CubingUSA Mid-Atlantic Championship 2023

Inside the halls of the Albany Capital Center, stacks of timers flickered under the venue lights while solve mats clicked in steady rhythm across dozens of competition tables. Over three days from June 17 to June 19, 2023, the floor remained active from morning to evening as 179 competitors converged for an extensive regional test. Across 16 official disciplines and 52 total rounds, the gathering delivered rapid turns, personal breakthroughs, and high-stakes finals in Albany, New York, USA.

The CubingUSA Mid-Atlantic Championship 2023 served as a major showcase for skill across the classic Rubik's Cube and specialized puzzles alike. Over the course of the three-day WCA competition, competitors registered personal bests across the spectrum of events, demonstrating notable individual growth from round to round. Whether tackling lightning-quick short puzzles or enduring complex multi-minute categories, the field brought sharpened techniques and high focus to every stage.

Patrick Ponce established commanding authority throughout the weekend, securing victories in five separate disciplines. In the 3x3x3 Cube event, which drew 174 entrants across four rounds, Ponce captured first place with a 6.37 average, holding off Christopher Sun at 6.50 and Tommy Cherry at 6.56, while posting a tournament-best single of 5.11 in the 3x3 results. Ponce added another premier victory in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 10.58, edging Ray Bai at 10.92 and Shaun Mack at 11.22. He further extended his reach into larger puzzles by winning the 4x4x4 Cube with a 25.58 average and taking the 5x5x5 Cube title with a mark of 44.80.

Ponce closed out his five-event haul in the 6x6x6 Cube, logging a winning average of 1:26.23 to complete an extraordinary run at the CubingUSA Mid-Atlantic Championship 2023. Meanwhile, Zayn Khanani proved unbeatable in the sprint formats, delivering a rapid 1.33 average to claim the 2x2x2 Cube title before topping the Skewb podium with a 2.05 average. In the Skewb final, Stanley Chapel took second with a 2.91 average and Tommy Cherry claimed third with 3.70.

Beyond the championship trophies, meaningful personal gains defined the competition for many entrants who stepped up their pace across multiple disciplines. Brendan Ryan dropped his personal best in Skewb to 6.77, which was 42.1% faster than his previous standard of 11.69, while also taking on Clock for the first time with a 33.42 result. Bastien Hadass carved his 4x4x4 Cube personal best down to 1:08.45, improving by 38.9% from his earlier mark of 1:52.08, and made his first official attempts at Pyraminx with 5.65 and Clock with 22.92. Roland Plante stepped up across 11 events, taking his first ever attempts in 7x7x7 Cube at 6:11.15, Clock at 32.92, and Megaminx at 2:29.67. William Levenson engaged in 12 disciplines, logging initial official solves in 7x7x7 Cube at 8:40.32, Square-1 at 46.41, and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:16.79.

Other dedicated solvers expanded their repertoires through intense speedcubing schedules. Alex J. Barbecho tackled 12 events, recording his first marks in 7x7x7 Cube at 8:20.86, 4x4x4 Cube at 1:09.77, and 6x6x6 Cube at 5:28.14. Santiago Santana entered 13 events, posting inaugural efforts in Clock at 11.80, Square-1 at 51.39, and 6x6x6 Cube at 4:30.09. Joseph Dyer registered first attempts in Skewb with 10.75, Square-1 with 24.47, and 4x4x4 Cube with 57.26 across his seven events. Sullivan Contray entered 12 events, producing maiden competition results in Square-1 at 32.21, 6x6x6 Cube at 4:17.21, and 7x7x7 Cube at 6:02.98.

The blindfolded categories demanded extreme memory and poise under pressure. Stanley Chapel delivered a remarkable showing in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, securing 48 solved cubes out of 52 attempts in a single of 59:29. Chapel also earned top honours in the 5x5x5 Blindfolded final with a winning single of 2:23.10, leading Christopher Sun at 9:17.36 and Faiz Wareh at 18:34.00. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Tommy Cherry claimed victory with a fast 15.72 single, ahead of Chapel at 17.63 and Elliott Kobelansky at 17.88. Kobelansky took the top spot in 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 1:47.63 winning single.

Specialist events rounded out the broad slate of speed cubing contests. Dylan Chan triumphed in Pyraminx with a 2.10 average, besting Jinseo Hong at 2.81 and Livia Kleiner at 2.92. Vishwa Sankar captured the Clock title with a 4.55 average, finishing in front of Ryan Michael Breen at 4.76 and Joshua Marriott at 4.82. Nicolas Naing commanded Megaminx with a 31.95 winning average, Hassan Khanani led Square-1 with an average of 5.96, and Kevin Hays mastered the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:05.44 average. Across all podium places, competitors from the USA claimed 44 spots, while Canada and Korea each earned two.

As the final tables were cleared at the CubingUSA Mid-Atlantic Championship 2023, the weekend concluded having pushed competitors to fresh benchmarks and personal bests. From the rapid turns of the short puzzles to the deep endurance required for big cubes and multi-blind formats, the gathering stood as a full measure of personal progress and competitive dedication in Albany.