Dobeles Vasara 2024

Kristiāns Pietkuns delivered one of the weekend's sharpest performances in Square-1, securing victory with a 16.00-second winning average and a single solve of 12.08 seconds. That standout effort set the tone for Dobeles Vasara 2024, held July 13 to July 14 at the Dobeles mūzikas skola in Dobele, Latvia. Across two days of speedcubing action, 32 competitors tackled a slate of 13 events spanning 28 rounds. While the standard twisty puzzles drew their usual depth, the non-standard hardware and specialist disciplines provided the defining narrative of the competition.

The blindfolded discipline saw Aleksejs Oglobļins capture first place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, logging a winning single of 1:12.50 in a field of 10 competitors where solving without sight demands flawless memorisation and tactile execution. Oglobļins finished ahead of Jānis Zirnis, who posted a best single of 1:42.24 for second place, and Teo Niklāvs Mitenbergs, who took third on the podium with a single mark of 3:12.77.

Clock solving tested pure turn speed and pin manipulation across two rounds featuring 14 entrants. Toms Edvards Vucens took the Clock title with a 7.20 winning average and a crisp 5.61 best single. He edged out Oskars Kaminskis, who secured second with a 7.87 average, while Rūdolfs Vīnkalns rounded out the podium positions with an average of 9.11 seconds. Over on the Skewb tables, Kaminskis took top honours with a 5.07 average and a 2.44 single across three rounds, leading Vīnkalns with 5.25 and Vucens with 6.56.

The big cubes brought a commanding showing from Vladislavs Baranovs. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Baranovs captured the title with a 36.43 winning average and a best single of 34.68 seconds among 25 competitors. He went on to dominate the largest puzzles on the schedule, taking first place in the 6x6x6 Cube with a 2:13.48 average and winning the 7x7x7 Cube with an average of 3:23.76. In the 7x7x7 Cube final, Vīnkalns finished second in 3:36.76, while Zirnis took third place in 3:38.17.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several participants made substantial progress across their chosen disciplines at Dobeles Vasara 2024. Ugnius Lesnik tackled 8 events, recording a first official attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with 37.08 seconds alongside a Skewb personal best of 2.52 seconds that cut 43.9 percent off their previous mark. Martynas Karaliūnas logged a first attempt at the 4x4x4 Cube with 2:25.16 and delivered a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 15.50 seconds, an improvement of 42.3 percent. Benas Aidukas entered 6 events, achieving a best finish of 6th place in 2x2x2 Cube while establishing a personal best of 2.07 seconds that was 36.3 percent faster than before.

Progress continued throughout the roster at this cubing competition. Dāvis Smagars improved their Skewb personal best to 8.46 seconds, trimming 35.3 percent off their previous best mark across 4 events. Krišjānis Ambainis took on 7 events and posted a Pyraminx personal best of 5.61 seconds, a drop of 33.4 percent. Jans Jēkabs Prīliņš notched a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 28.23 seconds to improve by 32 percent, while Ernests Upenieks registered a first Clock attempt of 29.35 seconds and an improved 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 19.62 seconds. Aija Ambaine marked their first ever WCA competition by logging a first attempt at Pyraminx in 47.89 seconds.

The one-handed event showcased impressive single-arm dexterity, where Kristiāns Pietkuns added a second weekend victory by claiming the 3x3x3 One-Handed crown with a 16.81 average and a 13.24 single across three full rounds. In Megaminx, Rūdolfs Vīnkalns paced the 14-player field through two rounds, capturing the win with a 44.55 average and a 43.27 single. Markuss Pietkuns proved quickest in Pyraminx, taking first place with a 3.56 average and a best single of 2.60 seconds.

The 2x2x2 Cube saw Domas Prazauskas of Lithuania take the win with a 2.88 average, just ahead of Kaminskis at 2.91 and Kristiāns Pietkuns at 3.75. In the classic 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube, the 3x3 results culminated in victory for Rūdolfs Vīnkalns, who secured first place with an 8.92 average and a 8.63 single ahead of Oglobļins with 9.20 and Markuss Pietkuns with 10.57. Vīnkalns also added the 5x5x5 Cube title with a 1:09.95 average. With 38 podium placements for host nation Latvia and 1 for Lithuania, Dobeles Vasara 2024 concluded another competitive chapter of speed cubing in the Baltic region for 2024.