Concordia Turning Fall 2023

The competition floor inside the Concordia Turners venue was packed with focused energy as timers beeped and plastic clicked throughout the single-day gathering. Spectators and competitors alike filled the room, tracking every turn across an intense schedule featuring six distinct disciplines. The atmosphere in St. Louis, Missouri, USA on December 9, 2023, reflected the sheer scale of the gathering, where making a final round required navigating through a heavily contested lineup of solvers.

A total of 76 competitors assembled for Concordia Turning Fall 2023, setting up deep qualification brackets and unforgiving cuts across 11 total rounds. The traditional Rubik's Cube drew 75 competitors alone, demanding absolute precision through three rounds of competition. Simply reaching the final stage in any event proved to be a grueling task, as solvers battled narrow margins from the morning heats straight into the afternoon finals.

Curtis Chai emerged as the dominant force of the cubing competition, capturing three gold trophies and reaching the podium in all six disciplines. In the 3x3x3 Cube, Chai topped the standings with an impressive 8.03 winning average and a best single of 7.32, leading the official 3x3 results ahead of runner-up Fox Forrester at 9.53 and third-place Edward Vakula at 10.17. Chai also asserted complete control over the 2x2x2 Cube, taking victory with an average of 1.79 against a field of 74 entrants.

The 2x2x2 Cube division showcased the sheer speed of modern speedcubing, where Braxton Lee Fowler claimed second place with an average of 3.01 and Xander Smith earned third with a 3.52 mark. Chai added a third victory in Pyraminx, outpacing 61 other solvers across two rounds to secure the title with an average of 2.95 and a best single of 2.33. Josiah Bell followed in second place with a 4.19 average, while Fowler completed the podium in third at 4.92.

Beyond the podium finishes, the deeper brackets of this WCA competition revealed massive individual breakthroughs and milestone debuts across the roster. Kyle Solomon tackled six events, securing 10th place in Clock while posting a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 1.71 that was 56.3 percent faster than his prior mark, along with a first ever Pyraminx attempt of 7.22. Elliott Huff delivered a major leap in Skewb with a 7.49 personal best, improving by 47.5 percent, while also logging his first Clock attempt at 22.25. Carter Rochleau dropped his Pyraminx best by 38.1 percent to 3.95 and took 7th place in Megaminx. Lisa Berman took on five events, establishing her first official Skewb attempt of 40.25 and improving her 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 19.23.

The progress continued across every puzzle type as competitors tested their limits against the deep field. Sean Lippert posted a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 1.81, cutting his previous mark by 62.5 percent, alongside a 5th place finish in Pyraminx. Antoine Yueyang Laforest-Jing completed five events, including his first official Megaminx attempt at 1:54.61 and a 2x2x2 Cube best of 5.24. Kaz Lien shaved 35.2 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube standard to hit 10.92, while Douglas C. Aikin entered his first WCA competition, tackling six events, logging his first 2x2x2 Cube attempt of 3.63, and taking 8th place overall.

The specialty events delivered equally sharp drama as the day progressed. In Skewb, Edward Vakula captured first place with an average of 5.54 and a quick 3.12 single, edging out Chai who took second at 5.58, followed by Joshua Braedon Denninger in third at 5.87. Clock saw Trenton Cuzick earn top honors over 38 competitors with a 7.48 average, finishing ahead of Gordon Thomas White III at 7.72 and Chai at 9.24. Megaminx went to Katie Hinkley, who set a winning average of 52.42 and a best single of 47.12 to beat Javier Gonzalez-Napoleoni at 1:04.36 and Chai at 1:09.49.

With 18 podium spots earned across six disciplines, the speed cubing showcase at Concordia Turning Fall 2023 demonstrated the high level of preparation required to navigate a crowded field in St. Louis. From first-time entrants completing their opening solves to seasoned finalists battling for tenths of a second, the event proved how unforgiving and thrilling tournament play can be when deep brackets push every solver to their limit.