Cavite Big Cubes Open 2023

Brenton Angelo Lo Wong delivered the weekend standout performance by sweeping the classic Rubik's Cube in commanding fashion, logging a winning average of 6.82 seconds and a tournament-best single of 6.08 seconds. That victory capped an intense single round of 3x3 results featuring 32 entrants, where sub-nine averages proved mandatory just to contend near the top of the standings. Held at Robinsons Tagaytay in Tagaytay, Philippines on December 10, 2023, the event showed how competitive big-cube speedcubing has become in the region.

Across seven distinct events and 11 rounds of play, the Cavite Big Cubes Open 2023 tested 33 competitors on a demanding one-day schedule. Advancing to finals required sharp consistency across both medium and large puzzles, as standard cutoffs narrowed down deep rosters in multi-round formats. With podium spots fiercely contested in every bracket, the WCA competition brought together an array of specialists eager to prove themselves on larger hardware.

The 4x4x4 Cube division proved equally tight at the summit. Brenton Angelo Lo Wong secured his second title of the cubing competition by capturing the 4x4x4 crown with a 28.97 average, edging out Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc, who took second place with a close 29.19 average. Yuji Yoshida rounded out the podium in third place with a 37.48 average after two rounds of fierce competition among 28 entrants.

In the 5x5x5 Cube, Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc turned the tables to claim the championship title. Palisoc posted a winning average of 51.28 seconds along with the best single of the event at 46.67. Anyu Zhang took the runner-up position with a 51.86 average, while Brenton Angelo Lo Wong earned third place with an average of 56.42, marking another stacked final where podium positions were separated by mere fractions of a second.

Anyu Zhang took command of the largest puzzles on the schedule, earning a dominant double victory in the 6x6x6 and 7x7x7 cubes. In the 6x6x6 Cube final, Zhang logged a 1:27.09 winning average ahead of Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc at 1:33.05 and Dale Palmares at 1:44.26. Zhang then claimed top honors in the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:05.82 average, leaving Palmares in second at 2:29.64 and Palisoc in third at 2:30.33.

Beneath the top podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the schedule. Vince Gabriel S. Agustin led the improvement marks with a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:05.45, shaving 34.1 percent off his previous mark across his two entered events. Jav Cullano made significant strides in the 3x3x3 Cube with a personal best of 25.93, an improvement of 31.6 percent. Ramon Antonio Simon Valdestamon completed five events, securing an 11th-place best finish in the 7x7x7 Cube with a personal best of 4:40.81 that was 30.6 percent faster, alongside a 25.1 percent drop in the 6x6x6 Cube to 3:09.66 and a 1:35.89 mark in the 5x5x5 Cube.

Other competitors took on brand new challenges and broad schedules across the tournament floor. Justine Aaron Villostas tackled five events, finishing fourth in the 3x3x3 Cube with a 6.38 personal best that was 13.6 percent faster, while recording first career attempts in the 6x6x6 Cube at 3:30.96 and the 7x7x7 Cube at 8:47.08. Gina Uy took on five events and secured big drops, setting personal bests of 3:54.89 in the 6x6x6 Cube, 2:03.44 in the 5x5x5 Cube, and 6:58.72 in the 7x7x7 Cube. Lorenzo T. Ubongen placed eighth in the 5x5x5 Cube and cut 19 percent in the 7x7x7 Cube to 4:11.12, while Maverine Sanchez recorded first attempts in both the 6x6x6 Cube at 6:01.47 and the 5x5x5 Cube at 1:51.73 alongside a 12.85 3x3x3 Cube best.

Blindfolded events presented their customary unforgiving test of memory and execution. In the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event, Rigil Carolino captured the victory with a single time of 4:24.17, followed by Marc Jason L. Laresma in second at 7:51.95 and Luis Gabriel Magadia in third at 10:48.00. The 5x5x5 Blindfolded competition proved too severe for any successful solves, leaving all three entrants without a recorded time in the final standings.

The action at the Cavite Big Cubes Open 2023 demonstrated the high level of speed cubing excellence present throughout the Philippine solving scene in 2023. Between tight margins in the finals and substantial personal milestones across the full roster, the tournament highlighted the overall health and growing depth of big-cube solving.

Tatlumpu't tatlong kalahok ang nagtipon sa Robinsons Tagaytay noong December 10, 2023 para sa Cavite Big Cubes Open 2023, isang kapana-panabik na WCA competition na nagtampok ng pitong kaganapan sa kabuuang labing-isang rounds. Dahil sa dami ng mga bihasang manlalaro mula sa iba't ibang dako, naging napakahirap para sa bawat isa na makapasok sa finals at umakyat sa podium. Bawat round sa speedcubing na pagtitipong ito ay nagpakita ng masinsinang labanan mula sa pinakamaliliit hanggang sa pinakamalalaking puzzle sa Tagaytay, Philippines.

