Fundación de Cuenca Open 2024

Josué Ordóñez delivered a masterclass across the schedule at the Fundación de Cuenca Open 2024, clinching seven gold medals, but his victory in the premier 3x3x3 Cube contest stood above the rest. Navigating three grueling rounds against a crowded field of contenders, Ordóñez posted an 11.79 winning average to secure the title. The performance punctuated a busy weekend of speedcubing at the Ministerio del Deporte, where 43 competitors gathered over April 13 and April 14 to battle through 17 total rounds across 12 distinct events.

The depth of the field in Cuenca, Ecuador made advancing through the rounds exceptionally demanding, particularly in the traditional Rubik's Cube. With 42 competitors registered for the main event, spots in the later stages were fiercely contested. Ordóñez took top honors in the final, holding off Mateo Keneth Toala Rios, who posted a second-place average of 12.21, and third-place finisher Sonner Cortez Ojeda with a 12.30 mark. The razor-thin margins in the official 3x3 results underscored just how difficult it was to reach the podium in 2024.

The 2x2x2 Cube event presented another massive test of consistency, drawing 32 participants across two rounds of play. Ordóñez claimed the top spot once again with a 3.99 final average, edging out Luis Fernando Aldás Cuestas at 4.37 and Pablo Sebastián Flores Peralta at 4.53. The competition was marked by high speed throughout the early phases, with Aldás Cuestas logging a 2.96 single and a 3.66 average, while Ordóñez recorded a 2.76 single and a 3.69 average. Multiple competitors, including Carlos Mario Ortiz Alay and Joaquin Alejandro Bastidas Tobar, delivered standout efforts during the preliminary stage.

Ordóñez kept his momentum rolling into the specialty disciplines, claiming first place in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 20.40 after two rounds. He held off Toala Rios, who finished closely behind in second place with a 20.55 average, while Aldás Cuestas took third with 26.88. Expanding his reach into the complex side events, Ordóñez added victories in Megaminx with a 1:15.74 average and 5x5x5 Cube in 1:22.75, proving his adaptability across different hardware formats.

Beyond the podiums, the official scorecards at this WCA competition revealed substantial personal breakthroughs. Isaac Alejandro Sisa Reiban shaved major time off his 3x3x3 Cube personal best with a 19.56 single, improving by 46.8 percent, while also registering his first official attempts in Pyraminx at 8.89 and 2x2x2 Cube at 6.39. Erick Ricardo Morales Vera dropped his Pyraminx personal best to 10.77, an improvement of 43.6 percent, alongside a 33.73 single on the standard puzzle. Nicolas Sarmiento Méndez notched a 4.93 single in 2x2x2 Cube to drop his mark by 36.6 percent and cut his Pyraminx best by 35.1 percent to 11.80. Joaquin Alejandro Bastidas Tobar took on seven events at the Fundación de Cuenca Open 2024, placing fourth in 2x2x2 Cube with a 3.43 personal best and making his first attempts at Megaminx with 2:09.78 and Skewb with 7.51.

The weekend also served as an energetic platform for newcomers taking on fresh challenges. Dominic David Narváez Correa entered his first official tournament, tackling six events and securing seventh place in Megaminx while posting debut attempts of 16.28 in 3x3x3 Cube and 38.39 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Jorge Emiliano Ratto De Luca made his tournament debut across three events, finishing eighth in Pyraminx with a 7.88 debut single and submitting a 6.58 in 2x2x2 Cube. Lady Mikaela Tapie Meneses took fourth place in Clock with a first attempt of 13.66 and logged a 1:15.58 on her first 4x4x4 Cube attempt. Andrés David Granda Saquipay also branched out across four disciplines, finishing sixth in Square-1 with a debut single of 2:20.49 and establishing a 4x4x4 Cube mark of 1:13.45.

Big-cube expertise was in full display in the upper categories, where Ordóñez completed his dominant sweep. He captured the 6x6x6 Cube title with a winning average of 2:29.48, finishing ahead of Aldás Cuestas at 3:21.72 and Anthony Mishquero at 7:48.97. In the 7x7x7 Cube final, Ordóñez topped the three-person field with a 3:36.49 mark, while Aldás Cuestas followed with a 4:58.21 average. The physical endurance required for these larger puzzles highlighted the high technical standard present throughout the cubing competition.

While Ordóñez amassed the largest medal haul, other competitors captured notable victories across the remaining schedule. Adrián Leandro Pazmiño Aldás claimed the Pyraminx title with an average of 4.37 across two rounds, featuring a fast single of 2.74 to best a 21-person field. Pablo Sebastián Flores Peralta took first place in Square-1, recording a 24.84 average to win the six-person battle.

Aldás Cuestas enjoyed a stellar weekend of his own, winning three separate events. He took the 4x4x4 Cube gold with a 46.35 average, led the Skewb standings with a 4.88 mark, and captured the Clock title with an average of 7.43 and a single of 6.02. His versatility across diverse mechanical puzzles added significant drama to the overall standings at the speed cubing gathering.

When the final solves concluded, all 36 available podium placements belonged to host nation competitors, showcasing the steady development of the local community. The Fundación de Cuenca Open 2024 tested competitors with large brackets and sharp competition at every level, delivering memorable moments across all 12 events as the local scene looks ahead to the next stage of the regional circuit.