General Trias Speedcubing Open III 2024

Inside Robinsons General Trias, the ambient hum of the shopping complex blended with the rapid clicking of turning plastic as forty solvers took their stations across thirty scheduled rounds. The three-day schedule from May 10 to May 12 transformed the venue into a bustling hub of mechanical puzzle mastery. Tables lined the competition floor, surrounded by timers, display mats, and judges ready for a packed seventeen-event card.

The General Trias Speedcubing Open III 2024 brought a rich mix of regional veterans back to prime form, reminding the field why experienced hands dictate the pace in pressure situations. Across three rounds of traditional Rubik's Cube action, familiar frontrunners delivered exceptional composure. Leading the charge in the main event, Sean Patrick Villanueva captured the title with a tournament-best average of 6.82 seconds, holding off a fierce challenge from Crimson Arradaza whose 6.84 mark was decided by mere hundredths. Brenton Angelo Lo Wong took third on the podium with a solid 7.04 average.

The 3x3 results capped a weekend where Brenton Angelo Lo Wong demonstrated remarkable multi-event versatility. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Lo Wong locked down first place with a 1.81 winning average after delivering a standout national record average of 1.75 earlier in the event. He also secured victories in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 30.90 average and the Megaminx with a winning mark of 51.46, finishing third in Pyraminx with a 5.06 average to complete a formidable campaign.

The bigger puzzles belonged to Anyu Zhang, who established control across the heavier hardware. Zhang swept the large cubes, claiming first place in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 56.47 average ahead of Singapore's Wong Chong Wen, who recorded a 57.22 mark. Zhang followed that up by winning the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:21.34 and the 7x7x7 Cube in 1:55.73, proving dominant in the longer format events throughout the weekend.

Specialist events delivered their own share of masterclasses at this WCA competition. In 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, Wong Chong Wen took the top spot with an exceptional 22.33 average, bolstered by a single solve of just 20 moves. Meanwhile, Chris Padua earned the Pyraminx title with a 3.87 average, Francis Yuel B. Merced secured a double triumph by winning Skewb with a 5.23 average and Square-1 in 12.21, and Zoei Principe topped Clock with a 5.24 average. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Crimson Arradaza rebounded from his narrow 3x3 defeat to claim gold with an 8.94 average.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors made substantial progress by testing new disciplines and breaking personal milestones. Cyrill Andrei Espinosa tackled five separate events, posting an initial Clock mark of 28.48 while cutting his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 9.64, an improvement of 46.9 percent, alongside a 15.1 percent drop in Pyraminx to 11.98. Samuel Jan Aquino took on five events, completing a first official 3x3x3 Blindfolded attempt in 9:01.44 to finish seventh, logging a 10.10 first attempt in Pyraminx, and trimming his 3x3x3 One-Handed best by 9.8 percent down to 20.91.

The depth of progress continued across the roster as Arnelio Manaca Mola took on eleven events, posting a personal best of 2:16.11 in Megaminx to drop his time by 20.9 percent, a 10.8 percent improvement in 5x5x5 Cube to 2:50.38, and a first official 6:25.00 effort in 6x6x6 Cube alongside a sixth-place finish in Square-1. John Christian Timothy D. Rasay made his debut in Clock with a 26.38 single while slicing 23.7 percent off his Pyraminx best down to 15.44. Fredrich Ryan Crisostomo registered first-time marks in both Clock with 13.66 and Square-1 with 44.21, while Elron Samuel Madrid improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 36.2 percent to 3.33 and his Skewb best by 32.1 percent down to 7.06 across four events.

Memory and execution without sight demanded peak precision, and Marc Jason L. Laresma proved relentless in the blindfolded disciplines. Laresma won the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event with a 49.52 single, captured the 4x4x4 Blindfolded victory in 4:14.34, and topped the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind standings by resolving 12 of 14 cubes in 35 minutes and 19 seconds. Across all three days, the blend of veteran mastery and rapid individual progression set a high standard for speed cubing in the region.

As the final timers were packed away, the General Trias Speedcubing Open III 2024 concluded an eventful chapter for speedcubing in the City of General Trias, Cavite, Philippines. With 44 podium spots earned by host nation solvers alongside strong international showings from Singapore and China, the 2024 gathering demonstrated the continued technical growth of the local cubing competition scene.

Napuno ng tensyon at sigla ang Robinsons General Trias nang magtipon ang mga kalahok para sa tatlong araw na paligsahan. Sa bawat mesa ng labanan, naging mabilis ang galaw ng mga kamay habang sinuri ng mga hurado ang bawat pag-ikot ng mga puzzle. Ang City of General Trias, Cavite, Philippines ang naging sentro ng galing mula Mayo 10 hanggang Mayo 12 sa taong 2024, kung saan apatnapung kalahok ang sumabak sa labimpitong opisyal na kategorya na sumaklaw sa tatlumpung rounds ng matinding kompetisyon.

Naging mahigpit ang laban sa bawat yugto bago marating ang inaasam na finals sa General Trias Speedcubing Open III 2024. Sa kategoryang 3x3x3 Cube na tinampukan ng tatlumpu't walong kalahok sa tatlong yugto, kinailangan ng bawat manlalaro ang sukdulang bilis upang makapasok sa huling laban. Nakuha ni Sean Patrick Villanueva ang unang pwesto gamit ang winning average na 6.82 at best single na 5.44, habang pumangalawa si Crimson Arradaza sa average na 6.84 at pumangatlo si Brenton Angelo Lo Wong sa average na 7.04 matapos ang dikitang bakbakan.

