Empire State Fall Favorites 2023

A total of 106 competitors assembled on October 14, 2023, turning Albany, New York, USA into a bustling hub of competitive puzzle solving. Held at the Albany Capital Center, Empire State Fall Favorites 2023 brought together talent across twelve official events and fourteen total rounds of action. What stood out above all across the single-day schedule was the sweeping control asserted by competitors representing the United States. In total, American solvers secured 31 of the podium positions up for grabs throughout the gathering, establishing an overwhelming presence across both classic puzzles and niche disciplines.

The 3x3x3 Cube remained the centerpiece of the program, drawing a massive 93 entrants across two demanding rounds of speedcubing. Timothy Yang led the field with authority, claiming victory behind a standout 7.53 winning average and delivering a tournament-best single solve of 6.83 seconds. Noah Kim followed closely in second place with a 7.84 average, while Canada's Maxence Leboeuf captured third place at 8.42 to prevent a full American lockout of the podium. The intense 3x3 results demonstrated sharp precision on the classic Rubik's Cube, setting a high standard for the entire meet.

Yang was not finished leaving his mark on the competition, returning to the stage in the 4x4x4 Cube to capture another gold medal. Confronting a field of 39 competitors across a single final round, Yang logged a winning average of 36.31 seconds alongside the fastest single of the bracket at 34.95 seconds. Fellow American Arin Khare pushed hard to finish in second position with a 37.04 average, while Dylan Chan wrapped up third place with a 38.64 mark, completing a clean United States sweep of the event podium.

In the 2x2x2 Cube, Quinn Maloney produced blistering times to top a 64-competitor bracket across two rounds. Maloney secured the title with a rapid 1.86 winning average and an eye-catching 0.99 single solve. Leboeuf secured second place for Canada with a 2.06 average, while Eli Rogers rounded out the podium in third at 2.72. The short-format puzzle sparked a cascade of strong personal marks throughout the field, making the event one of the fastest and most volatile contests of the entire weekend.

The broader cube categories belonged entirely to Evan Liu, who orchestrated a dominant run across multiple heavy puzzles. Liu secured the 5x5x5 Cube title with a 57.02 average, ahead of Elvin Xu at 1:12.17 and Eric Zhao at 1:13.50. Moving to the 6x6x6 Cube, Liu took first place in 1:49.54, followed by Jihu Mun at 2:02.87 and Xu at 2:10.53. In the 7x7x7 Cube, Liu completed the sweep with a 2:42.76 winning average ahead of Mun and Sam Schultz, before adding a Clock triumph with a 6.08 average over Young He and Rex Ozsvath.

Beyond the championship trophies, the true heart of the cubing competition lived in the personal milestones achieved across the floor. Joshua Fermo recorded one of the sharpest leaps of the day, cutting his Skewb mark down to a 5.88 personal best, an improvement of 63.6 percent over his former 16.16 mark. Zachary Van De Water took on four separate events, lowering his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 53.1 percent to 2.37 seconds and shaving his Clock standard down to 11.74 seconds. Philip Cohen dropped his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 49.7 percent down to 5.96 seconds, while Audrey Zhao completed her first attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 54.88 seconds alongside a 16.76 personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube.

First-time event appearances continued to highlight the day across every corner of the venue. Halim Tahtali tackled three events, making a first appearance in Skewb with a 7.63 single while trimming his 2x2x2 Cube best to 5.20 seconds, a 41.9 percent reduction. Anthony J. Pranzo completed his first official 2x2x2 Cube attempt at 3.63 seconds and secured 14th place overall. Daniel Junhyuk Kim took on four events, making initial career attempts in both 3x3x3 One-Handed and Skewb, and Carter Downing completed his first official Skewb solve in 6.90 seconds while taking 18th place in Pyraminx with a 7.60 personal best.

The remaining specialty disciplines closed out the day with sharp performances across varied formats. Noah Kim clinched the 3x3x3 One-Handed bracket with a winning average of 13.10 seconds, ahead of Jihu Mun and Timothy Yang. Dylan Chan earned the Pyraminx title with a 2.78 average, Clem Tucker took Skewb in 3.95 seconds, Roy Lee secured Megaminx with a 50.20 average, and Brandon Lin won Square-1 in 10.49 seconds. The wide array of events gave speed cubing enthusiasts plenty to celebrate across the single-day schedule.

With fourteen completed rounds and a packed schedule of twelve puzzles, Empire State Fall Favorites 2023 illustrated the vibrant health of the regional scene. The memorable WCA competition in Albany offered an unforgettable showcase of technical mastery, deep fields, and relentless improvement. As the 2023 calendar progresses, the dozens of breakthrough times logged here provide substantial momentum for competitors looking toward future challenges on the regional stage.