Central Washington Odds 2023

Forty-six competitors gathered inside the SURC Building at Central Washington University for a packed day of twisting puzzles and rapid turns. The spacious campus setting in Ellensburg, Washington, USA provided an energetic home for the cubing competition on March 11, 2023. Across eleven distinct rounds of play, the hall stayed focused as entrants tackled six different disciplines. The schedule brought together specialists across various puzzle shapes and solving styles, creating a lively environment throughout the one-day gathering.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew all forty-six entrants across three hard-fought stages of action. In the final round, Ethan Davis secured the top spot on the podium with a winning average of 8.92 seconds, powered by a tournament-best single solve of 7.24 seconds. Mihir A. Rai pushed the pace to claim the runner-up position with an average of 9.41 seconds, while Jonathan Truchot took third place with an average of 9.60 seconds. The 3x3 results confirmed the high level of speed cubing sharpness required to reach the final round.

Ethan Davis was not finished after securing the traditional Rubik's Cube title. In the Megaminx event, Davis dominated the field of twenty puzzle solvers across two rounds, taking the victory with an average of 33.87 seconds and a best single of 33.07 seconds. Daniel Yang followed in second place with a mark of 44.56 seconds, while Mia Sponseller completed the podium in third place at 55.04 seconds. Davis demonstrated versatility across regular and dodecahedral puzzles alike during the afternoon.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline tested pure spatial memory and precision, requiring competitors to inspect the puzzle before donning blindfolds to execute solutions. Ethan Davis topped the six-person field to earn his third gold of the day, registering the winning single solve of 40.73 seconds despite a DNF on the average. Mihir A. Rai completed a successful attempt in 52.50 seconds to secure the silver podium step, and Ashland Schnell captured bronze with a time of 1:55.18.

Big cubes proved to be the domain of Jonathan Truchot, who delivered commanding performances on both the 5x5x5 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube. In the 5x5x5 final, Truchot recorded a winning average of 1:07.24 along with a single solve of 56.66 seconds. Daniel Yang followed in second place at 1:13.50, and Ethan Davis took third with 1:19.34. Truchot then conquered the ten-competitor 7x7x7 Cube round, winning with a 3:08.11 average, as Anthony Tindal earned second in 3:32.67 and Yang placed third in 3:46.46.

Single-handed technique took center stage in the 3x3x3 One-Handed bracket, which drew twenty-six participants over two rounds. Mihir A. Rai delivered the winning mark, capturing the title with an average of 15.58 seconds and a top single of 14.92. Jonathan Truchot claimed his third podium of the competition by placing second with a 17.96 average, while Daniel Yang stepped onto the podium once again in third place with an 18.16 average.

Behind the trophy presentations, remarkable personal milestones unfolded throughout the SURC Building. Gabe McBee produced massive breakthroughs across four events, dropping their 5x5x5 Cube personal best by 64.8 percent to 1:41.83, cutting their 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 47.9 percent to 21.22 for a 7th-place finish, and slicing 40.7 percent off their Megaminx best down to 2:00.50. Li Xie entered three events and delivered a 39.3 percent improvement on the 7x7x7 Cube with a time of 4:28.73 to claim 6th place, while also lowering their 5x5x5 Cube best by 12.2 percent to 1:31.80. Isaac Darlington entered three events, taking 6th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, cutting their Megaminx personal best by 38.8 percent down to 2:22.30, and improving their 3x3x3 Cube time by 18.8 percent to 19.45. Ben Royce tackled five events, finishing 4th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 20.6 percent personal best of 3:24.11, logging an 8.6 percent drop on 5x5x5 Cube to 2:06.74, and completing a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with 38.35.

New milestones continued down the standings sheet. Kimball Quinn took on two events, registering a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 35.92 seconds alongside an 11.7 percent 3x3x3 Cube improvement to 16.90. Mauricio Antonio Escobar III cut their Megaminx personal best by 21.1 percent to 3:00.87 across four events. Chris Tabar achieved personal bests in Megaminx at 2:49.96, an 18.9 percent drop, and 3x3x3 Cube at 14.52, while placing 10th in 7x7x7 Cube. James Bird competed in four events to earn 7th in 7x7x7 Cube with a personal best of 4:35.51, alongside personal bests of 10.97 in 3x3x3 Cube and 1:31.21 in 5x5x5 Cube.

The tournament highlighted the depth of local speedcubing talent in the Pacific Northwest across all experience levels. With every podium spot occupied by United States competitors, Central Washington Odds 2023 offered a complete showcase of dedication and precision. From the swift turns of the main event to the complex challenges of big cubes and blindfolded solves, the gathering inside Central Washington University delivered a memorable chapter in the 2023 competitive calendar.