Canada's Best in the West 2024

Kyle Santucci laid down a stunning 4.35 single on his way to securing the 3x3x3 Cube title with a 6.73 winning average, capping a showcase of rapid growth in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Across three full days of action from January 5 to January 7, 2024, Canada's Best in the West 2024 assembled 144 competitors at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre. The tournament spanned 12 events and 25 rounds, setting a vibrant standard for the year with breakthrough solves across both classic twists and specialist puzzles.

The premier Rubik's Cube category delivered intense drama through four rigorous rounds among 139 competitors. Santucci took top honours with his 6.73 mark, edging out Sameer Aggarwal, who posted a 6.83 average, while Luke Jankowiak rounded out the podium with a 7.52 average. These decisive 3x3 results demonstrated the fine margins separating the top tier, where hundredths of a second determined the ultimate ranking.

Max Siauw produced a remarkable weekend across multiple stages, collecting victories in four separate events. Siauw commanded the 4x4x4 Cube with a winning average of 26.82, besting Aggarwal's 26.99 and Paul Mahvi's 31.12. In the larger puzzles, Siauw claimed the 6x6x6 Cube title with an average of 1:26.38 ahead of Mahvi and Aggarwal, and took the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:18.93 average over Mahvi and Jack Anderson. Siauw also secured first place in Square-1, averaging 7.82 with a top single of 5.60.

Shorter formats and specialist categories brought their own intense battles at this WCA competition. In 2x2x2 Cube, Ron G. Arama took the title with a 1.91 average, narrowly holding off Siauw at 1.93 and Greyson James at 2.07. Sameer Aggarwal topped the podium twice, taking the Pyraminx with a 2.86 average and the 3x3x3 One-Handed event with a 13.15 average, finishing ahead of Santucci's 13.39. Eli Kirk captured the Skewb crown with an average of 3.85, while Ethan Davis logged a 33.27 average to win Megaminx and a 27.38 best single to secure the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title.

Beyond the championship trophies, massive personal milestones anchored the spirit of the weekend. Lucas Kordov entered all 12 events and notched a standout Square-1 personal best of 22.00, improving by 53.5 percent over a previous 47.32 mark, while also recording his first ever attempt in the 7x7x7 Cube at 5:28.21 and 6x6x6 Cube at 3:22.68. Praveen Mohadevan took on five events, carving 35.7 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best with a 15.32 solve, alongside a first ever attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 36.97 and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:31.55. Yu-Ruei Chen sliced 31.6 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube personal best down to 1:34.22 and completed a first attempt at Square-1 with 1:28.48.

The wave of progress continued across the roster as competitors tackled unfamiliar territory. Avery Post entered 11 events, achieving a 19.7 percent personal best drop in Square-1 to 31.21 while registering first attempts in Skewb at 5.50 and the 6x6x6 Cube at 3:47.55. Eli Hebert also took on 11 events, logging a 22nd place finish in Megaminx alongside debut attempts in Square-1 at 22.41 and Skewb at 8.84. Jack Hastings made first attempts in Megaminx with 2:32.24 and 4x4x4 Cube with 1:03.72, while Auden McBride set marks in the 5x5x5 Cube at 3:33.34 and Megaminx at 3:14.26. Shepard Watson rounded out the breakthroughs with initial entries in the 6x6x6 Cube at 5:20.51 and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:48.45.

Heavy competition in the 5x5x5 Cube saw Paul Mahvi triumph with a 52.01 average, edging Siauw's 52.33 and Aggarwal's 55.10. Over in the blindfolded arena, Ethan Davis showed supreme precision to record the winning 27.38 single in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, leading Jimbo Cai at 32.75 and Timothy Ng at 35.04. The collective national standings across all events saw competitors representing the USA collect 28 podium finishes, Canada earn seven, and Singapore secure one, demonstrating the international calibre present throughout the three days.

As Canada's Best in the West 2024 drew to a close, the gathering highlighted the broad depth of the speedcubing community. Whether battling through four rounds of the main event or conquering an initial attempt at a complex puzzle, competitors pushed their limits across every division. The high standard of play at this cubing competition sets an exhilarating benchmark as the speed cubing calendar moves forward through the 2024 season.