Garden City Winter 2023

Jonah Crosby delivered the definitive performance of the weekend in Beverly, Massachusetts, USA, locking in a winning average of 7.77 seconds in the 3x3x3 Cube alongside a rapid 6.12 single. Held at Beverly Middle School on February 5, 2023, Garden City Winter 2023 assembled a field of 88 competitors across 10 rounds of play. Across seven events ranging from traditional puzzles to blindfolded challenges, the tournament packed a full spectrum of high-speed solving into a single action-filled Sunday schedule.

The morning slate kicked off with the big cubes, where competitors set an intense pace early. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Jonah Crosby topped the field of 58 entrants by recording a 29.44 winning average and a 25.56 single. Cameron Soulagnet took second place with a 33.16 average, while Graeme Stone claimed third with 35.17. Cameron Soulagnet turned the tables shortly afterward in the 5x5x5 Cube, winning the single-round final with an impressive 55.96 average and a 54.58 single, leaving Crosby in second place at 1:04.75 and Chandler Pike in third at 1:05.20.

As the schedule transitioned toward specialty disciplines, the complexity on the tables deepened. The 3x3x3 Blindfolded event challenged 18 solvers to execute complete solves from memory, and India's Vishwanath Jeyaraman prevailed with a sharp 23.38 winning single. Brazil's Thiago Han secured second place with 25.36, while Joey Mait posted a 1:06.34 single for third. Meanwhile, Chandler Pike navigated a field of 45 entrants to capture the 3x3x3 One-Handed title, winning with a 15.37 average over Will Russo at 15.55 and Joey Mait at 16.85.

The technical rotation continued with Square-1, where Tommy Szeliga dominated the 32-player event by posting a winning average of 11.42 and a best single of 8.01. Alex Cheng followed in second place with a 13.74 average, and Derek White completed the podium at 14.39. Throughout the preliminary rounds, this cubing competition provided steady action across all puzzle formats, serving as a standout early-year WCA competition for the regional speedcubing community.

Beyond the top podiums, the event floor was defined by personal milestones and ambitious multi-event schedules. Lucas Rey delivered a standout showing by slicing his personal bests significantly, dropping his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 63.3 percent to 3.67 seconds and his 3x3x3 Cube time by 46.9 percent to 15.44, while also logging a first attempt in 4x4x4 Cube with 1:53.81. Josh Sanderson took on six events, improving his Square-1 best by 44.5 percent to 47.55 and registering initial official marks of 50.08 in 3x3x3 One-Handed and 2:10.85 in 5x5x5 Cube. Zachary Van De Water tackled seven disciplines, achieving an 11th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded and setting maiden times in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:18.53, 5x5x5 Cube at 2:20.05, and Square-1 at 53.05. Sam Li also branched out across five events, finishing 11th in 5x5x5 Cube with a 1:23.53 debut, alongside first-time attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 4.67 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 19.30.

The wave of breakthroughs continued throughout the afternoon. Colin Plumb recorded a 2.61 personal best in 2x2x2 Cube, a 20.4 percent reduction, and entered his first attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 21.34 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:12.24. Simon Tiger Houben took on seven events, placing 11th in blindfolded solving while trimming his Square-1 best by 23.7 percent to 1:16.81 and posting debuts in 5x5x5 Cube at 3:03.79 and One-Handed at 47.79. Samuel Pike generated a 13.7 percent personal best of 19.97 in 3x3x3 One-Handed to place 16th, alongside initial attempts in Square-1 at 44.86 and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:07.09. Shayden Parent achieved a 31.8 percent improvement in 4x4x4 Cube with 50.37, dropped their 3x3x3 Cube best by 23.4 percent to 12.75, and recorded a 1:54.33 debut in 5x5x5 Cube.

In the 2x2x2 Cube, 77 competitors battled across two rounds before Alex Cheng clinched victory in the final with a 3.29 average, edging Chris Yeager at 3.34 and Ervin Brown at 3.41. The event saw a flurry of fast personal records recorded across the rounds, including a 2.30 single and 4.32 average from Thiago Han, a 2.58 single and 3.32 average from Ervin Brown, and a 2.97 single and 4.36 average from Onur Bak, reflecting the intense speed cubing throughout the bracket.

The day culminated with the three rounds of the classic Rubik's Cube, where all 88 entrants took to the tables to decide the headline 3x3 results. Jonah Crosby stayed in control through the final round, locking down his second title of Garden City Winter 2023 with a 7.77 average. Graeme Stone claimed the runner-up spot at 8.04, and Cameron Soulagnet took third with an 8.67 average. The final podium presentations brought Garden City Winter 2023 to a close, completing an action-packed winter day for the New England cubing circuit.