CubingZA Cape Cubes Spring 2023

Ninety-eight competitors gathered across fifteen rounds of intense speedcubing action as the season turned at Kirstenhof Primary School. Held from September 30 to October 1, 2023, CubingZA Cape Cubes Spring 2023 brought together a vibrant mix of seasoned champions and ambitious newcomers in Cape Town, South Africa. Over two days of competitive Rubik's Cube solving, seven official events showcased the remarkable depth of the local community, with fresh talent stepping onto the tournament stage alongside continental record-holders.

A massive wave of emerging solvers defined the atmosphere throughout the weekend. With scores of competitors taking their very first steps in a WCA competition, the event served as a major entry point for the expanding South African speed cubing scene. These newcomers joined experienced hands across thirty-nine to ninety-five competitors per event, testing their puzzle-solving abilities across standard cubes, side events, and complex blindfolded disciplines.

Among those writing memorable personal chapters away from the top steps of the podium, Troy Shrosbree delivered massive breakthroughs across five events, trimming his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 65.1 percent to 34.25 seconds and lowering his standard 3x3x3 mark by 24.2 percent down to 11.54. Kai van der Vyver also had an outstanding weekend across five events, cutting 41.1 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube mark to reach 1:00.11, dropping his Pyraminx best by 39.1 percent to 5.54 seconds on his way to 10th place, and taking his first official turn at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 26.77 seconds. Oliver Williams chopped 43.9 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube time to clock 15.66 seconds, placed 16th in Pyraminx with a debut 7.47, and tried Skewb for the first time with a 10.93 single. Aidan Fahy entered five events, cutting 36.7 percent from his one-handed best down to 41.04 seconds, finishing 11th in Skewb after a 6.08 first attempt, and logging a first 4x4x4 Cube solve of 1:35.76.

Other newcomers embraced new challenges with equal determination. Daniel Joseph Viljoen took on five disciplines, securing an 8th-place finish in Skewb with a 4.76 first attempt while adding debut singles of 1:35.50 in 4x4x4 Cube and 47.61 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Lucas Campbell de Kock chose CubingZA Cape Cubes Spring 2023 for their first WCA competition, tackling five separate events and posting maiden times of 8.05 in Pyraminx, 22.97 in Skewb, and 54.47 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Zac Elya Blumenthal also made their tournament debut here across four events, opening their career ledger with a 21.52 single on the 3x3x3 Cube, 8.49 on the Pyraminx, and 16.60 on Skewb. Noah Towo completed their first tournament appearance across three events, recording opening marks of 19.40 in 3x3x3 Cube, 1:12.39 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, and 2:24.54 on the 4x4x4 Cube.

At the sharp end of the main draw, Daniel Rush put on a clinic in the classic 3x3x3 Cube. Rush captured the title with a dominant 6.97-second final average, having earlier etched his name into the continental record books with an extraordinary African record single of 4.87 seconds. Samuel Collett took second place in the final with a 9.46 average, while Abdul Darries rounded out the podium in third with an average of 9.69 seconds, concluding a thrilling sequence of three rounds of 3x3 results.

Rush expanded his gold medal tally across multiple disciplines, claiming the top spot in the 4x4x4 Cube final with a swift 27.63 average, well clear of Collett in second at 37.09 and Marike Faught in third at 41.65. Rush also clinched victory in the Pyraminx final, averaging 5.78 seconds to edge Collett at 6.03 and Dylan Swarts at 6.26. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed competition, Joshua Christian Marais prevailed over forty-two contenders with a winning average of 13.63 seconds, followed by Rush in second at 18.11 and Maverick Pearson in third at 19.85.

The rotational agility of the Skewb brought forty-five participants to the tables, where Tristan Ford captured first place with an impressive 4.18 final average. Daniel David Mizen claimed second with a mark of 5.43, followed by Collett in third at 6.02, earning Collett his third podium appearance across the weekend.

Memorisation and precision took center stage in the big cube blindfolded events, where competitors faced the daunting task of solving entirely from memory after a single inspection phase. Marike Faught conquered the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event with a winning single of 6:03.69, leading Timothy Lawrance at 7:32.67 and Maverick Pearson at 11:20.00. Lawrance reversed the order in the 5x5x5 Blindfolded contest, securing the title with a composed 13:17.00 single ahead of Faught at 14:31.00 and Dylan Swarts at 17:45.00.

All twenty-one podium positions throughout the weekend were captured by competitors representing South Africa, underscoring the strength of the home nation across diverse formats. As CubingZA Cape Cubes Spring 2023 drew to a close in Cape Town, the combination of historic African records and dozens of tournament debuts set an invigorating tone for the upcoming season of South African speedcubing.