Bolton Spring 2024

One hundred competitors stepped up to the tables at Bolton School as speedcubing returned to Bolton, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom on April 6 and 7. The weekend schedule delivered 21 rounds across nine events, testing solvers on everything from multi-layered big cubes to mechanical puzzles. Handling a classic Rubik's Cube with both hands or managing intricate turns on alternate hardware requires immense dexterity, ergonomic grip control, and fluid execution. Across the two days of competition, solvers met that challenge with remarkably fast times across every bracket.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube contest drew 93 competitors through three intense rounds, ending with Caleb Wolf Dunn securing the overall title with an 8.33 winning average and a best single of 6.52. Bella Campbell placed second with an 8.72 average, while Luke Burns earned third place with a 9.08 mark. The final 3x3 results capped a dominant showing across the entire weekend for Dunn, who repeatedly demonstrated rapid turning speed and sharp puzzle management against a strong domestic field in this prestigious WCA competition.

Dunn added two more gold finishes to his tally, capturing the Clock title with a 3.43 average and a 3.11 best single, finishing ahead of Kris Lim at 4.58 and Kai Roff at 6.55. In the Megaminx event, Dunn claimed top honours with a 45.67 average and a 41.67 single across two rounds. He also secured podium spots in four other disciplines, taking second in Square-1 and Pyraminx, as well as third place in both the 4x4x4 Cube and 2x2x2 Cube finals.

The 2x2x2 Cube saw Luke Burns take the victory with a blistering 1.36 average, highlighted by a 1.27 best single, as Max Tully finished second in 1.72 and Dunn third in 2.20. In Pyraminx, Edward Burgess captured the win with a 2.39 average and a 1.34 single, holding off Dunn at 3.29 and Joel Keenan at 3.32. Square-1 went to Dorian Chan from Hong Kong, who secured first place with a 10.31 average, narrowly beating Dunn at 10.61 and Burns at 11.51 in a tightly contested final.

Big cubes and specialty disciplines brought further international distinction to Bolton Spring 2024. Harvie Partridge won the 4x4x4 Cube with a 31.59 average, outpacing Matthew Lowe at 34.60 and Dunn at 35.20. Partridge also topped the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline with a winning single of 1:11.18, leading Chan at 1:18.88 and Max Kwok U Sam at 1:19.43. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Kwok U Sam claimed gold for Macau with a 1:01.36 average, edging Partridge at 1:02.14 and Daniel Evans at 1:04.52.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors delivered massive personal breakthroughs across multiple disciplines. Richard Mang dropped his Clock personal best by 49 percent down to 8.24, lowered his 3x3x3 Cube best to 13.17, and logged his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with a time of 1:47.10. Leo Garvin cut his 2x2x2 Cube best by 48.4 percent to 4.82, while Jordan Mostert took on eight events, improving his Clock mark by 46.2 percent to 9.14, cutting his Square-1 time to 54.17, and recording a first ever 5x5x5 Cube attempt of 2:10.64.

Other solvers expanded their repertoires with major leaps and new event debuts throughout the cubing competition. Amy Frohwein took on five events, dropping her Pyraminx mark by 40.5 percent to 5.27, slicing her 4x4x4 Cube best to 1:09.53, and logging a first 5x5x5 Cube attempt of 2:46.36. Sahil Belmonte improved his 2x2x2 Cube time by 40 percent to 3.72 while attempting Pyraminx and Clock for the first time. Sam Livesey tackled eight events, setting a 2x2x2 Cube best of 3.66 and a 4x4x4 Cube best of 1:20.98 alongside a Clock debut. Josh Jackson finished 10th in Square-1 with a personal best of 14.71, while Zachary Gold Hanif contested seven events, notching debuts in Clock, 5x5x5 Cube, and 4x4x4 Cube.

Across the 2024 weekend, British competitors secured 23 total podium finishes, accompanied by two podium spots each for Hong Kong and Macau. Solvers from all backgrounds embraced the technical demands of every round, proving that dedication to speed cubing continues to thrive across the region. With intense competition across nine distinct categories, the gathering at Bolton School concluded as a memorable showcase of dexterity and focused problem solving.