Sa pangunahing 3x3x3 Cube event kung saan tatlumpu't dalawang kalahok ang nagtagisan, si Brenton Angelo Lo Wong ang nangibabaw matapos magtala ng winning average na 6.82 at pinakamabilis na winning single na 6.08. Pumangalawa si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc na nagtala ng average na 8.42 at single na 6.42, habang pumangatlo naman si Carl Ashley Cortes sa kanyang average na 8.48 at single na 7.19. Naging mahigpit ang laban sa solong round na ito dahil sa napakalapit na talaan ng oras ng mga nangungunang manlalaro ng Rubik's Cube.

Hindi nagpaawat si Brenton Angelo Lo Wong sa 4x4x4 Cube nang muli niyang masungkit ang unang pwesto laban sa dalawampu't walong katunggali sa dalawang rounds. Nagtala si Brenton Angelo Lo Wong ng winning average na 28.97 at pinakamahusay na single na 24.33 sa naturang kategorya. Sumunod sa kanya si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc na may 29.19 average, habang si Yuji Yoshida naman ang pumangatlo matapos magsumite ng 37.48 average sa final round.

Bumawi naman si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc sa 5x5x5 Cube upang sungkitin ang kampeonato sa pamamagitan ng 51.28 winning average at best single na 46.67 laban sa dalawampu't limang kalahok. Tinalo niya sa podium si Anyu Zhang (张安宇) ng China na nagtala ng 51.86 average, habang si Brenton Angelo Lo Wong ang kumuha ng ikatlong pwesto sa kanyang 56.42 average. Ipinakita ng naturang round ang mataas na antas ng husay at preparasyon ng bawat finalist sa mas malalaking cubes.

Sa pinakamalalaking kategorya ng torneo, si Anyu Zhang (张安宇) ang nagreyna sa pamamagitan ng dalawang magkasunod na tagumpay sa dalawampu't tatlong kalahok sa 6x6x6 Cube at dalawampung kalahok sa 7x7x7 Cube. Sa 6x6x6 Cube, nagtala siya ng winning average na 1:27.09 at single na 1:24.18, kung saan pumangalawa si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc sa 1:33.05 at pumangatlo si Dale Palmares sa 1:44.26. Sa 7x7x7 Cube, nakuha ni Anyu Zhang (张安宇) ang panalo sa winning average na 2:05.82 at single na 2:03.09, kasunod sina Dale Palmares na may 2:29.64 at Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc na may 2:30.33.

Sa likod ng mga labanan sa podium, marami ring kapansin-pansing pagsisikap ang ipinamalas ng iba pang kalahok sa buong paligsahan. Si June Adrian Ersando, na lumahok sa limang events at nagtala ng ika-20 pwesto sa 3x3x3 Cube, ay nagtala ng bagong personal best sa 6x6x6 Cube na 3:02.31 matapos maging 10.9 porsyentong mas mabilis kaysa sa dating 3:24.63, kasabay ng personal best sa 3x3x3 Cube na 11.09. Si Jan Martin Villostas ay nagtala ng unang opisyal na pagsubok sa 7x7x7 Cube sa oras na 4:08.89 at 6x6x6 Cube sa oras na 2:34.32, bukod pa sa kanyang 4x4x4 Cube personal best na 28.79 na 9.3 porsyentong mas mabilis kaysa sa 31.75.

Nagpakita rin ng matinding determinasyon si Carlos Joseph Ong na sumabak sa limang events at nagtala ng 7x7x7 Cube personal best na 4:15.59 na anim na porsyentong mas mabilis sa dating 4:31.91, habang nakuha ang ika-7 pwesto sa 4x4x4 Cube. Si Ethan Francis Jagonio ay lumahok sa tatlong events kung saan ang kanyang pinakamagandang pagtatapos ay ika-12 pwesto sa 3x3x3 Cube, habang si Kieth Eldin M. Dizon ay sumabak sa 3x3x3 Cube at nakuha ang ika-25 pwesto. Samantala, sumabak sa kanilang pinakaunang opisyal na torneo sina Ken Arasula na nagtala ng 13.84 para sa ika-22 pwesto, at Aemielle David Edeza na nagtala ng 19.72 para sa ika-30 pwesto.

Naging hamon naman ang blindfolded events sa pagtatapos ng araw kung saan kailangan ang matinding memorya at konsentrasyon. Sa 4x4x4 Blindfolded, nakamit ni Rigil Carolino ang unang pwesto sa kanyang pinakamabilis na winning single na 4:24.17, kasunod sina Marc Jason L. Laresma na nagtala ng 7:51.95 at Luis Gabriel Magadia na may 10:48.00. Sa 5x5x5 Blindfolded, nagtapos ang tatlong kalahok na sina Marc Jason L. Laresma, Luis Gabriel Magadia, at Rigil Carolino nang walang matagumpay na solve matapos magtala ng DNF.

Nagtapos ang Cavite Big Cubes Open 2023 nang may kabuuang labing-walong podium finishes para sa Pilipinas at tatlo para sa China. Mula sa solong round ng 3x3x3 Cube hanggang sa mahihirap na big cubes at blindfolded rounds, napatunayan ng mga manlalaro ang lalim ng galing at dedikasyon sa bawat solve sa matagumpay na cubing competition na ito sa Tagaytay.