Cubing-on-Hudson PM 2024

Inside the James V. Harmon Community Center, the crisp autumn air gave way to the steady rhythm of turning puzzles, soft thuds of plastic hitting timer mats, and the quiet concentration of 28 solvers gathered together. Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA served as the backdrop on November 17, 2024, for an afternoon of compact, focused tournament action. Before any hardware was handed out, the hall was filled with competitors testing tensions, checking their alignment, and dialling in their turning speed across a packed schedule that compressed five rounds into a single, high-energy day of official play.

Single-handed dexterity and precise ergonomic fingertricks are the lifeblood of specialized solving, rewarding patience, muscle memory, and flawless turn execution under competitive conditions. While one-handed events test the pure mechanical control of a single wrist and fingers, those same refined technical habits carry across every twisty puzzle discipline. The fundamental skill of managing rotational drag, predicting fingertip placement, and executing fast algorithmic sequences without locking up is what separates good attempts from great ones, regardless of the puzzle format in hand.

When the official 3x3 results came down at Cubing-on-Hudson PM 2024, Elias Diaz proved to be the standout performer of the tournament. Navigating two rigorous rounds of the classic Rubik's Cube, Diaz secured victory in the 3x3x3 Cube final with a commanding winning average of 7.20 seconds, having already posted the best single of the event at 6.23 seconds. Ayden Dincher pushed hard through both rounds to earn second place on the podium with an average of 8.36, while Shota Fukuoka wrapped up third place with a 10.07 average in the 27-competitor field.

Diaz was not done leaving his mark on the weekend, stepping up to the 2x2x2 Cube with equal precision. In another 27-person, two-round battle, Diaz clinched first place with a 1.81 winning average and a best single of 1.63 seconds. Eli Rogers applied relentless pressure, securing the second-place spot just four hundredths of a second behind with a 1.85 average, while Dincher earned his second podium of the meet by taking third place with a 2.30 average.

The third event on the schedule brought out the corner-turning challenge of the Skewb, where Ayden Dincher took top honours among 20 competitors. Dincher claimed the victory with a sharp 3.12 winning average and the round's best single of 2.10 seconds. Diaz showed his versatile consistency across disciplines by finishing second with a 3.26 average, closely followed by Ryan Hughes, who secured third place on the podium with a 3.32 mark. Across all three events, all nine podium placements went to competitors representing the USA.

Away from the top step of the podium, the afternoon produced massive personal breakthroughs for several competitors across the floor. Sebastian Luu-Missios dropped their personal best in the Skewb to 7.15 seconds, a staggering 64.5 percent improvement over their previous 20.12 mark, alongside a 14th-place finish. Tobin Lee made major gains across two events, dropping their 2x2x2 personal record by 45.4 percent down to 2.98 seconds and taking their 3x3x3 mark to 17.69 seconds, 6.2 percent faster than before. Franz Tribelhorn chopped 39.3 percent off their 2x2x2 best to hit 6.31 seconds and improved their 3x3x3 record by 37.7 percent to 26.47 seconds. Alexander Meconiates entered three events, taking 11th in 2x2x2, posting a first attempt of 12.90 in Skewb and 3.02 in 2x2x2, while slashing their 3x3x3 best by 36.4 percent to 12.48.

Other solvers stepped onto the competition stage to tackle new events or take their first official solves. Noah Blank entered three events, recording a first attempt of 13.56 in Skewb and 4.04 in 2x2x2. Luke Huxta logged a first attempt of 13.15 in Skewb while dropping their 3x3x3 best by 14 percent to 15.20 seconds. Ben Meier entered three disciplines and achieved a 9th-place finish in 3x3x3 with a personal best of 9.04 seconds, an improvement of 10.8 percent, alongside a 2.91 in 2x2x2 that was 22.4 percent faster. At the start of their journey, Phinneas Buckley took part in their first WCA competition, recording a first official attempt of 1:03.67 in 3x3x3 and 28.69 in 2x2x2.

The meet highlighted the depth of the regional speedcubing community, where veteran solvers and newcomers shared the same tournament floor. Across three events and five rounds, the cubing competition demonstrated the focus, technical dexterity, and steady nerves required to perform under official WCA competition conditions. As the timers were packed away in Hastings-on-Hudson, the afternoon closed with rapid times across every round, setting a solid standard for local speed cubing as competitors turn their attention toward the next season of racing.