2 Cube.

The second round of the 2x2x2 Cube produced notable marks throughout the ranks, with multiple competitors posting sub-four-second averages as the field pushed the limits of the small puzzle. Carson Widjaja produced a blistering 1.33 single during the contest, while Aaron Jake Wong, Patrick Neely, and Sam Deacon all logged sharp times that kept the margins razor-thin from top to bottom.

As the final timers were cleared at Saint Mary's Church, Berwick Fall 2023 concluded as a showcase of rapid execution and broad multi-event mastery. From the lightning turns of the 2x2x2 Cube to the calculated twists of the 4x4x4 Cube, the competitors delivered an unforgettable weekend of speed and precision in Pennsylvania, leaving their marks in the record logs before turning attention toward the next season of tournament play.