FMC West Melbourne 2024

Inside Kensington Town Hall, twenty competitors bent over sheets of paper and scrambled twisty puzzles in deep concentration. The atmosphere across the single-day gathering was deliberate and hushed, matching the unique demands of efficiency solving where pencils and notation matter just as much as quick fingers. Taking place in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on April 14, 2024, the contest brought together a focused field entirely dedicated to finding the shortest possible path to a solved state.

Unlike standard Rubik's Cube races, fewest moves solving hinges entirely on a unforgiving mean-of-3 format where there is no dropped worst attempt to save a competitor. Every individual attempt counts directly toward the final average, turning any momentary miscalculation or overlooked insertion into an insurmountable setback. Across two tense rounds, every competitor faced that pressure, knowing that delivering three consistently clean solutions under the sixty-minute time limit was the only way to stay in contention.

The stakes of the format were on full display throughout FMC West Melbourne 2024 as historic marks tumbled. Wong Chong Wen of Singapore took the overall victory in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, finishing the final round with a winning average of 23.00 and a best single solve of 22 moves. Along the way, Wong delivered an astonishing 20.00 average, capturing a new World record average alongside a Singaporean national record single of 18 moves during the contest.

Close behind at the top of the table was Firstian Fushada of Indonesia, who claimed second place with a final round average of 23.33 moves. Firstian also pushed the boundaries of the discipline, setting an Indonesian national record single of 18 moves and a national record average of 20.67. Rounding out the podium was Australia's Mitchell Anderson, who secured third place with an average of 29.67. Further highlighting the immense quality of the field, Max Parris logged an Oceanian record single of 18 moves.

Away from the top of the podium, several participants made substantial strides in their personal records across the table. Gemma Tolhurst achieved an 11th-place finish while lowering their personal best single to 34 moves, marking a 22.7 percent improvement over their prior mark of 44. Max Parris carved out an 18.2 percent improvement on his personal record single by recording an 18 to finish in 9th place. Theodore Chan took 7th place and reduced his single best to 22 moves, which was 12 percent faster than his previous best of 25.

The personal milestones continued throughout the day at this cubing competition. Ben Wakelin reached 14th place while dropping his personal best single to 37 moves, a 7.5 percent cut from his previous 40. Zayd Chaudhry placed 15th with a single of 28 moves, bettering his previous mark by 6.7 percent. Jayden McNeill secured an 8th-place result while improving his personal best single by 5.3 percent down to 18. Meanwhile, Patrick Kleverlaan earned a 5th-place finish, and Adveka Packiyarajan made their official debut by stepping up to complete their very first WCA competition.

The single-discipline focus offered a comprehensive look at what makes speed cubing efficiency so demanding. Across two complete rounds of 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, the 3x3 results demonstrated that calculating rotations, blockbuilding, and cancelling turns requires absolute mental endurance. FMC West Melbourne 2024 showed how thin the margin for error remains when sixty minutes of calculation are reduced to a single numerical score.

As the scoresheets were tallied and the final certificates distributed, FMC West Melbourne 2024 concluded having pushed the boundaries of international speedcubing history. With podium honours shared across Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia, the gathering proved how much drama a mean-of-3 format can deliver. The solvers now turn toward the remainder of the 2024 calendar with new personal marks, continental milestones, and world benchmarks to their names.