Buckeye Big Cubes 2023

A nail-biting showdown in the 4x4x4 Cube final set the tone in Columbus, Ohio, USA, where Ari Randers-Pehrson took first place with a winning average of 26.52 seconds, edging out Luke Garrett by just two hundredths of a second. The fast-paced finish marked the centerpiece of Buckeye Big Cubes 2023, an intense one-day WCA competition held at the Ohio Union on April 30, 2023. Bringing together 27 competitors across 14 rounds, the tournament delivered high-octane speedcubing action across big puzzle disciplines.

While fans regularly search for classic 3x3 results and traditional Rubik's Cube events, the focus in Columbus turned squarely to complex hardware. Across the five featured categories, competitors tackled 4x4x4 through 7x7x7 cubes alongside the twelve-sided Megaminx. The fast turning at the top tables proved that solving larger layers requires the same lightning-fast pattern recognition and lookahead as smaller puzzles, delivering dramatic finishes from the very first round of the day.

Randers-Pehrson carried that momentum directly into the 5x5x5 Cube, securing a second gold medal of the meet. In that final, Randers-Pehrson posted a winning average of 52.36 seconds and a best single of 50.09. Roxy Behrle pushed the pace to take second place with a 53.83 mark, while Garrett rounded out the podium in third with an average of 54.80. The result cemented Randers-Pehrson as the dominant force in the mid-sized puzzle events throughout the competition.

In the largest layers of the weekend, Kate Grahame proved unstoppable by sweeping both the 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube events. Grahame captured the 6x6x6 title with an average of 1:30.15 and a standout single of 1:28.04, finishing ahead of Behrle at 1:32.41 and Randers-Pehrson at 1:42.03. In the 7x7x7 final, Grahame struck gold again with a 2:16.80 average, highlighted by a 2:07.78 single, while Behrle earned another silver at 2:25.06 and Garrett took third at 2:44.07.

The Megaminx contest provided its own rapid-fire thrills as Garrett topped the podium with an impressive winning average of 38.70 seconds. Garrett also delivered the fastest single of the discipline with a mark of 36.80. Phillip Lewicki secured the second position with an average of 45.77, while Braden Richards placed third at 53.32. Across every event on the schedule, United States competitors claimed all 15 available podium positions during an electric day of speed cubing.

Beyond the podium battles, several solvers achieved massive milestones that made Buckeye Big Cubes 2023 memorable. Andrew Fast delivered a massive breakthrough in Megaminx, logging a personal best single of 2:35.18 that was 37.7 percent faster than his prior record, while also dropping his 4x4x4 single to 1:18.94. Vishal Vivekanandan cut huge chunks of time across multiple puzzles, slicing his 6x6x6 personal best by 34 percent down to 3:32.96 and improving his 5x5x5 best by 22.8 percent to 1:25.78, alongside a first official 7x7x7 attempt of 5:39.03.

Other competitors took on demanding multi-event slates with outstanding individual progress. Benjamin Fox tackled five events and registered official first-time results in three: a 4:12.81 on 6x6x6, a 5:58.36 on 7x7x7, and a 2:44.93 on Megaminx. Scott Cousteau entered five events and recorded initial marks in the 5x5x5 at 3:46.92, Megaminx at 4:59.26, and 7x7x7 at 11:02.00. Margo Dorman posted a 14.4 percent improvement on 6x6x6 with a 2:38.21 personal best, dropped her Megaminx best to 1:31.11, and completed a first 7x7x7 solve in 4:21.82. Eric Dodson logged a personal best 4x4x4 single of 1:40.06, a 14.1 percent drop, while trying 7x7x7 for the first time in 9:54.91. Brenden Vaughn improved across three categories, highlighted by a 16.3 percent drop to 41.70 on 4x4x4, while Carson Miller secured an eighth-place finish in 4x4x4 with a personal best single of 34.80.

With 14 total rounds wrapped up across five technical disciplines, the gathering at Ohio Union demonstrated the depth and versatility required at a modern cubing competition. From two-hundredth-of-a-second margins in the 4x4x4 to marathon solving tests on the 7x7x7, the athletes showcased dedication across all puzzle dimensions. As another competitive chapter closes in Columbus, the field leaves with fresh personal bests and sharp skills heading into the remainder of the 2023 calendar.