Dandong Yalu River Open 2024

Inside the Fred Hotel along the border waters, solving mats clicked in continuous rhythm as 127 competitors settled into their stations for a full day of action. Hand warmers rested beside stacks of inspection covers, timers were checked, and judges took their seats to oversee 12 scheduled rounds across five official events. The atmosphere in the hall was one of focused intent, with solvers ranging from seasoned veterans to dedicated regulars tuning their hardware before the opening calls.

The Dandong Yalu River Open 2024 brought top-tier speedcubing action to Dandong, Liaoning, China on June 29, 2024. Across the field, the emphasis of the day quickly centered on personal milestones and measurable growth. Every bracket delivered sharp drops in personal records, illustrating how much preparation had taken place prior to taking the stage at this WCA competition.

Nowhere was that progress more apparent than in the personal breakthroughs registered throughout the middle tiers of the draw. Yiqin Sun entered three events, taking 13th in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a first ever attempt of 13.71 seconds, while slashing their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 49.2 percent down to 2.50 seconds and improving their 3x3x3 Cube mark by 11.7 percent to 8.52 seconds. Zongyuan Liu contested three events and dropped time across all of them, shaving 43.8 percent from their 2x2x2 Cube standard to reach 2.71 seconds, lowering their Pyraminx best by 15.9 percent to 4.91 seconds, and dropping their 3x3x3 Cube best by 19 percent to 8.77 seconds. Jiayi Su also excelled across three events, cutting their 2x2x2 Cube best by 41.8 percent to 4.57 seconds, improving on Pyraminx by 16.9 percent to 5.39 seconds, and lowering their 3x3x3 Cube mark by 17.9 percent to 17.23 seconds.

The surge continued with Sijian Zhao, who entered three events and saw a 40.7 percent drop in Pyraminx to record 4.92 seconds, alongside a 23.9 percent improvement in 2x2x2 Cube to 3.99 seconds and a 17.3 percent cut in 3x3x3 Cube to 14.48 seconds. Zihao Niu entered three events and took 35.2 percent off their previous Pyraminx best down to 4.31 seconds, while lowering their 3x3x3 Cube time by 20.8 percent to 11.25 seconds and their 2x2x2 Cube standard by 7.8 percent to 3.79 seconds. Xiangbao Ren logged a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 28.95-second solve, paired with a 33.1 percent reduction in their 3x3x3 Cube best to 11.28 seconds across three events entered. Yitong Wang took on two events, delivering a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube of 3.97 seconds and lowering their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 20.7 percent to 10.17 seconds.

In the flagship 3x3x3 Cube event, 123 competitors stepped up to solve the classic Rubik's Cube across three competitive rounds. Zhaokun Li delivered a masterful final run, capturing the victory with a 5.88-second winning average and a best single of 5.55 seconds. Lingkun Jiang finished right behind in second place with a 6.00-second average, while Huining Huang completed the podium in third with an average of 6.54 seconds to wrap up an electrifying set of 3x3 results.

The 2x2x2 Cube brought fast-paced drama across three rounds with 86 competitors in contention. Chenhao Ma claimed the top spot on the podium, posting a winning average of 1.63 seconds and a best single solve of 1.42 seconds. Huining Huang secured second place with a 2.04-second average, while Xinyun Chen earned third place with a 2.34-second average to conclude a remarkably quick final.

The Pyraminx event featured 57 competitors battling through three rounds, where Lingkun Jiang took the victory with a 1.73-second average and a best single of 1.29 seconds. Huining Huang placed second with an average of 1.87 seconds, and Kaixi Guo claimed third place on the podium with an average of 2.43 seconds. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Yiqun Lin topped the 42-competitor field over two rounds with an average of 10.85 seconds and a single of 8.44 seconds, leading Qingze Li in second at 12.21 seconds and Chenhao Ma in third at 13.79 seconds.

Blindfolded solving concluded the schedule, requiring pure memory and precise execution without sight of the puzzle. Yifan Wang won the single-round 3x3x3 Blindfolded competition among nine entrants, recording the best single solve of the event at 18.50 seconds. Liren Sun earned second place with a single of 27.12 seconds, followed by Hongyu Jiang in third place with a time of 30.43 seconds.

