DeNxNver 2024

The conference floor inside the Embassy Suites was humming with focused intensity on January 20, 2024, as competitors settled behind their timing mats. The morning schedule set a demanding tone for the day, bringing together 75 competitors from across the regional circuit for a packed schedule of big cubes, twisty puzzles, and lightning-fast sprints. Across 10 rounds of competition, local contenders and visiting rivals squared off in a classic battle for regional supremacy under the official banner of the World Cube Association.

The showdown at DeNxNver 2024 revolved around a fierce clash across disciplines between Jack Bellomy and Jacob Nokes. Both solvers traded top honors throughout the day across multiple formats, establishing a high-stakes dynamic across the podiums. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube, representing the classic Rubik's Cube, Bellomy took the title with an exceptional winning average of 6.50 after three grueling rounds, backed by a best single of 5.99. Nokes secured second place with an average of 7.24, while Oliver Michael Sitja Sichel rounded out the top three with 7.37.

The 3x3 results formed only one chapter of the head-to-head battle between the two frontrunners. Moving to the larger hardware, Nokes answered with commanding authority in the 5x5x5 Cube. Solvers faced heavy turning demands across the single round, where Nokes captured first place with a 48.27 winning average and a single solve of 44.88. Bellomy followed in second place at 1:00.55, while Raymos Castillo locked down third place on the podium with an average of 1:03.22 in the 37-person field.

Nokes continued his big-cube momentum into the 6x6x6 Cube, securing another gold in the regional duel with a winning average of 1:32.61 and a single of 1:30.04 across 33 competitors. Bellomy took the runner-up spot with a time of 1:42.16, and Castillo claimed his second bronze medal of the day at 1:46.92. The marathon nature of the puzzle demanded supreme consistency, creating a compelling contrast to the short, explosive rounds earlier in the schedule.

Bellomy struck back as the scale expanded to the massive 7x7x7 Cube. Outlasting 26 other competitors in the single-round contest, Bellomy won first place with an average of 2:41.21 and a best single of 2:36.48. Castillo earned second place with a mark of 2:56.42, while Elizabeth Cutting achieved third place with a 3:47.93 average. Bellomy also dominated the twelve-sided Megaminx event, winning the two-round tournament with an average of 37.16 and a single of 31.16, ahead of Castillo at 49.73 and Evan Wilson at 55.90.

Away from the championship hardware, the true depth of this cubing competition was driven by personal milestones and breakthrough attempts across the roster. Corbin Curtis Younker entered five events and recorded a personal best of 5.89 on the 2x2x2 Cube, improving sixty percent over a previous mark of 14.72, while also taking a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube in 5:33.85 to finish 20th. Zane Myers entered five events, cutting 45.8 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube best to hit 6.84 and achieving a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube in 7:14.96. Gideon Smathers logged a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 22.93, which was 34.5 percent faster than before, alongside a first attempt at 2x2x2 Cube in 5.89. Aarav Kodavanti posted a 15.64 personal best on 3x3x3 Cube, cutting his mark by 54.3 percent, and took his 2x2x2 Cube best down to 5.50.

The breakthrough performances continued through the ranks as Alex Howell entered five events, recording a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube with a time of 5:56.46 and taking a Megaminx personal best of 2:03.15, which was 27.2 percent faster than his past record. Emersyn Lucille Lacy marked a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube of 13.00 while slashing her 3x3x3 Cube best by 33.3 percent down to 44.07. Brayden Pearce stepped onto the floor for a first WCA competition, taking on five separate events including a 21st-place finish in 6x6x6 Cube and a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube of 2:44.93. Austin Goode also marked a first WCA competition, recording a rapid first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Cube of 9.96 across three entered events.

The sprint bracket delivered an exciting finish in the 2x2x2 Cube, where Jude Doland broke into the winner circle with a 2.38 winning average and a single of 1.97 over 68 competitors. Nokes earned his third silver of the weekend with a 2.94 average, while Marcus Reagor claimed third place with 3.17. Across all six events, competitors representing the USA swept all 18 podium positions in a remarkable local showcase.

The successful conclusion of DeNxNver 2024 at the Embassy Suites in Denver, Colorado, USA, highlighted the strength of regional speed cubing across both sprint disciplines and endurance puzzles. The battle between established rivals and the influx of new talent delivered a memorable day of competition on the 2024 speedcubing calendar, setting up compelling storylines across the circuit for the remainder of the season.