Finger Lakes Fingertricks 2024

Alexei Sinyavin delivered a masterclass in stamina and mechanical precision at Finger Lakes Fingertricks 2024, locking down the 5x5x5 Cube title with a 55.09 winning average and an event-best single of 50.19. The grueling nature of big cube solving demands immense mental focus and physical endurance, as competitor turn rates must remain crisp across hundreds of moves per attempt. Sinyavin met the challenge directly, holding off Evan Liu, who took second place with a 55.55 average, and Frank Zhou, who earned third with 56.37.

The single-day cubing competition brought 33 competitors to the Holiday Inn Auburn - Finger Lakes Region on December 7, 2024. Across 11 total rounds spanning 6 official events, the Auburn, New York, USA venue witnessed intense head-to-head racing from the opening heats to the late afternoon finals. Every tier of the tournament schedule tested different aspects of modern speedcubing, balancing the heavy endurance of the larger puzzles with the rapid reaction times required in sprint events.

Noah Melita enjoyed a remarkably dominant campaign throughout the weekend, securing three gold medals across different disciplines. In the marquee 3x3x3 Cube event, Melita topped the podium with an 8.00 winning average across three competitive rounds, edging out Evan Liu, who recorded an 8.08 average for second place, and Frank Zhou, who secured third with 8.39. Melita also generated the absolute fastest 3x3 results of the tournament by posting a brilliant 6.77 single during the rounds.

Melita carried that momentum into the 2x2x2 Cube, prevailing over a field of 31 entrants with a 2.56 winning average and a best single of 1.82. Davis Johnson claimed the second spot on the podium at 2.96, while Evan Liu locked down third at 3.13. Melita completed his tournament treble in Square-1, recording a 9.94 average and an 8.03 single, outperforming second-place Alexei Sinyavin at 12.77 and third-place Evan Waters at 16.30 in the single-round showdown.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several competitors made substantial individual breakthroughs across the schedule. Michael Francis achieved a massive 55.7 percent improvement on the classic Rubik's Cube, setting a new personal best of 15.43 compared to an earlier mark of 34.86, while also cutting his 2x2x2 personal best by 49.7 percent down to 6.50 and recording a first ever attempt at Clock with 19.05. Temur Usmanov posted an 18.53 personal best in 3x3x3, improving by 46.1 percent over a previous 34.40, while trimming his 2x2x2 personal best by 34.7 percent to 5.03 alongside a first Clock attempt of 31.41.

The depth of progress extended through multiple puzzle categories as solvers expanded their competitive ranges. Caleb Shearer tackled four events, claiming 9th place in Skewb with a first attempt of 5.28, logging a first 2x2x2 attempt of 4.56, and setting a 5x5x5 personal best of 2:02.04. Luke Sullivan lowered his Skewb mark by 20.7 percent to 15.23 and improved his 3x3x3 time by 18.9 percent to 29.94 while notching a first 2x2x2 attempt of 5.41. Donovan Fusilli posted a first Skewb attempt of 11.34 and dropped his Clock mark by 12.3 percent to 14.32. Fox Gheen undertook six events, posting a first Square-1 attempt of 34.31 and shaving 15.6 percent off his 5x5x5 time to reach 2:09.07. First-time tournament entrants also established initial baselines, with Samuel Wilmot tackling six events including Square-1 at 1:12.97 and Trevor Salzman recording a 45.19 3x3x3 single across five events.

Evan Liu proved to be a constant force near the top of the standings across the board, earning two victories of his own. Liu captured first place in Skewb with a 3.86 winning average and a 3.33 single, ahead of Melita at 4.72 and Johnson at 5.14. In Clock, Liu secured the title with a 5.34 average and a 4.08 single, narrowly besting Brandon Brazill, who took second at 5.36, while Ethan Qiu claimed third place with a 7.82 average.

The 2024 gathering in Auburn concluded with United States competitors sweeping all 18 podium positions across the six featured disciplines. From the long, calculated solves of the 5x5x5 Cube to the frantic sprints of the short-format puzzles, Finger Lakes Fingertricks 2024 highlighted the athletic variety and technical growth driving modern speed cubing as competitors prepare for the upcoming competitive season at the next major WCA competition.