Cardinal Cube Day 2024

The gymnasium floor at Pope Francis Preparatory School filled with the rhythmic clatter of plastic layers snapping into alignment as competitors settled into their stations. Timers clicked on and off while judges hovered over solving mats, keeping pace with an intensive schedule of twelve rounds across six official disciplines. Springfield, Massachusetts, USA served as the backdrop for the single-day gathering on February 24, 2024, bringing together a field of 105 speedcubing entrants eager to test their reflexes under tournament conditions.

The sprint disciplines set the tone for the entire cubing competition, highlighted by blistering times in the 2x2x2 Cube event. Curtis Chai delivered a masterclass across two rounds of play, capturing the title with a winning average of 1.73 seconds and posting a best single of 1.56 seconds. Chai led a podium that featured Levi Gibson in second place at 2.19 seconds and Nikhil Soares in third at 2.41 seconds. The event saw a barrage of personal milestones, with Chai also securing a tournament single of 1.18 seconds during the preliminary stages.

The classic Rubik's Cube drew the largest contingent of the day, with 103 competitors lining up across three intense rounds. When the dust settled, Dylan Miller stood atop the 3x3 results by registering a victorious final average of 6.24 seconds, powered by a best single solve of 5.86 seconds. Timothy Yang secured the runner-up spot on the podium with a 7.24-second average, while Zavian Valedon rounded out the top three by finishing with an average of 7.40 seconds.

Beyond the premier short-format puzzles, the longer events demanded exceptional focus and precision across complex geometric shapes. Cameron Soulagnet captured the 4x4x4 Cube crown with a sub-thirty winning average of 29.92 seconds, narrowly edging out Nikhil Soares at 30.68 seconds and Dylan Miller at 30.90 seconds. Soulagnet also registered the fastest single solve of the event at 26.46 seconds, proving decisive in a competitive final round of 61 entrants.

The twelve-sided Megaminx brought Nicolas Naing to the top step of the podium after two rounds of high-level maneuvering. Naing sealed first place with a 31.52-second average and a best single of 30.25 seconds, holding off Miller, who took second with 34.49 seconds, and Soares, who finished third with 36.11 seconds. In total, the United States accounted for 15 podium finishes across the meet, while India claimed three podium spots.

The spotlight away from the top steps belonged to dedicated competitors making massive strides in their respective careers. Theodore Chen took on all six events on the schedule, establishing his first official marks in both the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:57.04 and the Square-1 at 38.30 seconds, while lowering his 2x2x2 Cube personal record to 4.03 seconds, a 39 percent improvement. Sufyaan Syed entered three events, logging a debut 6.72 in Pyraminx and a debut 12.87 in the 3x3x3 Cube, alongside a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 1.66 seconds that was 36.9 percent faster than previous marks. Noah Russo cut 23.1 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube mark to finish in 29.84 seconds, and Maximus Victor Davis saw a 72.9 percent drop in Pyraminx with a new best of 10.16 seconds.

Other competitors delivered equally remarkable breakthroughs across their official event slates. Seth Hayashida logged first-time official attempts in the 2x2x2 Cube at 5.39 seconds and the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:15.53, while shaving 20.7 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best with a 12.91-second solve. Tucker J. Nielson competed across five events, posting a debut 37.66 in Square-1 and reducing his 4x4x4 Cube personal record by 34.9 percent down to 54.20 seconds. James McCaffrey recorded first career marks of 1:39.31 in Megaminx and 40.51 in Square-1, while Andrew Huang improved his 2x2x2 Cube best by 61.6 percent with a quick 3.10-second solve.

Specialty categories also delivered standout moments, with Clem Tucker securing the Pyraminx title in 2.48 seconds on average ahead of Chai at 2.94 seconds and Elijah Rain Phelps at 3.03 seconds. Phelps struck gold in the Square-1 final, averaging 7.85 seconds with a sparkling best single of 6.06 seconds to lead Chai and Alex Cohen. The wide range of puzzles at this WCA competition demonstrated the depth of the local speed cubing community as Cardinal Cube Day 2024 concluded another successful chapter.