Glasgow Side Events Autumn 2024

Four event titles belonged to one solver by the time the weekend concluded in Scotland. Across two days of high-level speedcubing from September 14 to September 15, Irish competitor Ciarán Beahan delivered a masterclass in the big cubes at Glasgow Side Events Autumn 2024. Staged inside the Learning and Teaching Building at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, City of Glasgow, United Kingdom, the gathering brought together 59 competitors across 19 rounds of play. With seven puzzles on the schedule, the meet placed technical mastery at the forefront of the cubing competition.

Beahan set the tone early in the 4x4x4 Cube, topping a field of 54 entrants with an average of 25.61 seconds and a best single time of 24.16 seconds. Dean David of the United Kingdom secured second place on the podium with a 28.48 average, having clocked a best single of 27.13. Cham J. Chambers completed the podium trio with an average of 29.09 and a 26.36 single. While traditional 3x3 results often command the spotlight, the larger mechanisms demanded supreme control from the opening turn.

The Irish frontrunner carried that blistering form straight into the 5x5x5 Cube, navigating three rounds before sealing victory with an average of 42.17 seconds and a best single of 41.11. David took second place with a 54.46 average, while Macau representative Max Kwok U Sam secured third place with a 55.54 mark. Beahan proved completely untouchable across the extended events, demonstrating the rhythmic pacing and efficiency needed to outlast deep brackets across consecutive days.

That commanding stretch continued in the 6x6x6 Cube, where Beahan registered a winning average of 1:20.64 and a single of 1:18.73 across three rounds of 42 entrants. Chambers earned the runner-up spot with an average of 1:33.14, while David claimed third in 1:41.66. The 7x7x7 Cube brought identical supremacy, as Beahan posted an average of 1:52.03 alongside a single of 1:51.46 to claim his fourth trophy. Chambers took second with 2:38.42, and Kwok U Sam reached the podium in third at 2:48.58.

Away from the top of the standings, Glasgow Side Events Autumn 2024 produced massive individual milestones throughout the order. Innes Finegan shaved 49.8 percent off their previous best in Square-1 by delivering a mark of 27.00 seconds, while also recording a first ever attempt at Clock with 24.90 and a Megaminx personal best of 2:18.49. Seán Gatenby achieved a 46.7 percent improvement in 4x4x4 Cube with a 47.85 single, logged a Megaminx best of 1:53.70, and took on a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 1:43.68. Oliver Aonghas Robinson dropped their Megaminx mark by 45.6 percent to 1:42.73 and cut Square-1 down by 44.6 percent to 17.52, while also posting a first ever attempt at Clock with 10.94.

Other solvers embraced heavy workloads across the weekend schedule. Alexander Tweedie recorded a 41.6 percent drop in Megaminx down to 2:03.87, adding first ever attempts in Square-1 at 55.30 and Clock at 29.74. JC Redmond posted a 33.3 percent improvement in 4x4x4 Cube with a 54.39 single alongside first attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 2:25.69 and Megaminx at 2:42.58. Charlotte Marsland cut their 6x6x6 Cube best by 27.3 percent to 4:30.53 and Clock by 25.8 percent to 12.77, adding a first ever attempt at Square-1 of 24.84. William Poole improved their 4x4x4 Cube best by 22.7 percent to 38.20 and registered first attempts in 6x6x6 Cube at 3:19.39 and 7x7x7 Cube at 5:00.17, while Abbey McNally tackled seven events including first attempts in 6x6x6 Cube at 3:20.66, Megaminx at 2:29.32, and 7x7x7 Cube at 5:45.76.

The remaining events at Glasgow Side Events Autumn 2024 highlighted specialized talent across diverse puzzles. In Megaminx, Sean Moran topped a 51-competitor field over three rounds with a winning average of 32.01 seconds and a best single of 28.96. Fred Lang secured second place with an average of 45.25, while Chambers earned another podium appearance in third place with a 47.15 average. Moran also showed his versatility earlier in the weekend by recording a 31.82 average in the 4x4x4 Cube.

Cham J. Chambers took the top prize in Clock, navigating three rounds against 49 competitors to record a winning average of 4.32 seconds and a single of 4.07. Oliver Castledine placed second with a 4.84 average, and Sam Shaw finished third with 5.05. In Square-1, Ryan Eckersley averaged 9.37 seconds with a single of 7.86 across three rounds to defeat Billie Hammill, who posted 11.19 for second, and Eleanor Sinnott, who recorded 11.68 for third. For fans of classic Rubik's Cube variants, the intricate twisty puzzles provided relentless excitement.

By the close of the WCA competition, host nation solvers from the United Kingdom had collected 15 podium places, while Ireland secured four and Macau earned two. The varied disciplines showcased the growing depth of speed cubing talent in the region, bringing out elite precision on larger hardware and technical side puzzles alike. As the 2024 season progresses toward future fixtures, Glasgow Side Events Autumn 2024 will be remembered for Beahan's unrelenting sweep across the big cubes.