Dubai Open 2024

A total of 151 competitors stepped up to the tables as the 2024 spring schedule delivered a packed day of action in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Staged on April 27, 2024, at Ambassador International Academy, Dubai, the gathering served as an essential mid-season checkpoint for talent across the Middle East and beyond. With eight rounds distributed across six distinct events, the meet tested both stamina and precision as contenders looked to benchmark their progress in the international calendar.

The premier 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube category featured a massive field of 148 entrants fighting through two competitive rounds. Sergey Ryabko of Russia earned top honours in the event, posting a winning average of 8.91 seconds to edge out Syria's Ali Ahmad Alchurbaji, who followed with an 8.93 average. India's Unnav Saikia secured third place with an 8.96 average, completing a podium separated by mere hundredths of a second. Ryabko also supplied the best single solve of the event at 5.87 seconds, anchoring the headline 3x3 results of the weekend.

Ryabko doubled his gold medal haul in the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, leading a 52-person bracket with an 18.78 average and a single solve of 16.47 seconds. Host nation representative Nasir Ali Mohammed Dawood Abdalla took second place with a 20.57 average, while India's Advait Anand finished third at 20.99 seconds. The victory cemented Ryabko as the only multi-event champion at Dubai Open 2024, demonstrating consistent control across different formats.

Short-format solving produced fierce exchanges in the 2x2x2 Cube, where 115 competitors took part across two rounds. Fawaz Ahmed of India claimed the title with a 2.89 final average, narrowly prevailing over Abdallah Belal Omar of Jordan, who logged a 2.93 average for second place. France Bautista of the Philippines locked in third place with a 3.38 average. Omar made his mark earlier in the competition by setting a Jordan national record average of 2.63 seconds alongside a 2.03 single solve, while Oman's Zaid Taqi set a national record average of 3.40 seconds with a 2.95 single.

Beyond the podium battles, several under-the-radar competitors achieved breakthrough milestones across the six events. Ivan Oleinikov took on six events, securing fifth place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, posting his first ever attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 53.21 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 25.23, and slicing his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 58.7 percent down to 8.34. John Josef Sebastian P. De Jesus logged his first ever attempts in Pyraminx at 6.95 and 2x2x2 Cube at 3.88, while dropping his 3x3x3 Cube personal record to 13.70, an improvement of 56.5 percent. Jaineel Nileshkumar Shah entered five events, recording his first attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:01.06 and One-Handed at 27.97 alongside a 52 percent personal best drop to 4.23 in the 2x2x2 Cube. Omar Khaled Alblooshi registered a Pyraminx personal best of 6.61, an improvement of 58 percent, while making initial event attempts in One-Handed at 42.03 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:34.27.

The spirit of growth continued as Sraeshta Sabarish tackled five events, recording first attempts in One-Handed at 51.91 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:48.50 while lowering their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 36.1 percent to 3.91. Ruize Xu lowered their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 27.2 percent to 3.29 and 4x4x4 Cube mark by 24.7 percent to 1:11.16, alongside an initial Pyraminx solve of 10.34. First-time WCA competition entrant Ivan Sidorenko took on six events, finishing fifth in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while logging inaugural official marks of 26.08 in One-Handed, 56.95 in 4x4x4 Cube, and 6.84 in Pyraminx. Fellow debutant Mohamad Nihad Al Sufe completed five events, putting up first attempts of 59.57 in One-Handed, 25.90 in the 3x3x3 Cube, and 7.76 in the 2x2x2 Cube.

The larger puzzles and side events provided distinct tactical challenges throughout the schedule. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Oman's Mohammed Al Said captured first place with an average of 36.41 seconds and the round's best single of 33.86 seconds, finishing ahead of India's Aman Abdulsalam at 38.78 and the Philippines' Armax Zander Guevara at 44.28. Pyraminx saw India's Rannanjay Singh Kotwal secure the win with a 5.47 average, trailed by Mikhail Nikitin of Russia at 6.15 and Advik Bansal of India at 6.35.

The mental trial of 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where competitors must memorise the puzzle layout before executing blind turns, concluded with Roman Strakhov of Russia capturing the title on a single solve of 48.42 seconds. Fawaz Ahmed took second place with a successful attempt of 2:23.60, and Ali Ahmad Alchurbaji claimed third in 3:02.49. With seven podium places claimed by India, four by Russia, and entries from around the world, this cubing competition served as a vibrant display of speed cubing prowess.

As the equipment was packed away, Dubai Open 2024 left a distinct impression on the regional speedcubing community. The single-day schedule proved that high-density competition formats can push both elite champions and emerging newcomers to exceptional standards. With national records rewritten and personal milestones achieved across eight rigorous rounds, the competitors now look ahead to building upon these benchmarks as the season continues to unfold.