Cubing at The Cube Sunday 2023

A blistering 1.95-second Pyraminx winning average by Sebastian Lee set the standard for a day defined by massive personal breakthroughs. Held at The Cube, Campbelltown Catholic Club in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on January 22, 2023, the single-day gathering saw 214 competitors battle through 10 rounds of action. Across five distinct events, the competition floor became an arena of sharp progress where personal bests fell in round after round of high-pressure solving.

The 2023 WCA competition delivered a showcase of versatility across different puzzle formats, from the twisty mechanics of the Skewb to the intense concentration demanded by blindfolded solving. Competitors from across the region gathered in Sydney to put their preparation to the test against the clock. Beyond the pursuit of silverware, the day unfolded as a celebration of self-improvement, with dozens of entrants shaving substantial margins from their previous career benchmarks.

Charlie Eggins delivered a performance across multiple formats, claiming top honors in three separate events. In the classic 3x3x3 Cube, Eggins secured victory with an average of 7.73 seconds and a best single time of 6.58. The 3x3 results saw Cooper Holmes take second place with an average of 9.20, while Aaron Rattanachaipipat completed the podium in third with a 9.37 average, pacing an enormous field of 209 Rubik's Cube solvers.

Eggins doubled up in the 2x2x2 Cube, topping a lineup of 182 entrants across two rounds with a decisive 2.28-second winning average and a single of 1.59. Rattanachaipipat stepped into the runner-up position on the 2x2x2 podium with a 2.90 average, while Holmes secured third with a 3.00 average. Eggins added a third victory in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where memorization and tactile execution yielded a winning average of 21.63 seconds, ahead of Daniel Wang in second at 59.79 and Samuel Moliver in third at 1:19.08.

The speed cubing talent across New South Wales also shone bright in the non-cube puzzles. Sebastian Lee led 146 competitors in Pyraminx, delivering a best single of 1.27 alongside his winning 1.95 average. Hans Lin captured second place with a 4.08 average, followed by Eggins in third at 4.40. In Skewb, Reyansh Gupta took the top step of the podium among 94 competitors with a 4.55 average, holding off Eggins, who posted 5.55 for second, and Thomas Tinlin, who recorded a 5.60 average for third.

Behind the top-table results at Cubing at The Cube Sunday 2023, tremendous leaps in personal performance told the deeper story of the day. Theodore Peyiotou chopped an astonishing 70.8 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube benchmark with an 11.53 personal best, while also logging his first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with a time of 5.32. Joshua Peel took on four events, dropping his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 47.5 percent to 28.92 and tackling his first ever attempts at Pyraminx and Skewb with times of 11.55 and 26.86. Alano Ruisi improved his Pyraminx best by 54.4 percent to 5.43 and Skewb by 45 percent to 8.20. Jack Oakes cut his 2x2x2 Cube best by 51.5 percent to 3.48 while trying Pyraminx for the first time with an 8.06.

That wave of progress continued across the venue. Phillip Wellington improved his 2x2x2 Cube best by 51.1 percent to 8.59, bettered his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 29.6 percent down to 29.51, and registered an 11.65 in his first Pyraminx attempt. Liam Harvie took 9th place in Pyraminx, improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 42.3 percent to 3.20, and logged a first Skewb attempt of 9.69. Joshua Sim finished 16th in 2x2x2 Cube with a 3.72 personal best, a 33.9 percent improvement, while recording his first Skewb attempt at 6.26. Isaac Cortis took 16th in Pyraminx with a 28 percent improvement down to 5.57 and posted his first Skewb attempt at 15.09.

The 2x2x2 Cube rounds proved fertile ground for fast times throughout the roster, as Aron Stapleton logged a 2.69 single and 5.32 average, Corren Ingersole registered a 3.83 single and 5.60 average, and Matthew Cook posted a 2.52 single and 4.65 average. Across all five disciplines, Australian competitors swept all 15 podium places on offer, confirming the depth of the local speedcubing scene.

As the final timers were cleared at Cubing at The Cube Sunday 2023, the event underscored how dedication translates into rapid progress on the competitive stage. From first-time discipline entries to massive reductions in solving times, the day highlighted the rewarding progression at the heart of this cubing competition. With personal milestones reset across the board, competitors left Campbelltown with new benchmarks to chase.