Georgia March Open 2024

Inside the Collider working space in Tbilisi, Georgia, the tournament tables were set for a single day of intense competition on March 24, 2024. Stopwatches and competition mats lined the venue as 33 competitors gathered from across the region to test their speed. Across 10 official events and 16 separate rounds, the buzzing hall saw solvers navigating everything from pocket puzzles to multi-layered cubes. The atmosphere built steadily toward the final rounds, where every turn of the plastic layers carried the weight of the standings.

The 3x3x3 Cube final delivered the sharpest drama of Georgia March Open 2024, coming down to the thinnest margin after three full rounds of play. Giorgi Minasiani secured the title with a winning average of 8.32 seconds, supported by the round best single solve of 7.26 seconds. Nino Zguladze pushed the contest to the final moments, finishing a mere five hundredths of a second behind with an average of 8.37 seconds. Tamar Dolenjishvili locked up third place in the main event with an 8.75 average, rounding out an all-Georgian podium in standard Rubik's Cube speedcubing.

The 3x3 results formed only one part of Minasiani outstanding day at the tables. He collected five individual event victories throughout the WCA competition, demonstrating remarkable versatility. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Minasiani topped the 17-competitor field with a winning average of 14.96 seconds, ahead of Dolenjishvili who took second at 15.25. Minasiani also earned gold in Pyraminx with an average of 3.33 seconds, swept Skewb with a 4.40 average, and clinched Megaminx by registering a 58.59 average to lead a competitive 10-person bracket.

Tamar Dolenjishvili delivered a dominant display in the larger puzzles during Georgia March Open 2024, securing two victories of her own. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Dolenjishvili achieved first place with an average of 31.43 seconds, outpacing Minasiani who marked 33.79 and Vako Marchilashvili at 40.32. Dolenjishvili followed that success by winning the 5x5x5 Cube in an average of 1:08.28, finishing clear of Dachi Tevdorashvili, who clocked 1:12.63. Her dual big-cube triumphs highlighted an exceptional showing across the longer solves.

Vako Marchilashvili made his presence felt at the short and memory-intensive ends of the cubing competition schedule. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Marchilashvili claimed the championship with a blistering winning average of 1.71 seconds, while Giorgi Gegeshidze took second place with 2.48 and Nino Zguladze placed third at 2.63. Marchilashvili also stood atop the podium in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where solving without sight requires absolute memorisation, posting a winning single of 1:29.46. Giorgi Gegeshidze added a victory in Square-1, leading that final with an 18.95 average.

Beyond the title fights, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across varied disciplines in Tbilisi. Pranav Prakash took on seven events and delivered a massive breakthrough in 3x3x3 One-Handed, recording a personal best of 22.29 seconds to improve by 54.2 percent. Toma Kvachakhia lowered his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 5.35 seconds, a 46.7 percent improvement over his prior mark. Tinatin Tsimakuridze dropped her 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 15.91 seconds, improving by 40.4 percent, while also competing across four separate events. Andrey Yakubovski entered six events, finishing fifth in 2x2x2 Cube and cutting his one-handed best to 36.46 seconds.

New milestones continued across the floor as solvers embraced fresh challenges. Jeshurun Moyer tackled the 5x5x5 Cube for the first time with a mark of 1:51.07, completed his first Pyraminx attempt at 9.18, and lowered his 3x3x3 Cube best to 13.54 seconds. Saba Vepkhvadze logged his first Megaminx attempt at 1:59.54 on the way to a seventh-place finish, alongside a 25 percent improvement in Skewb at 6.36 seconds. Micah Hudson Steinfort recorded his first 3x3x3 One-Handed time of 43.45 and improved his 4x4x4 Cube best to 1:22.58. First-time participant Nikolozi Jokhadze took on two events, completing his initial 4x4x4 Cube solve in 2:13.55.

The successful conclusion of Georgia March Open 2024 wrapped up a full day of speed cubing excellence in the capital. Competitors representing Georgia captured 29 podium spots during the meet, with Russia claiming one through Aleksandr Podolskiy second-place blindfolded finish. From dramatic sprint finishes on the main stage to personal records across every bracket, the gathering showcased the growing depth of solving talent looking ahead to future competition.