Nagpakitang-gilas si Brenton Angelo Lo Wong sa 2x2x2 Cube kung saan nakapagtala siya ng bagong national record average na 1.75 bago tuluyang nagwagi sa finals na may average na 1.81 at single na 1.37. Si Yuji Yoshida ang pumangalawa sa kategoryang ito sa average na 3.01, habang pumangatlo si Chris Padua na nagtala ng 3.42. Bukod dito, pinangunahan din ni Brenton Angelo Lo Wong ang 4x4x4 Cube na may average na 30.90 at ang Megaminx sa average na 51.46, na nagpatunay sa kanyang pambihirang galing sa iba't ibang kategorya.

Sa mga mas malalaking puzzle, namayani si Anyu Zhang (张安宇) mula sa China matapos manguna sa tatlong magkakaibang larangan sa naturang cubing competition. Wagi siya sa 5x5x5 Cube sa average na 56.47 laban kay Wong Chong Wen (黄崇文) na may 57.22 at Louie Jay Quibote na may 1:00.67. Napanalunan din ni Anyu Zhang ang 6x6x6 Cube sa average na 1:21.34 laban kina Dale Palmares na nagtala ng 1:33.64 at Louie Jay Quibote na may 1:41.20, gayundin ang 7x7x7 Cube sa average na 1:55.73.

Hindi nagpahuli ang iba pang mga kaganapan sa speedcubing na nagpakita ng iba't ibang uri ng husay. Nagwagi si Chris Padua sa Pyraminx sa average na 3.87 laban kina Yuji Yoshida na nagtala ng 4.28 at Brenton Angelo Lo Wong na may 5.06. Nasungkit naman ni Francis Yuel B. Merced ang tagumpay sa Skewb sa average na 5.23 at Square-1 sa average na 12.21. Si Zoei Principe ang nagkampeon sa Clock sa average na 5.24, habang si Crimson Arradaza ang nanguna sa 3x3x3 One-Handed sa bilis na 8.94 average.

Sa larangan ng mga personal na tagumpay na hindi palaging nakikita sa ibabaw ng resulta, kapansin-pansin ang malalaking pag-unlad ng ilang manlalaro sa buong katapusan ng linggo. Pinatunayan ni Cielo Beatriz P. Villaseran ang kanyang husay sa limang kategorya kung saan naitala niya ang 5.87 sa Skewb na mas mabilis nang 41.8 porsyento, 36.55 sa 3x3x3 One-Handed na mas mabilis nang 36.8 porsyento, at 6.31 sa 2x2x2 Cube. Malaking hakbang din ang ipinamalas ni Milbert Ray Sasi sa anim na kategorya, kabilang ang ikaanim na pwesto sa Megaminx kung saan nakapagtala siya ng 1:09.46 na 35.4 porsyentong mas mabilis, kasama ang personal best na 6.29 sa Skewb at 19.53 sa 3x3x3 One-Handed.

Nagpatuloy ang magagandang resulta sa iba pang mga kalahok sa WCA competition na ito. Si Liam Lucas G. Santos ay nagtala ng 14.77 sa 3x3x3 Cube na 23.7 porsyentong mas mabilis at 4.25 sa 2x2x2 Cube sa tatlong kategoryang kanyang sinalihan. Naabot naman ni Jose Emmanuel P. Azna ang 5.14 sa 2x2x2 Cube na 19.7 porsyentong mas mabilis bukod sa kanyang unang opisyal na marka sa Clock na 15.40. Sumabak si Ethan Francis Jagonio sa walong kategorya at nakuha ang ikapitong pwesto sa 3x3x3 Cube habang nagtala ng 16.10 sa 3x3x3 One-Handed at 54.36 sa 4x4x4 Cube, samantalang nakuha ni Joakim Hendrich Victorino ang ikasampung pwesto sa 3x3x3 Cube.

Sa mga espesyal na kategorya, pinatunayan ni Wong Chong Wen (黄崇文) ang kanyang talas sa 3x3x3 Fewest Moves nang magwagi siya sa average na 22.33 at best single na 20, kasunod sina Crimson Arradaza na nagtala ng 33.33 at Yuji Yoshida na may 37.33. Sa mga piring na laban, naging pambihira ang galing ni Marc Jason L. Laresma nang manalo siya sa 3x3x3 Blindfolded sa pamamagitan ng 49.52 single, sa 3x3x3 Multi-Blind kung saan nakapagtala siya ng 12/14 sa loob ng 35:19, at sa 4x4x4 Blindfolded sa bilis na 4:14.34 laban kay Luis Gabriel Magadia na nagtala ng 6:10.76.

Nagtapos ang General Trias Speedcubing Open III 2024 na nag-iwan ng magagandang alaala at matataas na pamantayan para sa pambansang komunidad ng Rubik's Cube. Sa kabuuang bilang ng mga pwesto sa podium, nanguna ang Pilipinas na may apatnapu't apat na pwesto, sinundan ng Singapore na may lima at China na may tatlo. Mula sa bilis ng mga daliri hanggang sa talas ng isip sa bawat kategorya, ipinakita ng bawat kalahok ang mataas na antas ng paghahanda na muling masisilayan sa pagbabalik ng mga susunod na torneo.