Estonian Championship 2024

Sixteen distinct disciplines tested forty-three competitors across thirty rounds of play when the Estonian Championship 2024 took over the Tallinn University of Applied Sciences from October 4 to October 6, 2024. While standard speedcubing always draws eager eyes, the three-day program in Tallinn, Estonia gave prime billing to the full spectrum of the World Cube Association catalogue. From complex memory tests to asymmetric twisty challenges, the weekend offered specialist solvers room to demonstrate mastery across every corner of modern speed cubing.

The blindfolded categories produced standout drama throughout the schedule, led by Latvia's Mikus Lembergs. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, competitors attempt to memorize and solve multiple puzzles without sight, and Lembergs delivered a flawless performance by registering a 10/10 result in 46:02 to secure first place ahead of Remo Pihel with 7/8 in 57:59 and Luukas Lempinen with 3/3 in 21:51. Lembergs went on to secure a blindfolded double by topping the 4x4x4 Blindfolded podium with a single of 5:18.90, outpacing Andrei Solntsev at 10:45.00 and Jānis Zirnis at 13:31.00, as well as taking the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title in 55.79 ahead of Zirnis and Pihel.

Niche side events saw exceptional precision from regional standouts. Piotr Olszewski claimed two titles during the competition, taking Pyraminx with an average of 2.78 and Clock with a 3.91 mark. Maciej Spirydowicz led the Square-1 field with an 8.82 average, while Oliver Pällo delivered an outstanding victory in Megaminx, averaging 47.97 across the final round. In Skewb, Leo Alanen averaged 4.36 to finish atop the standings. Finland's Vincent von Schantz took top honors in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 12.60, holding off Kaur Tuule at 13.33 and Adam Chodyniecki at 16.16.

Big cubes belonged entirely to Poland's Adam Chodyniecki, who swept the larger mechanisms across the weekend. Chodyniecki won the 4x4x4 Cube with an average of 29.29, finishing clear of Tuule at 31.87 and Lembergs at 35.59. He followed up by winning the 5x5x5 Cube in 1:00.22, the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:50.86, and the 7x7x7 Cube in 2:55.13. Chodyniecki stood on multiple podiums over the weekend as Poland earned twelve top-three finishes overall, second only to host nation Estonia's fourteen podium places.

The 2x2x2 Cube event saw some of the fastest turn speeds of the Estonian Championship 2024, highlighted by an Estonian national record average of 1.73 by Kaur Tuule during the rounds, alongside a 0.99 single. In the final round, Tuule captured the title with a 2.11 winning average, finishing ahead of Latvia's Roberts Dreijers at 2.37 and Estonia's Remo Pihel at 2.66. Tuule carried that winning form straight into the classic Rubik's Cube category, delivering the best 3x3 results of the tournament by capturing the final with a 6.53 average ahead of Chodyniecki at 7.17 and von Schantz at 7.27.

Away from the top steps of the podium, personal milestones defined the heart of the weekend. Indrek Nurmberg took on eight events and made a first ever attempt at Square-1 with 28.57, while shaving 68.6% off his Clock personal best down to 28.90 and dropping his 3x3x3 One-Handed best by 23.7% to 47.27. Sergei Ogoltsov tackled nine disciplines, slicing 36.9% off his Skewb mark to 5.82 and trimming his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 29.5% to 1:11.40. Lukas Eliaser made first ever attempts at 4x4x4 Cube with 2:21.99 and Square-1 with 1:04.45, while lowering his 3x3x3 Cube best by 19.3% to 19.73. Simon Holster took on twelve events, achieving a best finish of 13th in 7x7x7 Cube and slashing his Skewb best by 25.5% to 3.57.

First-time steps into new puzzles continued throughout the schedule. Ivan Berestovoi completed his first ever attempts at Square-1 with 1:20.22 and 3x3x3 One-Handed with 57.05, while improving his Pyraminx personal best by 22% to 4.94. Ilja Krehov entered ten events, recorded an 11th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, and improved his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 20.6% to 25.21. Ken-Erik Aus registered a 34.1% improvement on Pyraminx to reach 4.26 and took 7th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, while Kert Isakar competed in their first WCA competition, recording first ever attempts in 2x2x2 Cube with 4.55 and Clock with 11.99.

With thirty rounds completed, this cubing competition demonstrated the incredible depth of puzzle solving across Northern Europe. Host nation competitors collected fourteen podium placements, Latvian entrants took ten, Finnish solvers earned nine, Lithuania took two, and Italy secured one. The Estonian Championship 2024 highlighted not just the rapid pace of the main events, but the dedicated skill required across every niche format on the calendar.