Ecuador Cubing 2024

One hundred and three competitors gathered at the Ministerio del Deporte Ecuador on February 10 and 11 for Ecuador Cubing 2024, an expansive weekend of speedcubing that showcased how steady pacing over multiple solves decides titles. Across fifteen separate disciplines and twenty competitive rounds in Quito, Ecuador, the tournament rewarded those who paired raw speed with unwavering reliability. The premier event drew ninety-six entrants over three rounds, but it was relentless execution rather than isolated single solves that settled the podiums throughout the 2024 schedule.

The 3x3x3 Cube final provided the weekend with its sharpest demonstration of disciplined control. Dereck Estrada secured the title with a winning average of 9.20 seconds, outlasting a tightly packed field thanks to his unyielding rhythm across five attempts. Estrada set the fastest single solve of the event at 7.22 seconds, but the championship hinged on his aggregate performance. Anthony Gerard Álvarez Ludeña pushed the pace to place second with an average of 9.32 seconds, while Bolivar Chafla claimed the third podium position at 9.33 seconds in one of the closest 3x3 results seen on the national circuit.

Estrada extended his command to the larger and irregular puzzles, leaning on steady structure rather than fleeting brilliance. In the Megaminx final, he topped fifteen entrants with a 51.58-second average and a best single of 47.42 seconds, once again staying ahead of Álvarez Ludeña, who averaged 52.54 seconds, and Chafla, who finished third in 59.59 seconds. Estrada then claimed his third title of Ecuador Cubing 2024 in the 5x5x5 Cube, where his 1:09.40 average proved decisive. Álvarez Ludeña finished as runner-up in 1:10.42, and Josué Ordóñez rounded out the top three with a mark of 1:21.92.

Chafla found his own dominant rhythm in the intermediate twisty puzzles, sweeping the titles in two major categories. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Chafla logged an average of 34.42 seconds and a single of 31.82 seconds to capture first place over twenty-one challengers, holding off Estrada who averaged 34.76 seconds and Álvarez Ludeña at 35.77 seconds. Chafla then duplicated that steady control in 3x3x3 One-Handed, navigating two rounds to post a winning 14.87-second average and a single of 12.61 seconds, demonstrating the manual dexterity and stamina demanded by one-handed Rubik's Cube solving.

Big cube mastery belonged squarely to Ordóñez, who swept the highest order puzzles through remarkable patience and structural awareness. Ordóñez captured the 6x6x6 Cube with a 2:29.39 average and a single of 2:26.32, before pacing the 7x7x7 Cube final with a winning average of 3:39.71 and a single of 3:25.83. In the 7x7x7 Cube, Estrada took the second spot with an average of 3:55.10 and Juan Pablo Suárez Narváez placed third with 4:06.19. Ordóñez added another gold in the Clock event, recording an average of 13.59 seconds to best Steven Daniel Dueñas Anisete and Germán Daniel Beltrán Jarrín.

Beyond the championship battles, the tournament floor highlighted immense personal milestones for competitors testing themselves across fresh disciplines. Matias Benjamin Valencia Arcos stepped into Megaminx for the first time with a 4:06.78 solve, notched his first official Pyraminx attempt at 6.19 seconds to claim a 12th place finish, and shattered his 2x2x2 Cube mark with a 6.70 personal best that was 47.2 percent faster than his prior time. Joshua Ariel Burbano Lucas cut 51.5 percent off his Pyraminx personal record to reach 7.36 seconds and made his first official attempt at the 4x4x4 Cube in 1:04.08. José Isaac Manrique Galarza recorded a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 15.68 seconds, improving by 35.3 percent, while tackling the Skewb and 3x3x3 One-Handed for the very first time. Meanwhile, Martín Sebastián Chanalata Escobar tackled seven events, logging his first official Megaminx attempt at 2:14.63 alongside a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:10.99, an improvement of 36.4 percent.

The depth of progression continued through several impressive debuts and substantial personal bests. Jose Miguel Niquinga Ramon entered his first WCA competition and took on five events, earning 11th place in the 5x5x5 Cube while recording initial marks of 13.34 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube, 14.20 seconds in Pyraminx, and 42.43 seconds in the classic 3x3x3 Cube. Felipe Lozada took 9th place in the 4x4x4 Cube behind a personal best of 46.82 seconds, a 28.3 percent drop, while trying 3x3x3 One-Handed for the first time. Luis Sigcho improved his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 4.02 seconds, a 40.3 percent improvement, while trying the 4x4x4 Cube for the first time. Jesús Díaz took on four events, securing a 19th place finish in Skewb while posting his first official attempts in the 2x2x2 Cube, Pyraminx, and Skewb.

Specialist solving events tested alternative skill sets and demanded flawless technical composure. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where competitors must commit the entire puzzle state to memory before donning an eye cover, Álvarez Ludeña secured victory with a single of 1:33.98, ahead of James Montero and Ordóñez. Álvarez Ludeña also won the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, successfully solving 6 out of 7 cubes in 31 minutes and 12 seconds. In 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, Ronny Morocho took the top prize by solving the puzzle in just 39 moves, while Steven Daniel Dueñas Anisete clinched the Square-1 title with an average of 20.97 seconds.

Short format events provided frantic, high-speed action to round out the weekend. Santiago Vacacela navigated two rounds of Pyraminx to win with an average of 5.55 seconds, holding off Beltrán Jarrín and Chafla. Juan Pablo Suárez Narváez earned the Skewb crown with an average of 5.04 seconds, and Álvarez Ludeña secured the 2x2x2 Cube victory with a brisk average of 2.37 seconds. As the curtain fell on Ecuador Cubing 2024, the Ecuadorian delegation swept all 44 podium places, closing an intense cubing competition where rock-solid averages ruled the day and established new benchmarks for the speed cubing circuit.