With 15 podium positions earned by solvers representing China, the Dandong Yalu River Open 2024 stood as a testament to the thriving state of speed cubing in the region. From the sharpest averages at the top of the standings to the massive personal record cuts achieved across every tier, the cubing competition in Dandong provided a shining example of steady dedication paying off.

在三阶魔方决赛的终极对决中，Zhaokun Li (李昭昆)以微弱优势脱颖而出，凭借5.88秒的夺冠平均成绩与5.55秒的单次极速，一举登顶巅峰。这场高规格较量为整场赛事奠定了激烈的基调。2024年6月29日，Dandong Yalu River Open 2024在辽宁丹东的Fred Hotel拉开战幕，汇聚了127名顶尖魔方高手，展开了一场多轮淘汰制的魔方竞速盛宴。

本次在Dandong, Liaoning, China举行的盛会共设5个项目，历经12轮激战。作为重头戏的三阶魔方项目吸引了123名选手参与3轮角逐。在压轴决赛中，Lingkun Jiang (姜凌坤)以6.00秒的平均成绩紧随其后屈居亚军，Huining Huang (黄徽宁)则以6.54秒斩获季军，领奖台之争可谓扣人心弦。

在金字塔魔方赛场，Lingkun Jiang (姜凌坤)展现统治力，以1.73秒的平均成绩夺冠，单次最快达到1.29秒。Huining Huang (黄徽宁)以1.87秒的平均成绩摘银，Kaixi Guo (郭铠希)以2.43秒位列第三。该项目共有57名选手参与三轮角逐，竞争异常白热化。

二阶魔方同样上演了极速风暴，Chenhao Ma (马晨皓)在86名选手中脱颖而出，以1.63秒的平均成绩和1.42秒的最佳单次夺得桂冠。Huining Huang (黄徽宁)以2.04秒收获第二名，Xinyun Chen (陈新运)以2.34秒名列第三，三位选手在三轮比拼中展现出非凡的手速与观察力。

单手与盲拧项目则对选手的综合技巧提出了极高要求。在42人参与的三阶单手项目中，Yiqun Lin (林逸群)以10.85秒的平均成绩夺魁，最快单次达8.44秒，Qingze Li (李庆泽)以12.21秒获得亚军，Chenhao Ma (马晨皓)以13.79秒位列季军。三阶盲拧项目中，Yifan Wang (王逸帆)凭借18.50秒的单次成绩夺得第一，Liren Sun (孙立仁)以27.12秒位居次席，Hongyu Jiang (姜宏禹)以30.43秒摘铜。

除了领奖台上的闪耀时刻，赛场深处还见证了许多选手的飞速突破。Yunuo Xie (谢雨诺)在此次比赛中大放异彩，金字塔魔方刷出4.53秒的个人最好成绩，比原纪录提升37.5%，三阶成绩也提升10.8%达到21.02秒。Kai Kang (康凯)在二阶项目中大幅提速32.3%跑出2.35秒，三阶同样突破21.2%达到7.41秒并取得第六名。Zhuojia Zhou (周琢嘉)迎来三阶单手首秀取得17.29秒，金字塔项目提升13.6%达到6.84秒。Yinuo Yang (杨一诺)完成二阶首次尝试交出3.57秒，三阶提升6.3%达到10.35秒，金字塔获得第五名。

更多选手的个人里程碑同样令人瞩目。Yining Wang (王逸宁)迎来金字塔项目的赛场首秀交出7.65秒，三阶项目提升8.6%达到13.10秒，盲拧项目获得第七名。首次参加WCA比赛的新人Alex Feng (冯信予)挑战了4个项目，分别在单手拿下37.02秒、三阶拿到20.42秒、金字塔拿到8.20秒。同样迎来生涯首场WCA认证赛事的Yuhang Liu (刘聿航)也出战4个项目，二阶跑出3.03秒，三阶跑出11.62秒，金字塔更以4.34秒名列第18位。

随着全部项目的尘埃落定，Dandong Yalu River Open 2024在丹东圆满收官。15座领奖台席位见证了选手们的刻苦训练与临场发挥，从顶尖高手的秒级对决到初出茅庐者的新项目尝试，这场高水平的魔方锦标赛展现了速度与技巧的魅力，为选手们开启了通往新赛季更高目标的征程。