Edinburgh Summer Open 2024

Daniel Rush delivered a commanding performance on June 22, 2024, claiming three titles across the day to lead the field at Meadowbank Sports Centre. While the classic cubing competition often features the silent, deliberative pen-and-paper analysis typical of Fewest Moves solving, this bustling meet in Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, United Kingdom was entirely focused on raw velocity across seven distinct speed events. A total of 91 competitors came together to test their skills against the clock, producing fast turnarounds and high drama across eight intense rounds.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive field of 90 entrants, where Rush, representing South Africa, asserted his dominance with a winning average of 6.59 seconds and a standout best single of 5.98 seconds. The final 3x3 results saw Nicholas Archer of the United Kingdom secure the runner-up spot with an average of 7.31 seconds, while fellow Briton Johnny Morello Kerlaff rounded out the podium in third place with a 7.52 average. The competitive depth in the flagship discipline set a high standard for the entire gathering.

Rush continued his gold rush across the larger cubes, taking top honors in both the 4x4x4 Cube and the 5x5x5 Cube. In the 4x4x4 Cube, which featured 71 competitors, he logged a winning average of 29.43 seconds alongside a fast single of 28.04 seconds, besting second-place Nicholas Archer at 32.31 seconds and third-place Alisher Kurmash from Kazakhstan at 36.25 seconds. Stepping up to the 5x5x5 Cube against 53 rivals, Rush topped the podium again with a mark of 53.39 seconds, finishing ahead of Madhav Singh of India at 59.78 seconds and Archer at 1:02.17.

Nicholas Archer earned a well-deserved victory in the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, mastering the single-handed style to post a winning average of 9.07 seconds and a best single of 8.77 seconds in a field of 72 contenders. Johnny Morello Kerlaff claimed second position with a 13.08 average, and Alisher Kurmash took third place at 13.41 seconds. The Rubik's Cube variants also saw brilliant displays elsewhere on the schedule, including a precise Skewb contest where Ukraine's Mykhailo Lagoida earned gold with a 3.36 average over James Marzluf of the USA and Madhav Singh.

Away from the main podium battles, several participants made huge breakthroughs across their personal records and registered their first entries into new events. Zack Laidlaw achieved a massive leap in Skewb, setting a personal best of 4.52 seconds that was 58.1 percent faster than his prior best, on his way to a seventh-place finish. Benjamin Taylor took on five events and sliced 48 percent off his previous Clock mark with a 6.68 personal best, placing sixth overall, while also dropping his Skewb time by 28.7 percent to 7.47 seconds and his 4x4x4 Cube time by 16.3 percent to 1:18.34. Alex McKinnon chopped 43.8 percent from his previous Skewb record with a 6.46 finish, improved his 3x3x3 time by 23.6 percent to 17.87, and made his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with 48.50.

Other competitors took on brand-new puzzles for the first time with great determination. Oliver Aonghas Robinson tackled five disciplines, setting a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:08.80, which was 39.2 percent faster than before, while posting his first ever attempts in both Skewb at 8.67 seconds and the 5x5x5 Cube at 2:09.45. Alexander Tweedie improved his 3x3x3 Cube best by 39.8 percent down to 12.81 seconds, while attempting Skewb and 5x5x5 Cube for the first time with results of 12.24 and 2:42.88. Zach Bartlett entered six events, logging maiden attempts in Clock with 20.43, Skewb with 12.49, and 5x5x5 Cube with 2:46.23. Rory Meyler logged his first attempts in Clock at 19.63, Skewb at 14.20, and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 36.26, while Quincy Martin-Woods cut his 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 28.1 percent to 1:52.11 and made first attempts in Clock and 3x3x3 One-Handed.

Specialized events at this WCA competition provided plenty of excitement, notably in the Clock category where Sam Jones of the United Kingdom secured first place with an average of 5.21 seconds and a best single of 3.99 seconds among 54 competitors. He was joined on the all-British podium by Kris Lim, who finished second with a 6.30 average, and Hayden Wallace in third place at 6.87 seconds. The fast-paced turning throughout the event highlighted the vibrant nature of modern speed cubing.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline demanded immense focus from its 22 entrants, relying entirely on memorisation before solving without sight. Ryan Eckersley of the United Kingdom took the gold medal with an average of 27.32 seconds and a single of 23.51 seconds. Fellow British competitors Adam Black and Daniel Kidd completed the podium with averages of 1:23.05 and 1:22.61 respectively, bringing a thrilling conclusion to the speedcubing action.

With twelve podium placements going to host-nation competitors alongside medals for South Africa, India, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and the United States, Edinburgh Summer Open 2024 proved to be an outstanding showcase of talent. From the triple victory of Rush to the dozens of personal milestones reached across seven categories, the day demonstrated the dedication that powers the sport as competitors look ahead to the next chapter of the season.