CubingUSA Great Lakes Championship 2023

A total of 269 competitors gathered in Columbus, Ohio, USA from October 20 to October 22, 2023, setting the stage for a massive weekend across 16 events and 36 rounds. Staged across the Ohio Union and the Recreation and Physical Activity Center, the CubingUSA Great Lakes Championship 2023 brought together seasoned speedcubing veterans and ambitious challengers for three packed days of world-class action. The tournament served as a clinic for veteran form, with top-tier solvers showing absolute mastery over both short sprints and the heaviest multi-layered puzzles on the schedule.

The 3x3x3 Cube main event delivered fireworks through all four rounds of intense turning. Poland's Tymon Kolasiński produced a standout performance, capturing first place with a 5.56 winning average and laying down a dazzling 3.78 single solve. Luke Garrett chased closely with a 5.83 average to take the runner-up spot, while Ben Zhao secured third on a 5.87 mark. The 3x3 results proved once again that high-stakes Rubik's Cube competition demands relentless precision at the very top of the standings.

Kolasiński orchestrated a commanding run throughout the weekend, collecting five individual titles across the classic NxN puzzles. In the 4x4x4 Cube, he clinched gold with a 25.00 average ahead of Garrett's 27.55 and Stanley Chapel's 28.07. He continued his supremacy on the big cubes, winning the 5x5x5 Cube with a 41.07 average, the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:24.10, and the 7x7x7 Cube in 2:00.64. Across these long formats, Kolasiński handled deep turn sequences with poise, resisting late-solve fatigue to dominate the podiums.

The blindfolded categories became an exhibition of memory and mechanical execution for Stanley Chapel, who swept all four unseeing disciplines. Chapel took the standard 3x3x3 Blindfolded title with a sharp 17.57 winning average, besting Will Cerne's 18.83 and Carter Kucala's 23.62. Chapel also topped 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 1:05.09 single and 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a 2:17.14 effort. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, Chapel registered a stunning 47 out of 52 cubes solved in 59:06, demonstrating total concentration in one of the toughest challenges in speed cubing.

Luke Garrett was equally relentless across the alternate events at the CubingUSA Great Lakes Championship 2023, winning 3x3x3 One-Handed with an elite 9.72 average over Zhao's 11.58 and Juliette Sébastien's 11.70. Garrett also claimed the Megaminx crown with a 36.71 average, while adding second-place finishes in both the 2x2x2 Cube and 4x4x4 Cube. The 2x2x2 Cube event was won by Sujan Feist in a rapid 1.36 average, while Simon Kellum claimed Pyraminx with a 2.28 average and Carter Kucala locked up Skewb with a 1.89 average.

Beyond the championship podiums, the spirit of this cubing competition was alive in the personal breakthroughs achieved right through the field. Drew Tacey delivered massive gains, trimming their 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 4.94, which was 72.5 percent faster than their previous mark, alongside a 28.9 percent drop in Skewb to 10.99, while also putting up a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 1:26.34. David Liu completed a busy 12-event roster, recording first-time marks in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:20.59, 3x3x3 Blindfolded at 3:46.60, and Clock at 9.83. Cody Strother tackled 11 disciplines, logging initial tournament times in 7x7x7 Cube at 5:52.99, 5x5x5 Cube at 1:42.06, and 6x6x6 Cube at 3:26.79. Kellen Flanders stepped up to seven events, posting first attempts of 15.03 in Skewb, 26.25 in Clock, and 1:53.56 in 4x4x4 Cube.

That same drive to expand repertoires was evident in competitors trying complex puzzles for the very first time. Maverick Davis logged inaugural times of 38.84 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, 16.69 in Skewb, and 20.06 in Pyraminx. Solomon Benz ventured into four disciplines, making first attempts of 2:02.71 in 4x4x4 Cube, 5.29 in 2x2x2 Cube, and 13.39 in Skewb. Caleb Blair expanded their scope across five categories, registering first marks of 9.60 in Skewb, 6.79 in 2x2x2 Cube, and 52.80 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Wyatt Lynch took on eight events, highlighted by debut finishes of 1:16.75 in Square-1, 3:26.11 in Megaminx, and 3:24.76 in the 5x5x5 Cube.

In other specialty disciplines at the WCA competition, Vishwa Sankar earned the Clock victory with a consistent 4.59 average, while Daniel Karnaukh took top honors in Square-1 by recording a 6.69 average. The United States captured 41 podium places throughout the competition, Poland gathered five, and France collected two. With 16 events contested from start to finish, the CubingUSA Great Lakes Championship 2023 concluded as a comprehensive showcase of precision, speed, and endurance.

As the final timers stopped in Columbus, the weekend highlighted the enduring power of veteran experience on the competitive stage. From Kolasiński's sweep across the big cubes to Chapel's blindfolded clinic, the tournament celebrated both seasoned mastery and the personal milestones that make the sport thrive. Competitors leave the Great Lakes region with renewed sharpness as preparations begin for the next chapter of the season.