Get to Work Chicagoland 2023

Inside Harre Union, the steady clack of turning plastic set the tempo across four separate events as 131 competitors gathered in Valparaiso, Indiana, USA on September 2, 2023. Speedcubing action unfolded across 13 rounds of play, with solve mats flashing green to mark personal milestones across every tier of the field. What stood out beyond the silverware was the overwhelming wave of individual progress, as solvers took full advantage of the sharp competition conditions to reset their career benchmarks.

The 2023 cubing competition brought out major milestones from athletes who came into the weekend looking to take huge steps forward. Leading that surge was Marcus Simbol, who delivered an astounding performance in Pyraminx by recording a personal best of 5.55 seconds, slicing an incredible 70.9 percent off his previous mark of 19.04 seconds. Simbol also trimmed his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 67.8 percent down to 12.31 seconds, while taking on his first ever official attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a time of 23.40 seconds across his four events.

That same dramatic progression was visible across the arena. Kiyaan Kotadia made his first ever attempt in the main Rubik's Cube event with a mark of 15.56 seconds, logged his first 3x3x3 One-Handed attempt at 45.80 seconds, and dropped his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 3.90 seconds, which was 69.7 percent faster than his prior 12.88 mark. Richard Alexander Bolanos tackled his first Pyraminx attempt with an 8.60 and registered a 45.48 in his one-handed debut, all while cutting his 2x2x2 personal best by 50.9 percent to 2.38 seconds.

The breakthrough results continued across multiple disciplines throughout the Harre Union venue. Mohammad Hamd Azhar had a productive weekend by posting a first ever attempt of 32.65 seconds in 3x3x3 One-Handed and improving his 2x2x2 Cube best to 3.29 seconds, a 49.2 percent jump. Zachary Bush locked in a 3x3x3 personal best of 13.01 seconds, which was 48.4 percent faster than his previous 25.19, alongside his first ever attempts in both Pyraminx at 6.64 seconds and one-handed solving at 23.11 seconds.

Other solvers showed similar leaps in their overall speed cubing execution during the single-day gathering. Grant W. Martin lowered his 3x3x3 personal best by 45.3 percent to 20.99 seconds and recorded his first official one-handed solve at 1:00.86 across three events. Parsa Rouhi chopped 38 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best to reach 11.85 seconds, while also posting his first official attempts in both 2x2x2 Cube at 4.77 seconds and Pyraminx at 7.96 seconds across four events entered.

Aiden Imgrund rounded out the exceptional individual efforts by earning a 10th-place finish in 3x3x3 One-Handed, recording a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 9.68 seconds for a 23.3 percent improvement, and logging his first official attempts in both 2x2x2 Cube at 3.86 seconds and Pyraminx at 12.25 seconds. These standout improvements formed the beating heart of Get to Work Chicagoland 2023, showcasing the rapid growth taking place across the regional circuit.

At the sharp end of the standings, Luke Garrett authored an exceptional display across multiple disciplines. Garrett swept the two premier events, capturing victory in the 3x3x3 Cube by securing a winning average of 5.77 seconds over four rounds featuring 128 competitors, while delivering the weekend's best single of 5.11 seconds. Garrett also ruled the 2x2x2 Cube field of 114 competitors, taking the title with a winning average of 1.39 seconds alongside a tournament-best single of 1.09 seconds.

The podiums in those events highlighted a consistent group of top finishers. In the 3x3 results, Brian Johnson claimed second place with a final round average of 7.07 seconds, and Zeke Mackay took third with a 7.14 average. The 2x2x2 Cube podium saw Johnson again in second place at 1.61 seconds, with Carter Kucala earning third place on a 2.32 average, cementing a dominant weekend for the top seeds.

In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Eli Parker came out on top of the 69-person bracket across three rounds, claiming first place with a 10.54 average and a best single of 8.90 seconds, just narrowly edging Garrett who placed second at 10.59 seconds, while Johnson collected third place at 12.29 seconds. Pyraminx concluded with Ezra Shere capturing the gold medal from a field of 100 competitors, winning with an average of 1.80 seconds and a best single of 1.62 seconds, followed by Simon Kellum in second at 2.15 seconds and Kucala in third at 2.54 seconds.

With 12 total podium spots claimed by United States competitors, Get to Work Chicagoland 2023 concluded as a memorable WCA competition filled with top-level triumphs and career-defining improvements. Solvers departed Valparaiso with fresh personal records in the books, having proven their preparation on the official stage as the community looks ahead to the next season on the speedcubing calendar.