Cube With Retention in Denton 2024

Twenty-two competitors gathered at the University of North Texas Union over February 17 and February 18 for a specialized weekend of high-focus puzzle solving. Cube With Retention in Denton 2024 set the stage for an intense slate of 8 events across 12 rounds, challenging athletes in side events and complex memory disciplines far beyond the standard Rubik's Cube. From long-form calculations to rapid blindfolded attempts, the Denton, Texas, USA venue hosted an array of dedicated solvers aiming to establish personal benchmarks early in the 2024 speedcubing calendar.

The environment of a specialized WCA competition offers a unique test of mental endurance. For new arrivals stepping into the arena for the first time, the atmosphere provides both tension and welcoming camaraderie. While a typical cubing competition often revolves around the classic three-by-three event, this weekend leaned heavily into retention and specialty formats, testing everything from big cubes to blindfolded memory. Every participant took to the tables knowing each solve required total concentration.

Among the athletes making significant strides, Luke Cowan delivered a standout performance by clocking a 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best of 3:42.68, slicing 54.2 percent off his previous benchmark, while also trimming his Megaminx best by 11 percent to 2:57.13. Jude Stradtner also recorded major gains across multiple disciplines, lowering his 3x3x3 Fewest Moves personal best by 30.2 percent down to 37 moves, dropping his 7x7x7 Cube best by 22.8 percent to 3:56.91, and setting a Megaminx mark of 55.93. Winter Smith cut 34.5 percent off a Square-1 personal best to finish in 20.39 seconds alongside an improved 11.57 Clock solve.

The event was equally defined by daring debuts in unfamiliar disciplines. Jaxen M. Delgado took on a first career speed cubing tournament appearance, entering two disciplines and recording a Megaminx mark of 2:45.11. Pavel Trudolyubov tackled three brand new events during the weekend, registering his first official attempts in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 49, 7x7x7 Cube with 5:28.05, and 6x6x6 Cube with 3:34.54. Alejandro Kolster Passos logged a first official 3x3x3 Multi-Blind score of 2/2 in 11:57 while securing a 10.77 Square-1 personal best. Jett F. Knappe logged an initial Fewest Moves result of 71, Aidan Piper tackled his first Fewest Moves attempt with 56, and Jonah Stradtner improved his Square-1 best by 30.9 percent to 35.17.

At the top of the podiums, Fletcher Berry commanded the blindfolded events with exceptional memory work. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Berry took the title with an average of 31.87 seconds, having secured a winning single of 28.04 seconds in the final and a single of 27.32 seconds during the earlier round. Ryan Pilat claimed second place with an average of 54.58 seconds, followed by Luke Meszar in third at 57.91 seconds. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, Berry topped the field with 22 out of 26 solved cubes in a time of 49:36, ahead of Nathan Benson who completed 18 of 20 in 57:53.

Dylan Baumbach demonstrated elite technical speed across several intricate apparatuses. In Square-1, Baumbach took the victory with a 5.54-second average and a best single of 4.29 seconds, finishing ahead of Daniel Karnaukh at 6.62 and Ryan Pilat at 7.05. Baumbach also led the Clock event, winning the final round with a 4.57-second average to edge out Robbie Villarica of the Philippines at 4.62 seconds and Pilat at 4.84 seconds, further rounding out an impressive multi-event showing at Cube With Retention in Denton 2024.

Daniel Karnaukh excelled in the analytical and large puzzle events, securing gold in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a winning average of 24.33 moves and a single of 21, leading Pilat and Baumbach on the podium. Karnaukh then captured the 7x7x7 Cube title with a winning average of 2:52.55 and a single of 2:51.07, finishing ahead of Jadon Castillo who averaged 3:01.47 and Matthew Bidwell at 3:38.40.

Ryan Pilat completed a remarkably busy schedule by capturing two gold medals of his own. In the 6x6x6 Cube final, Pilat posted a winning average of 1:46.12 to take first place ahead of Castillo and Villarica. Pilat followed up with a victory in Megaminx, taking first with a 49.15-second average, followed by Castillo at 51.69 seconds and Baumbach at 52.84 seconds, capping an event where distinct 3x3 results and complex mechanical mastery shared the spotlight.

As the final timers stopped, the weekend underscored the deep technical variety that defines modern competitive solving. Competitors from the United States and the Philippines claimed places across the eight podiums, demonstrating skill across both speed and memorization. Cube With Retention in Denton 2024 closed out its schedule having provided both seasoned veterans and eager newcomers a platform to test their limits under official competition conditions.