Clauckland 2024

Brandon Harris produced the standout performance of the weekend at Māngere Memorial Hall, delivering a blistering 3.64 winning average to take the Clock title. His mastery of the two-sided mechanical puzzle set the tone for Clauckland 2024, an action-packed gathering held on July 13, 2024, in Auckland, New Zealand. Across 12 rounds of intense competition, 54 competitors battled across five distinct events, putting specialized dexterity and puzzle-solving mechanics directly into the spotlight.

The Clock event featured three competitive rounds and 28 solvers, culminating in a fast-paced final. Behind Harris, who also notched a best single of 3.16 seconds, Richard Yiheng Tao earned second place with a 4.56 average. Lachlan Gibson rounded out the all-New Zealand podium in third with a 5.19 average. The dual-faced puzzle demands intricate dial manipulations and pin management, offering a unique technical rhythm that captivated the hall throughout the day.

Specialist solving continued to take center stage during the Square-1 competition, where Camerone Chin of Malaysia captured victory with an 8.20 average and an impressive single of 5.64 seconds. Unlike traditional cubes, Square-1 changes shape as it turns, requiring competitors to restore cubic geometry before arranging the layers. Ashley Foster secured second place for New Zealand with a 9.95 average, while compatriot Elyas Eyou completed the podium in third place at 10.62 seconds.

The larger puzzles brought equally fierce contests, led by Angela Braganza in the 4x4x4 Cube. Navigating the complexities of center piece pairing and edge reduction across two rounds of 32 competitors, Braganza won the final with a 26.32 average and a 24.43 single. Andrew Feng of the USA took second place with a 29.69 average, followed by Richard Yiheng Tao in third at 31.55 seconds, capping off an engaging showcase for big cube solving.

Beyond the podium finishes, the tournament featured tremendous individual milestones across the tables. Jesse van Schalkwyk achieved a massive breakthrough, cutting their personal best on the 3x3x3 Cube down to 19.64 seconds, an improvement of 49.8 percent. Dylan Heerikhuisen took on five events, achieving an 8th-place finish in the 3x3x3 Cube, recording a first ever attempt at Clock with an 8.47, and dropping their Square-1 personal best to 15.73 seconds, which was 43.7 percent faster than before. Jake Thein-Xie made remarkable progress by recording a 7.93 personal best on the 2x2x2 Cube, improving by 39 percent.

Several solvers expanded their competitive repertoires with ambitious debuts in unfamiliar disciplines. Theo Barton entered five events, logging a first ever attempt at the 4x4x4 Cube in 1:24.70 while slashing their Clock personal best by 24.1 percent down to 9.35 seconds. Sameer Khemlani also tackled five events, registering a first ever attempt at Clock with 11.86 and a first ever attempt at Square-1 with 25.64. Johnson Kan recorded a first attempt at Square-1 in 22.62 seconds, while James Hawksworth completed a debut Square-1 solve of 1:23.97. Charlie Sly had a memorable day as well, setting a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 54.30 seconds, 25.5 percent faster than their previous benchmark.

The classic Rubik's Cube drew a full field of 54 entrants across three rounds of high-level speedcubing. Andrew Feng claimed the premier title, securing the top spot with a 7.08 winning average and an event-best single of 5.94 seconds. Richard Yiheng Tao collected another silver medal with a 7.57 average, while Levi Eyou finished third in 8.72 seconds. The 3x3 results demonstrated exceptional poise and turning efficiency at the highest speeds.

The short and explosive 2x2x2 Cube round wrapped up the schedule with razor-thin margins. Richard Yiheng Tao claimed the top step of the podium with a 1.80 winning average, narrowly holding off Elyas Eyou at 1.86 seconds and Camerone Chin at 1.91 seconds. This exciting WCA competition proved how dynamic speed cubing can be across both mainstream puzzles and niche disciplines, as New Zealand claimed 11 podium spots, the USA took two, and Malaysia earned two.

As the final stop on the local calendar for the mid-year stretch, Clauckland 2024 highlighted the depth of puzzle expertise in the region. From the mechanical synchronization of Clock to the geometric transformations of Square-1, this cubing competition delivered exceptional performances from experienced competitors and rising talents alike, setting an energetic standard for the next season of play in Auckland.