Georgia February Open 2024

Inside the halls of the Institute of Cybernetic in Tbilisi, Georgia, the focus of the speedcubing community was fully engaged on February 18, 2024. Competitors gathered around the tables with mats laid out, inspecting complex puzzles under the room lights before releasing their timers. The single-day WCA competition brought together a dedicated field of 16 competitors across a diverse schedule of 12 events and 16 rounds. While the standard Rubik's Cube always draws focus, this gathering provided an extensive stage for the specialized disciplines that test endurance, spatial memory, and alternative mechanical dexterity.

The Georgia February Open 2024 stood out for its inclusion of demanding side events alongside the marquee races. In Megaminx, Dachi Tevdorashvili tackled the twelve-sided dodecahedron with remarkable precision, topping the field of 4 competitors with a winning average of 57.85 and a tournament-best single solve of 49.49. Square-1 presented its unique shape-shifting challenges, where Tamar Dolenjishvili secured first place with an average of 22.53 and a best single of 17.96. The corner-turning Skewb saw Andro Gvaramadze navigate his solves cleanly to take the title with a 3.76 average and a fastest single of 3.17 across the single round.

Big cubes also formed a major part of the schedule, placing raw stamina on display. Tamar Dolenjishvili excelled throughout the large puzzle categories, taking first place in the 4x4x4 Cube with an average of 31.76, in the 5x5x5 Cube with an average of 1:08.55, and in the 6x6x6 Cube with a mark of 2:15.69. Dolenjishvili capped off the big cube sweep in the 7x7x7 Cube by registering a winning average of 3:57.75. In the podium standings, Dachi Tevdorashvili earned second place in 7x7x7 Cube with an average of 4:41.22 and third place in both 5x5x5 Cube and 6x6x6 Cube, while Andro Gvaramadze secured second place in 4x4x4, 5x5x5, and 6x6x6.

Mental discipline defined the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, where solvers must commit the scramble to memory before donning a blindfold to complete the solve unassisted. Vako Marchilashvili (ვაკო მარჩილაშვილი) took victory among 4 competitors with a winning average of 2:16.91 and a best single time of 1:45.24. Aleksandr Podolskiy finished in second place with an average of 2:41.95, while Tamar Dolenjishvili took third place on the podium with a 3:08.72 average. The one-handed solving discipline demanded similar technical mastery, as Tamar Dolenjishvili won the 3x3x3 One-Handed final with an average of 15.52 ahead of Vako Marchilashvili (18.05) and Andro Gvaramadze (19.06).

Beyond the top steps of the podium, the Georgia February Open 2024 was defined by massive individual milestones across the tables. Toma Kvachakhia delivered one of the largest leaps of the day across 3 events entered, setting a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 27.60, which was 33 percent faster than the previous best of 41.21. Ilia Lomaia (ილია ლომაია) took on 4 events and achieved substantial personal improvements across two formats, lowering their 3x3x3 Cube best by 17.9 percent to 21.45 and cutting their 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 11.94, which was 4.3 percent faster than before.

The progress continued through deep event schedules as Saba Vepkhvadze (საბა ვეფხვაძე) competed in 5 events, earning a best finish of 6th in Skewb while posting a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 18.16 (14.5 percent faster) and a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 46.36 (5.2 percent faster). Daviti Utavsauri entered 4 events, claiming a best finish of 4th place in the 2x2x2 Cube and dropping their 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 13.6 percent down to 31.00. Meanwhile, Ana Marchilashvili (ანა მარჩილაშვილი) tackled 5 events and secured a best finish of 7th in Skewb, and Luka Patashuri (ლუკა პატაშური) competed in 2 events, earning a best finish of 6th place in the 3x3x3 Cube.

The 2x2x2 Cube event produced intensely fast turnarounds through two rounds of competition. Vako Marchilashvili (ვაკო მარჩილაშვილი) captured the event victory with a winning average of 1.69 in the final and a best single of 1.15, leading the podium ahead of Tamar Dolenjishvili in second at 2.35 and Andro Gvaramadze in third at 3.60. In the Pyraminx, Tamar Dolenjishvili collected another first-place finish, averaging 4.17 with a best single of 2.51 among 13 competitors, demonstrating quick corner manipulation on the tetrahedral puzzle.

The classic three-layered event closed out the program with high-stakes 3x3 results across two rounds. Tamar Dolenjishvili claimed the 3x3x3 Cube title with a winning average of 9.09 and the fastest single of the competition at 7.42. Vako Marchilashvili finished second with an average of 9.60, while Andro Gvaramadze secured third on the podium with a 9.84 average. Across the entire cubing competition, Georgian solvers captured 35 podium places alongside 1 for Russia, demonstrating the strength of speed cubing in the region as the Georgia February Open 2024 concluded a full day of racing in Tbilisi.