Davis Fall 2023

Ethan Jan delivered a masterclass in precision to secure victory in the premier event at Davis Fall 2023, recording a brilliant 6.54 winning average in the final round of the 3x3x3 Cube. That gold-medal performance came in a brutally competitive field where the best single solve of the entire discipline dropped to 5.87. Navigating through four elimination stages in Davis, California, USA, the United States speedcuber proved unflappable on October 29, 2023, setting the standard in a tournament that brought together 128 competitors across five official events and 12 total rounds.

The sheer depth of talent made reaching any final a monumental task at the University of California-Davis ARC Conference Center. In the 3x3x3 Cube alone, 126 entrants lined up for a shot at glory, demanding consistency across dozens of solves to stay in contention. The 3x3 results demonstrated how slim the margins were at this WCA competition, with Zhouheng Sun taking second place on a 6.82 average and Varun Mohanraj rounding out the podium in third with a 6.95 average. Every pass through the qualifying brackets shaved down the pack until only the sharpest speedcubing specialists remained on stage.

Anto Kam put together an extraordinary showing across two drastically different events, proving that versatile mastery remains one of the greatest assets in high-level Rubik's Cube solving. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Kam topped an 80-competitor field across two intense rounds, capturing gold with a winning average of 9.69 and setting the event's top single mark at 9.23. Zhouheng Sun earned the silver medal with a 10.56 average, while Cameron Miller claimed third place at 12.76, surviving a deep division where single-digit execution was nearly mandatory to reach the upper ranks.

Kam followed that one-handed triumph with a commanding victory in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, which drew 31 fearless solvers. Navigating the mental strain of complex memorisation, Kam claimed first place with an impressive single solve of 18.96. David Karalli captured the silver medal with a single time of 27.07, and Nolan Yiu secured third place in 29.52. Kam was the lone competitor to crack the sub-20 barrier without sight, capping a two-gold weekend that highlighted the technical breadth present across Northern California speed cubing.

The polyhedral and non-traditional disciplines brought equally compelling battles to the tables at Davis Fall 2023. Simon Kellum stood atop a 71-person bracket in Skewb, claiming first place with a 3.75 winning average and posting the event's fastest single solve at 2.23. Taj Bressert took second place with a 4.48 average, just ahead of Jusun Choi in third at 4.58. In Megaminx, Nico Harper secured top honours among 56 competitors, finishing with a winning average of 40.58 and the best single at 36.66, holding off Nolan Yiu at 43.18 and Cameron Miller at 46.54.

Beyond the championship podiums, the event floor was defined by personal milestones and breakthrough solves. Karthik Nagineni delivered the weekend's most astonishing leap in 3x3x3 One-Handed, slicing 66.6% off a previous mark to post a 21.91 personal best, alongside drops to 9.98 in the 3x3x3 Cube and 2:05.08 in Megaminx. Andrew Ahlem turned in major gains across three events, cutting 49.2% in Skewb to hit 7.93, lowering his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 15.5% to 20.34, and posting a 37.81 in his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed. Kevin Jia shaved 41.1% off his 3x3x3 Cube best with a 20.24, while Jeshua Cota lowered his one-handed benchmark by 29.2% to 43.28.

The courage to tackle new events also reshaped personal scorecards across the tournament floor. Nathan Jeffery McCormick entered five distinct disciplines, logging a first ever attempt at Skewb in 14.91, one-handed in 41.70, and Megaminx in 1:42.82. Kepler Wu took on four events, carding a first Skewb attempt of 10.14 and a first one-handed solve of 40.93 alongside a 16.17 personal best on the 3x3x3 Cube. Nathan Maurer recorded a 43.56 in his one-handed debut while lowering his Skewb mark to 6.49. Meanwhile, Tavia Jorjorian-Miller tackled Megaminx for the first time with a 1:41.99 and set a 5.69 Skewb personal best.

Across the entire day, the United States accounted for 10 podium spots, with Hong Kong securing two, China claiming two, and Korea taking one. The fierce competition across four rounds of main-event solving and diverse specialty brackets showed that advancing at this cubing competition required both steady nerves and world-class efficiency. As the final marks were entered into the archives, Davis Fall 2023 stood as a testament to the surging quality and depth defining modern tournament play.