Glasgow Spring 2023

A total of 146 competitors assembled across three action-packed days in Glasgow, City of Glasgow, United Kingdom, bringing a wave of rapid progression and sharp execution to the University Centre Building at Strathclyde University. Running from May 26 to May 28, Glasgow Spring 2023 packed 15 events into 27 intense rounds of competition. While the top steps of the podium featured several commanding sweeps, the defining narrative of the 2023 gathering was the sheer volume of personal milestones established across every puzzle category.

The classic Rubik's Cube drew the largest crowd of the weekend, with 137 solvers contesting three demanding rounds. When the final 3x3 results were tallied, Sean Moran captured the championship title with a clinical 9.00 winning average, highlighted by an 8.00 single solve. James Airey secured the runner-up position with a 9.26 average, while Adam Black completed the all-British podium in third place at 10.03. Moran's sharpness set a relentless pace at the tournament, establishing high standards right from the opening heats.

Beyond the main event, Moran compiled an astonishing haul of hardware across several disciplines. He took first place in 4x4x4 Cube with a 34.50 average and a 30.61 single, led the 5x5x5 Cube roster with a 1:03.41 average, and dominated Megaminx by registering a 36.57 winning mark ahead of Stephen Waller and Christopher Kilgallon. Moran also topped the 3x3x3 One-Handed standings with a 14.47 average and finished first in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a single solve of 32 moves, capping a versatile exhibition of speed cubing excellence.

The blindfolded categories offered their own masterclass in concentration and spatial recall, which inherently requires complete memorisation under pressure. Jaye Sloan proved unbeatable in the standard 3x3x3 Blindfolded division, recording a winning average of 33.55 and a fastest single of 21.57, while also securing gold in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind by successfully solving 20 out of 29 cubes within 56:02. Ryan Eckersley took charge of the big cube memory disciplines, winning both 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 1:45.85 and 5x5x5 Blindfolded in 3:20.19, alongside a victory in Square-1 with a 12.06 average.

Beyond the podium battles, this cubing competition served as an ideal proving ground where solvers dramatically reset their individual ceilings. Maria Holton took on a packed schedule of 12 events, achieving a Clock personal best of 14.62 that was 61.3% faster than her previous 37.80, while also logging her first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a time of 2:45.30. Billy McFadyen posted a Skewb personal best of 9.88, dropping 58.1% from his earlier 23.57 mark, and tackled his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 1:18.82. Kacper Krawczyk cut 57.6% from his 2x2x2 Cube personal best down to 3.10 and delivered his first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 7.70. Junhan Wen improved his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best to 26.19, an improvement of 50.5%, alongside a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:14.76.

The progress continued through the ranks as competitors broadened their event repertoires. Jack Innes lowered his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 49.4% to 16.74 and completed his first ever attempt at Megaminx in 2:18.96. James Lindsay slashed his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 48.4% to 24.08 while taking on his first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube in 6.19. Noah Dickson recorded an 11.53 Skewb personal best, 39.5% faster than his previous standard, and posted a first ever attempt at Clock in 16.38. Isaac Boyd trimmed 38% off his 2x2x2 Cube mark with a new 4.42 personal best and registered his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 44.75, showing how much ground can be gained over a single weekend.

The sprint events generated rapid action on the tables, led by Nicky Sim who claimed the 2x2x2 Cube title with an average of 1.87 and a single of 1.46, finishing ahead of Jaye Sloan and Hong Kong competitor Ng Tsz Hei. In Pyraminx, Kris Lim secured the top spot with a 3.89 average, prevailing over James Robertson and Blue James. Lim added another victory to his tally by taking Clock with a 5.80 average, outpacing Nicky Sim and Cameron Littlejohn. Archie Fedulov rounded out the sprint formats by winning Skewb with an average of 5.17.

With 40 podium positions claimed by competitors representing the United Kingdom, alongside top-three finishes from Malaysia, Macau, Ireland, Russia, and Hong Kong, Glasgow Spring 2023 delivered intense energy across every bracket. As the speedcubing community looks ahead to future dates on the calendar, the remarkable improvements logged across both classic cubes and specialised puzzles ensure that this WCA competition will be remembered for its depth of personal progress and standout multi-event performances.