Crazy Cubing Centurion 2023

Inside Erasmia Junction, the competition floor was packed from wall to wall as seventy-three competitors gathered across two full days on February 11 and February 12. Stacks of puzzles, timers, and stopwatches were laid out across the stations as solving commenced in Centurion, South Africa. Every seat at the solving tables was contested as a dense crowd of entrants fought for progression through fifteen scheduled rounds, creating an intense atmosphere where every single fraction of a second determined who survived the cutoffs.

The sheer size and depth of the field meant that simply advancing past the opening round in any event was a significant achievement. Crazy Cubing Centurion 2023 tested competitors across eight distinct disciplines, drawing large pools of entrants who left no room for error. A classic Rubik's Cube main bracket brought together seventy-one solvers, forcing contenders to deliver fast, consistent solves across three grueling rounds just to earn a spot on the final stage in the 2023 speedcubing calendar.

Shivaan Harichander proved up to the challenge in the marquee 3x3x3 Cube event. Harichander topped three rounds of intense competition to claim victory, securing a winning average of 8.38 seconds alongside a round-best single of 7.54 seconds. Ruben Grobler pushed the pace in second place with an 8.79 average, while Daniel Rush finished third with a 9.32 average. The quality of the 3x3 results demonstrated how competitive reaching the top podium tier has become in the South African circuit.

Harichander added another gold in the 2x2x2 Cube, leading a field of fifty-six competitors with a winning average of 2.70 seconds and a single of 2.24 seconds. Jan-Hendrik Hoogendyk placed second with an average of 3.01 seconds, narrowly edging Daniel Rush, who took third in 3.09 seconds. Across two rounds of explosive turning, the event demanded flawless execution, with Ruben Grobler laying down a blazing single of 1.59 seconds and an average of 2.34 seconds during the rounds.

Away from the top of the standings, the depth of the field shone brightest through personal breakthroughs and bold debuts. Sihle Samukelo Dlamini secured sixth place in Skewb with a personal best of 5.63 seconds, cutting 62.5 percent off a previous best of 15.03 seconds, while also recording a Pyraminx personal best of 8.45 seconds and making a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 49.03 seconds. Trystan Swardt dropped their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 60.8 percent down to 3.95 seconds, finished 18th in Pyraminx, and logged first attempts in Skewb at 13.11 seconds and One-Handed at 46.92 seconds. Pieter Cornelius Horne slashed 51.9 percent from their 3x3x3 Cube best to clock 54.81 seconds and tried 2x2x2 Cube for the first time with a 25.88 single. Duan Myburgh shaved 50.9 percent from their 4x4x4 Cube mark to record 59.72 seconds, placed 11th in One-Handed, and made debut attempts in Pyraminx and Skewb.

Fresh faces and multi-event endurance defined the tournament floor for dozens of participants taking on new challenges. Luke Kindon finished fifth in Pyraminx with a 6.13 single on their first attempt, trimmed their 3x3x3 Cube best by 12.7 percent to 11.61 seconds, and debuted in One-Handed at 31.50 seconds. Jamie Byres tackled seven events, placing ninth in Square-1 on their first attempt with a 42.77 single, alongside debuts in Skewb at 8.56 seconds and One-Handed at 1:10.92. In their first WCA competition, Emmanuel Boiwa took on four events, setting marks of 6.08 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube, 19.38 seconds in 3x3x3 Cube, and 2:41.19 in 4x4x4 Cube. Dumisani Moyo also stepped up for their first cubing competition, registering a 17.32 in the 3x3x3 Cube and a 15.04 in Pyraminx.

The multidimensional talents of Ruben Grobler became a central storyline throughout the weekend, capturing four event titles across the program. Grobler claimed the Pyraminx victory over forty-one entrants with a 5.58 average, besting Daniel Rush and Osman Badroodin. Grobler struck gold again in Skewb with a 5.60 average ahead of Brendan James Gray and Badroodin, before securing a hard-fought 3x3x3 One-Handed title with a 17.45 average against Patrick Ellis and Badroodin in a tense, tightly bunched final.

Grobler completed a quadruple gold haul by conquering the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division, where memorisation and flawless execution yielded a winning single of 1:36.17, finishing ahead of Marike Faught and Brendan James Gray. Meanwhile, Osman Badroodin dominated the Square-1 bracket, claiming first place with a 10.86 average and a single of 8.77 seconds, ahead of Grobler and Andreas de Lange. Daniel Rush captured the 4x4x4 Cube title with a 33.08 average and a best single of 29.22 seconds, holding off Grobler and Badroodin in a high-caliber final round.

All twenty-four podium places across the eight disciplines were secured by South African competitors, highlighting the incredible talent pool present at Erasmia Junction. The speed cubing community in the region delivered an intense weekend of high-level competition, testing veterans and newcomers alike. Crazy Cubing Centurion 2023 underscored the rising standard of play across every puzzle category, setting a high bar for every competitor looking forward to the next major tournament.