FMC Poland-Czechia-Slovakia 2024

Wojciech Rogoziński delivered the weekend's most electric single attempt with a brilliant 19-move national record for Poland, but it was Radomił Baran who claimed the overall title at FMC Poland-Czechia-Slovakia 2024. Across a massive, multi-city footprint in Multiple Cities, XE on January 13, 2024, the multi-venue event gathered a fiercely competitive lineup. In a discipline where every individual rotation is scrutinized, securing victory across the unified field required unrelenting consistency through all three attempts.

The 2024 regional tournament demonstrated the staggering depth present in modern European speedcubing. Staged across several regional hubs concurrently, 78 solvers took on the complex challenge of 3x3x3 Fewest Moves. The format offers no second chances or multi-round progression; with only one unified round on the schedule, competitors had no room to adjust through preliminary heats, meaning every move count directly determined their final place on the single, crowded leaderboard.

At the top of the standings, Radomił Baran assembled a masterful series of solutions to capture first place with a winning average of 22.00, highlighted by a best single of 21 moves. That remarkable baseline placed Baran ahead of a field packed with seasoned veterans of the Rubik's Cube. Despite Rogoziński producing that staggering 19-move Polish national record single, his 22.67 average left him in second place overall, showing how exacting the margins were at FMC Poland-Czechia-Slovakia 2024.

The international podium was completed by Jan Riedl of the Czech Republic, who set a new Czech national record average of 23.33 alongside a best single of 22 moves to secure third place. Just outside the podium, Jan Zych finished with a 24.00 average, followed by Bartosz Karpiński at 25.00. Hungary's Bence Barát took sixth with a 25.33 average, while Radosław Opoka recorded a 26.00 average. Krzysztof Pietrusiak and Bence János Csuti tied closely with 26.67 averages, followed by Michał Nikiel at 28.67.

Away from the national records, the sheer scale of the WCA competition allowed numerous competitors to log standout individual breakthroughs. Petr Karčmař delivered a massive leap forward in the event, cutting his personal best down to 34 moves from an earlier mark of 42, an improvement of 19 percent, on the way to a 56th place finish. Tomasz Stawowy similarly excelled, lowering his personal best to 32 moves from 38, marking a 15.8 percent reduction to secure 52nd place. Daniel Stempin trimmed his personal record to 48 moves from 57, a 15.8 percent gain that brought a 37th place finish, while Dávid Hrabčák lowered his personal best by 4.1 percent to 47 moves for 71st place.

First-time event participants also made their mark across the varied sites of the cubing competition. Barbora Jelínková stepped up for a first career attempt in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, finishing 64th with a 38-move result. Carmela Gravano also logged a first official attempt in the event, securing 38th place with 47 moves. Martin Baláž registered his first ever attempt in the discipline to claim 39th place with a count of 53, while Jakub Tyl completed his first official attempt at the event with 50 moves for 73rd place.

Managing the rigorous demands of 3x3x3 Fewest Moves across several coordinated sites required extraordinary logistical precision. Each competitor received the identical scrambled states at their respective locations, spending up to an hour per attempt carefully writing out full sequences. The resulting 3x3 results reflect a shared test of mental endurance and efficiency, highlighting the tactical variety that makes speed cubing such an expansive competitive pursuit beyond pure turning speed.

With 78 competitors pushing the boundaries of spatial efficiency across Central Europe, FMC Poland-Czechia-Slovakia 2024 proved how demanding single-round events can be when the field is this deep. From Baran's steady winning average to national records from Rogoziński and Riedl, the contest established a formidable standard for the rest of the competitive season.