Caucasus Open 2023

Thirty-six competitors gathered in Tbilisi, Georgia, on December 2 and 3 for Caucasus Open 2023, where steady execution consistently edged out single-solve bursts across eighteen rounds of play. Staged at the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia, the two-day cubing competition offered a rigorous test across ten disciplines, rewarding competitors whose multi-attempt composure held firm from the opening scrambles to the final stages of each bracket.

The 3x3x3 Cube showcased that disciplined reliability in full force throughout all three rounds. Timofei Tarasenko claimed victory with a 5.98 winning average, backed by a best single of 5.44. While single-solve speed generated excitement, the 3x3 results confirmed Tarasenko as the only competitor to stay beneath the six-second threshold over five attempts. Vako Marchilashvili secured second place with an 8.29 average, while Andro Gvaramadze rounded out the podium at 8.55.

In the 2x2x2 Cube, Marchilashvili turned the tables by pairing rapid execution with relentless control across three rounds. Marchilashvili took the title with a 1.63 winning average and a 1.31 best single, narrowly edging Tarasenko, who finished second with a 1.67 average. Nino Zguladze captured third with an average of 2.93, anchoring an event where Georgia took two of the three podium positions.

Tarasenko assembled an expansive campaign across both standard and non-standard puzzles, collecting first-place finishes in five additional categories. In 4x4x4 Cube, Tarasenko posted a winning average of 26.66 to lead Tamar Dolenjishvili at 31.41 and Damir Zhanataev at 35.31. Tarasenko followed with a 47.78 average in 5x5x5 Cube, where Dolenjishvili took second with 1:06.78 and Stanisław Dąbrowski took third with 1:07.93. One-handed Rubik's Cube solving produced another title for Tarasenko with a 12.86 average, holding off Zhanataev at 14.25 and Giorgi Minasiani at 14.61.

The mechanical variety of speed cubing was equally prominent in the single-round contests. Tarasenko secured the Megaminx victory with a 35.09 average and a single of 29.99, clear of Dachi Tevdorashvili at 1:02.38 and Kevin Marcalian at 1:04.06. In Clock, Tarasenko delivered a 7.78 winning average, while Arame Matshkalyan claimed second with 8.79 and Grigor Shahverdyan earned third with 10.37. Square-1 went to Vahe Oustakarayan, who secured first with a 19.92 average and a 13.21 single.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several participants delivered dramatic breakthroughs and launched first-time campaigns. Ketevan Feradze tackled eight events, trimming their Skewb personal best to 5.70, an improvement of 32.6 percent, while also recording a Megaminx best of 2:10.78, which was 20.6 percent faster, and making a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:33.66. Luka Gogichaishvili entered six events, lowering their 4x4x4 Cube best to 1:02.24 by 25.2 percent, improving in Megaminx to 2:23.06, and logging a first ever attempt at Square-1 with 33.56 for a tenth-place finish. Tinatin Tsimakuridze improved their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 24.9 percent to 8.54 while registering first attempts in Pyraminx at 9.00 and Skewb at 9.77. Tigran Harutyunyan took on five disciplines, lowering their 2x2x2 Cube best by 24.8 percent to 3.77 and improving in Pyraminx to 9.35 and 5x5x5 Cube to 2:51.28.

That forward momentum extended across multiple debuts and personal milestones. Deniel Andriasov trimmed their 3x3x3 Cube best to 23.37, an improvement of 23.4 percent, alongside a 9.77 personal best in Pyraminx. Gevorg Melkumyan took on seven disciplines, improving their 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 22.4 percent to 31.15, posting a 3.00 personal best in 2x2x2 Cube, and completing a first attempt at Skewb in 10.42. Daniel Mamonov entered four events, logging a first attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 44.74 and taking 20.8 percent off their Pyraminx best to hit 7.94. Saba Vepkhvadze stepped onto the floor for their first WCA competition, recording initial marks across four disciplines, including 6.40 in 2x2x2 Cube, 15.08 in Pyraminx, and 1:27.34 in 3x3x3 One-Handed.

The side events concluded with Giorgi Minasiani securing the Pyraminx title with a 3.01 average, edging Tarasenko at 3.71 and Gvaramadze at 3.76 over two rounds. In Skewb, Giorgi Gegeshidze topped the standings with a 4.12 average, backed by a 3.58 single across two rounds of play.

By the close of Caucasus Open 2023, the medal count reflected broad international presence, with Georgia collecting thirteen podium places, Russia earning ten, Armenia and Kazakhstan taking two each, Iran securing two, and Poland claiming one. Across 2023 speedcubing action in the Caucasus, the two days in Tbilisi demonstrated how consistency across five-solve averages remains the defining standard in modern tournament play.