Claws Up Winter 2023

Nico Harper delivered a masterclass across multiple disciplines to capture three separate titles at Whitney High School, leading the field with a decisive 8.62 average in the 3x3x3 Cube. The single-day tournament brought together 89 competitors across 11 rounds of action in Rocklin, California, USA, creating an energetic meeting ground for both seasoned solvers and rising talents. Beyond the top of the leaderboard, the December 3, 2023 gathering showcased the collaborative essence of speedcubing, with participants trading tips between attempts and filling the venue with shared enthusiasm.

The atmosphere throughout Claws Up Winter 2023 was driven by side events that drew solvers together to exchange advice on complex hardware and unfamiliar turning techniques. Between official attempts, competitors gathered around practice tables to dissect algorithms for events ranging from the twisty geometry of Square-1 to the mechanical complexity of Clock. That camaraderie helped anchor a packed day of speed cubing where personal milestones and collective support were on equal display across seven distinct events.

In the flagship 3x3 results, Nico Harper earned first place with that winning 8.62 average, backed by a tournament best single of 7.24 seconds during the final round. Luke O. Brannon followed in second place with a 9.15 mark, while Michael Larsen finished third at 9.18 to complete a tightly contested podium. The three rounds of traditional Rubik's Cube solving featured deep competition, highlighted by Jason Ostdiek posting a blistering 6.45 single and Micah Yeo securing an 8.45 average during the earlier stages.

Nico Harper extended his dominance to the larger puzzles, winning the 5x5x5 Cube with an average of 1:05.12 and a best single of 55.45, outpacing Michael Larsen at 1:08.93 and Brandon Lugtu at 1:09.11. In Megaminx, Harper climbed to the top spot once more, posting a winning average of 38.06 seconds alongside a single solve of 32.71. Jusun Choi took second in Megaminx with 51.34, followed by Alessandro Diomampo in third with a 54.64 average.

The specialised disciplines provided plenty of variety at this cubing competition, highlighted by Anto Kam capturing the 3x3x3 One-Handed title with a 9.48 average and a single of 9.00 seconds. Calvin Nielson commanded Square-1 with a winning 6.90 average and a quick 5.66 single, finishing ahead of Nico Harper at 10.05 and Caleb Yao at 11.41. Jusun Choi took top honors in Skewb with a 3.83 average, while Evan Millsap secured the Clock title by averaging 5.41 seconds.

Beneath the top podium spots, several competitors logged dramatic personal milestones that reflected their hard work across different formats. Sean Dunn made notable strides at Claws Up Winter 2023, posting a Skewb personal best of 4.84 that was 69.6 percent faster than his prior record, as well as a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 30.91 that improved by 18.5 percent, while also taking his first ever attempt at Clock with a time of 25.55. Connor Riley trimmed his Skewb mark to 9.37 seconds, an improvement of 48.2 percent, while Nathan Jeffery McCormick cut his Skewb personal best down to 8.20 seconds, running 45 percent faster than before.

First-time event entries added further depth to the weekend as solvers expanded their competitive horizons across unfamiliar puzzles. Sebastian Ekman tackled seven events, logging his first ever attempt at Square-1 in 19.31, Megaminx in 1:29.76, and Clock in 12.64, while finishing fifth in Skewb. Maclayne Crawford entered four events and notched a first ever attempt at Megaminx in 2:25.70, while Abel N. Roy logged his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 1:32.54. Ryan D. M. Shin took on his first WCA competition by logging a 24.64 solve in 3x3x3 Cube, and Harsh Shah made his tournament debut with a 23.55 single in the standard cube alongside a 40.18 in one-handed play.

When the final round concluded, the United States accounted for 18 podium spots, accompanied by two top-three finishes from Korea and one from Hong Kong. The event in Rocklin demonstrated the lively, supportive environment that defines regional speedcubing tournaments, where shared practice and personal breakthroughs carry as much weight as trophies. Claws Up Winter 2023 brought the 2023 season to a memorable close for every participant who stepped up to the timer.