Championnat Québécois 2024

Kyle Santucci delivered a defining masterclass in Montréal, Quebec, Canada, capturing the blue-ribbon 3x3x3 Cube title with a blazing 6.67 winning average and a round-best 6.17 single. The victory capped a three-day celebration of speedcubing excellence that brought 123 competitors together for 27 intense rounds across 13 distinct disciplines. Hosted at the École de Technologie Supérieure from October 4 to October 6, Championnat Québécois 2024 proved to be an unforgettable showcase of technical precision and rapid-fire problem solving across every puzzle format on the official slate.

The action began early in the weekend as the larger puzzles took centre stage alongside the preliminary heats. Burno Li Chak Kwan established immediate supremacy on the bigger cubes, capturing victory in the 7x7x7 Cube with a commanding 2:23.64 average and claiming the 6x6x6 Cube title with a 1:24.93 mark. Darshan Bhavanasi and Lucas Kuczaj provided fierce pursuit throughout the heavy hardware schedule, taking second and third places respectively in both formats. Li also secured the 5x5x5 Cube title with a 46.11 average, establishing an extraordinary multi-event dominance before the weekend was halfway through.

As the schedule progressed toward mid-competition, the specialized formats delivered high drama on the main stage. Jack Chicoine secured the Clock title with a solid 6.00 average, holding off Darshan Bhavanasi and Kye Riddell in a tight three-way battle. Meanwhile, Elliott Kobelansky produced a stunning demonstration of memory and spatial awareness to win the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, averaging 17.09 and recording a fast single of 14.62. Lucas Kuczaj picked up a dominant victory in Megaminx with a 31.04 average, further rounding out an action-packed Saturday lineup at the prestigious WCA competition.

Beyond the podium chases, the tournament floor served as the stage for remarkable personal milestones and breakthrough individual improvements. Franklin Kirste achieved substantial leaps across multiple events, cutting his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 54.1 percent to 5.45 and his 3x3x3 Cube time by 40.1 percent to 23.04. Jarad Thompson logged an impressive 48.6 percent drop in 3x3x3 One-Handed to finish at 1:04.70, while Ewan Dessalle took on six events, including maiden appearances in 3x3x3 One-Handed and 4x4x4 Cube, alongside a 47.1 percent improvement to 6.54 in 2x2x2 Cube. Leo Qu posted an initial 28.71 mark in Square-1 while trimming 44.2 percent off his Pyraminx best down to 6.41.

That same spirit of ambition propelled many other competitors who embraced extensive schedules. Thanh Minh Nguyen took on seven disciplines, shaving 44.1 percent off his 7x7x7 Cube personal best down to 5:14.52 and finishing tenth overall in 6x6x6 Cube. Anthony Gu registered for all 13 events, recording first-time results in both 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube while earning seventh place in Megaminx. Catherine Basaly entered seven events, improving her Skewb best by 39.1 percent to 9.11 and finishing eighth in 5x5x5 Cube, while Andy Dong advanced in five events, recording his first official attempts in 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube on the way to an eighth-place 3x3x3 finish.

When the final day arrived, the atmosphere intensified for the short-format showdowns and the remaining finals. William Lavoie claimed top honours in 2x2x2 Cube with a rapid 1.68 average, edging out Maxence Leboeuf at 1.95 and Kyle Santucci at 2.04. The Pyraminx final belonged to Benjamin Kyle, whose 2.34 winning average proved untouchable. Li returned to his winning ways to capture two more titles on Sunday, prevailing in Square-1 with an 8.71 average and taking the 4x4x4 Cube crown in 26.96, bringing his total gold haul to five events at Championnat Québécois 2024.

The concluding sessions solidified Kyle Santucci as another dominant force of the weekend. Santucci navigated two rounds of 3x3x3 One-Handed to win the event with a 10.83 average, and he followed that up by claiming the Skewb title with a 4.19 average over Li and Rémi Chrétien. His versatility across classical Rubik's Cube formats and alternative mechanical puzzles demonstrated supreme command across varied turn styles, giving him three event titles across the three days of play at the speed cubing gathering.

The tournament concluded with the anticipated 3x3 results, where Santucci held his nerve in the final round to secure the premier title with his 6.67 mark, ahead of Li at 7.58 and Kuczaj at 8.78. Canadian competitors gathered 23 podium placements over the weekend, while contenders representing Hong Kong collected nine and India secured six. As the timers were packed away in Montréal, Championnat Québécois 2024 stood as a benchmark cubing competition for 2024, leaving participants with dozens of career bests and unforgettable head-to-head racing.