DuPage Winter 2024

Nothing captured the razor-thin margins of speedcubing quite like the final round of Clock at DuPage Winter 2024, where runner-up Sebastian Carrillo and third-place finisher Henry Lichner matched each other down to the hundredth of a second with identical 5.30 averages. Ahead of them, Carter Thomas took the top step with a winning average of 3.63 and a best single of 2.91. That deadlock for second set the tone for an intense day of competition that brought 148 competitors to the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA.

Across 11 rounds and five separate events, the February 3, 2024 gathering delivered elite head-to-head battles across the board. The 2024 Illinois stop served as a major midwinter test for solvers tackling traditional puzzles alongside rotational and specialty challenges. Brian Johnson emerged as the dominant force of the entire cubing competition, capturing three gold medals across 3x3x3 Cube, 2x2x2 Cube, and Megaminx while staying in podium contention in nearly every discipline he entered.

The premier 3x3 results brought an elite field of 146 entrants through three rounds of standard Rubik's Cube solving. Johnson claimed the championship title with a 7.07 winning average and delivered the fastest single of the weekend with a blistering 4.92. Henry Lichner maintained intense pressure in second place with a 7.54 average, while Carter Kucala took third on an 8.05 average to complete the podium in the marquee event.

In the 2x2x2 Cube, Johnson was unstoppable across two rounds against a field of 136 competitors, setting a winning average of 1.43 alongside a best single of 0.81. Sebastian Carrillo secured second place with a 2.62 average, while Carter Thomas earned third with 2.80. The 2x2 event proved intensely productive across the brackets, with competitors such as Ethan Glynn, Zachary Cribb, Simon Kellum, Jonah Shapley, Mitchell Toth, Reed W. Richardson, and Andres Eduardo Bolanos all turning in sharp singles and averages.

Simon Kellum took top honors in Skewb, navigating a 101-competitor field to average 2.76 and post a tournament-best 1.84 single. Kellum was chased closely by Carter Kucala, who captured second with a 3.31 average, and Johnson, who added a bronze to his tally with 3.49. In Megaminx, Johnson returned to the top step with a 44.37 winning average and a 43.61 single, holding off Thomas at 47.18 and Kellum at 47.69 in another narrow duel.

Beyond the championship podiums, the official WCA competition produced breakthrough moments for solvers taking on ambitious schedules. Bryce Foster entered five events at DuPage Winter 2024, recording a 13th-place finish in Skewb behind a personal best of 3.77 that improved his previous mark by 67 percent, while logging debut attempts of 1:17.42 in Megaminx and 11.63 in Clock. Fredrick Reichardt took on four disciplines and lowered his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 12.60, a 66.7 percent drop, alongside first-time attempts of 15.88 in Skewb and 1:27.80 in Clock. Cameron Foley took on five events, registering debuts in Megaminx at 2:17.17, Skewb at 7.03, and Clock at 12.49. Daniel Dai notched a 4.24 personal best in 2x2x2 Cube, an improvement of 45.6 percent, while recording first attempts of 3:08.46 in Megaminx and 9.89 in Skewb.

The progress continued throughout the lower brackets as competitors explored new territory. Caleb Carlson tackled four events, setting a 2.24 personal best in 2x2x2 Cube that was 41.1 percent faster than before, while posting debuts in Megaminx at 3:06.13 and Skewb at 7.60. Daniel Lee made massive strides across three events, lowering his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 2.53, an improvement of 66.8 percent, cutting his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 11.21, a 31.8 percent drop, and completing a Skewb debut in 13.33. Elijah Moore handled five events, logging debuts of 11.94 in Clock and 2:24.80 in Megaminx while achieving a 4.06 personal best on 2x2x2 Cube. Max Nguyen entered five disciplines as well, debuting in Skewb at 25.36 and Megaminx at 5:19.34 alongside a 6.91 personal best in 2x2x2 Cube.

The sheer variety of puzzles highlighted the technical demands of modern speed cubing, moving from the fast-paced turning of 2x2x2 to the dodecahedral geometry of Megaminx and the mechanical intricacy of Clock. Solvers from the United States secured all 15 available podium places across the five events, demonstrating exceptional depth throughout the regional field.

With three individual victories, Brian Johnson proved to be the standout performer of DuPage Winter 2024, but the tight battles for hardware across every final round showed that every split second counted on the tables in Glen Ellyn.