Everything in Evanston B 2023

Inside the quiet halls of the Evanston Public Library, a packed room of twenty-nine competitors gathered around timing mats for an intense day of Rubik's Cube mastery. Tables were lined with timers, displays, and stacks of varied puzzles as competitors inspected scrambles under strict tournament regulations. The single-day WCA competition brought a dense schedule of twelve disciplines, challenging contenders across both traditional speedcubing setups and specialised dexterity events.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed event took centre stage as a showcase of fingertable precision, ergonomic efficiency, and calm execution. Solving the classic puzzle with a single hand demands unconventional turn grips, continuous fingertip rolling, and adapted lookahead that leaves no room for hesitation. Luke Garrett delivered an absolute masterclass in the discipline, securing the title among eighteen competitors with an 11.52 winning average and the round's best single of 9.91.

Garrett turned that single-handed momentum into a broader sweep across the competition schedule. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube contest, Garrett topped twenty-eight competitors across two rounds to claim victory with a 5.48 average and a best single of 5.40, rounding out the official 3x3 results. Garrett added four more titles to his ledger by taking the 2x2x2 Cube with a 1.50 average, Clock with a 4.91 average, Megaminx in 42.46, and Square-1 in 9.79.

Big-cube enthusiasts found plenty of drama on the tables in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Aryan Kejriwal proved untouchable on the upper layers, sweeping the longest formats on March 26, 2023. Kejriwal secured the 6x6x6 Cube crown with an average of 1:30.69, edging out Henry Lichner who posted a close 1:30.85, and Luke Garrett in third at 1:45.36. Kejriwal doubled up in the 7x7x7 Cube with a commanding 2:10.81 average and an eye-catching single of 1:54.80, besting Lichner's 2:23.91 and Garrett's 2:36.86.

Henry Lichner produced stellar speed cubing form in the intermediate sizes, claiming first place in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 26.96 average and a blisteringly fast single of 20.51. Lichner carried that consistency into the 5x5x5 Cube, finishing first with a 50.31 average ahead of Kejriwal's 52.29 and Ben Zhao's 53.46. Simon Kellum commanded the side events, capturing both the Pyraminx title with a 2.66 average and the Skewb title with a 3.48 average, defeating Sebastian Carrillo and Lichner on the Skewb podium.

Away from the top of the podium, several solvers posted massive personal gains across the twelve-event schedule. Antonio Nicholas Yaniz had a standout day, trimming his 4x4x4 Cube personal record down to 59.67, which was 49 percent faster than his prior 1:56.96, while also taking on the 5x5x5 Cube for the first time with a mark of 2:19.07 and dropping his 3x3x3 Cube best by 15.4 percent to 13.80. Julian Glasser logged a personal best of 1:12.20 in the 4x4x4 Cube, 16.3 percent faster than before, lowered his 3x3x3 mark by 15.3 percent to 13.99, and made his first official 2x2x2 Cube attempt at 2.85.

First-time event entries and sharp breakthroughs defined the middle ranks. Oliver Tang tackled eleven separate events on the day, highlighted by debut marks of 3:09.67 in the 5x5x5 Cube, 5:52.75 in the 6x6x6 Cube, and 14.20 in Skewb. Ved Nalla registered new personal marks across three disciplines with first-ever competition attempts of 30.28 in Clock, 19.23 in Pyraminx, and 45.61 in Skewb. Brendon Meyer entered four events, posting debut attempts of 24.81 in Square-1, 21.50 in 3x3x3 Cube, and 3.67 in 2x2x2 Cube. Logan Liu cut his Clock personal best to 24.83, an improvement of 17.8 percent, and tried Megaminx for the first time with a 3:10.42. Liam Schauer attended his first cubing competition, launching his career with first attempts of 23.38 in 3x3x3, 6.10 in 2x2x2, and 2:06.62 in 4x4x4, while Shaurya Goyal made a tournament debut with a 41.66 in the 3x3x3 Cube.

With thirteen rounds completed across twelve events in a single action-packed day, Everything in Evanston B 2023 offered an exceptional display of dexterity and mental stamina. Competitors of all backgrounds walked away with lower personal records and new event experience, setting a high standard for speedcubing across Illinois as the season continues to unfold.