Countless Cubes Chicagoland B 2024

Forty-five competitors gathered in Hobart, Indiana, USA, on May 5, 2024, to take on a packed schedule spanning twelve different events. Held at County Line Orchard, Countless Cubes Chicagoland B 2024 brought together cubers across fourteen rounds of action. With a lineup that challenged every facet of mental endurance and precision, participants tackled everything from lightning-quick sprints to intricate mechanical puzzles.

The mental discipline required across the roster of events set the tone for the entire cubing competition. Solving complex puzzles without sight or relying entirely on strict algorithmic patterns demands total isolation from distraction, forcing competitors to commit entire puzzle orientations to pure memory. That same level of intense calculation carried through all specialty categories at Countless Cubes Chicagoland B 2024, where competitors balanced swift execution with unwavering focus through single-attempt and multi-round formats.

Luke Garrett delivered an overwhelming masterclass throughout the weekend, securing victories across nine separate disciplines. In the 3x3x3 Cube, Garrett topped the field of 42 entrants with a winning average of 6.58 seconds, alongside the best single time of 5.67 seconds. Garrett also claimed the top spot in 2x2x2 Cube with a 1.19 average and a 0.80 single, and added titles in Pyraminx with a 2.95 average, Megaminx with a 39.55 average, and Square-1 with an 11.37 mark.

Garrett extended his sweep into the larger hardware, demonstrating supreme technical consistency on the bigger mechanisms. He captured first place in 4x4x4 Cube with an average of 29.00 seconds, followed by a victory in 5x5x5 Cube with an average of 55.85 seconds. Moving into the largest cubes on offer, Garrett secured the 6x6x6 Cube title with a 1:41.17 average and conquered the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:32.54 average, outlasting runner-up Evan Brown, who finished the 7x7x7 event in 3:08.78.

The one-handed category showcased another dimension of dexterity, where Garrett earned yet another gold medal with an average of 9.96 seconds and a best single of 8.93 seconds. Nathaniel Gee took the second step on the podium with an average of 12.70 seconds, while Mason Langenderfer placed third with a 12.98 mark. Langenderfer also enjoyed a standout run in Skewb, taking victory with an average of 3.90 seconds ahead of a 28-competitor field.

Beyond the title fights, individual growth defined the weekend for many participants looking to shave down personal records. Kevin Foley dropped his 2x2x2 Cube mark down to 4.87 seconds, an improvement of 40 percent over his previous best, while also making initial competition appearances in Skewb with 16.66 seconds and Clock with 22.51 seconds. Parsa Rouhi slashed his Pyraminx personal best by 39.6 percent down to 3.84 seconds, alongside a 39.6 percent improvement in 4x4x4 Cube to 1:22.32 and an 11.05 single in the standard Rubik's Cube. Caleb D. Novick tackled ten events, setting a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:17.38, which was 37.1 percent faster, and logging first career attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 3:29.39 and Megaminx at 3:11.17. Girivar Mundhra posted a personal best of 23.02 seconds in 3x3x3 results, trimming 35.9 percent from his prior benchmark, and completed a maiden Clock attempt in 36.07 seconds.

A host of other competitors unlocked new milestones across diverse events during the WCA competition. Izaak Webb cut his Clock personal best by 35.3 percent to 9.47 seconds and improved his one-handed time by 22.4 percent down to 32.37 seconds. Alex Chen took on all twelve events, lowering his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 21 percent to 30.94 seconds, his Square-1 best by 16.9 percent to 19.66 seconds, and logging a 10:07.00 in his first 7x7x7 Cube attempt. Angelo Mitra trimmed his 5x5x5 Cube best by 23 percent down to 2:07.13 while attempting Pyraminx and 2x2x2 Cube for the first time. Elina Polikanova stepped onto the competition floor for the first time in her speedcubing journey, putting up official times across four events, including 17.32 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube, 29.91 seconds in Skewb, and 1:24.22 in the traditional 3x3x3 Cube.

The Clock competition delivered one of the sharpest podium battles of the entire program, won by Reed W. Richardson with an exceptional 3.59-second average and a best single of 2.66 seconds. Garrett claimed second in Clock with a 4.04 average, followed closely by Brayden Thompson in third place with a 5.33 average. Across the board, every single one of the 36 podium spots went to United States competitors.

Closing out the action in Hobart, Countless Cubes Chicagoland B 2024 wrapped up a high-paced day of speed cubing excellence. From first-time stage appearances to Garrett sweeping through nearly every category on the roster, the gathering at County Line Orchard highlighted the incredible breadth of talent across modern competitive solving.