Cape Cod 2023

A blistering 1.73-second winning average in the 2x2x2 Cube by Poland's Tymon Kolasiński set the tone for a weekend defined by extraordinary personal progress and fast times. Held on April 22, 2023, at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center in Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA, Cape Cod 2023 brought together 92 competitors across 6 events and 12 rounds of action. Solvers produced sharp improvements and milestone marks across every discipline, demonstrating the depth of preparation throughout the venue.

The 3x3x3 Cube competition featured 87 competitors battling through three rounds of Rubik's Cube solving, where Tymon Kolasiński once again secured the top spot. Kolasiński finished with a winning average of 5.82 seconds and recorded the best single of the event at 5.00 seconds. United Kingdom's Chris Mills followed in second place with an average of 6.53 seconds, while Graeme Stone took third for the USA with a mark of 7.95 seconds. These 3x3 results capped an impressive display at the top of the standings.

The shorter puzzles saw equally rapid times as solvers pushed their boundaries. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Kolasiński led the field with his 1.73 average and a 1.34 single, while Mills earned second place with 2.63 seconds and Curtis Chai placed third with 2.72 seconds. The Pyraminx event saw Kolasiński complete a trio of tournament victories, recording a 2.36 winning average and a 1.66 single. Brazil's Thiago Han claimed second place with a 4.12 average, closely followed by Saisabari Ramesh with 4.20 seconds.

Specialist events brought further variety to the cubing competition floor in Massachusetts. Saisabari Ramesh secured the Skewb title with an average of 4.00 seconds and a best single of 3.16 seconds, finishing ahead of Mills at 4.20 and Tommy Szeliga at 5.45. In Square-1, Szeliga earned the victory with a 10.33 average, while Levi Gibson took second with 11.93 and Han finished third with 12.61. The one-round 3x3x3 One-Handed event belonged to Mills, who took first place with a 13.12 average ahead of Gibson at 13.94 and Will Russo at 16.17.

Beyond the podium battles, significant leaps in personal bests shaped the narrative of the speedcubing gathering. Evan Morrow delivered massive improvements across three separate disciplines, taking down their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 63.1 percent to 3.01 seconds, improving their Pyraminx mark by 47.2 percent to 7.00 seconds, and shaving 30.7 percent off their 3x3x3 Cube time to reach 22.70 seconds. Josh Sanderson sliced 62 percent off their Skewb best with a 5.31 single, alongside a 20.6 percent reduction in 3x3x3 One-Handed to 33.57 seconds. Ashwanth M. Aroon also showed dramatic progress, dropping their 2x2x2 Cube best by 52.4 percent to 5.81 seconds.

The weekend also provided memorable debuts and major milestones for emerging solvers tackling unfamiliar formats. Kayden Moulton lowered their 2x2x2 Cube best by 46.6 percent to 6.91 seconds while making first-ever attempts in Pyraminx at 9.95 seconds and Skewb at 14.67 seconds. Wesley Jones secured an 11th-place finish in Square-1 on their first official try of 16.16 seconds, complemented by a 27.3 percent improvement in Pyraminx to 4.80 seconds. Leo Pellissier tackled 6 events, achieving a best finish of 40th in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a debut of 52.01 seconds alongside maiden attempts of 6.14 in Pyraminx and 11.77 in Skewb.

First-time competitors made their marks as well throughout the bracket. Alex J. Barbecho entered their first WCA competition across 6 events, posting a 3.52 single in 2x2x2 Cube and a 17.52 single in 3x3x3 Cube. Collin Fox also took part in their inaugural tournament across 5 events, registering a 3.56 in 2x2x2 Cube and a 27.60 in the main 3x3x3 event. Across the board, solvers embraced the speed cubing challenge with focus, turning months of dedicated practice into tangible results on the tournament stage.

The single-day schedule concluded with the United States collecting 9 podium finishes, followed by the United Kingdom with 4, Poland with 3, and Brazil with 2. Cape Cod 2023 highlighted how personal milestones and podium pursuits drive the competitive community forward, giving experienced champions and emerging talents equal opportunity to celebrate their progress before looking ahead to the next stops on the circuit.