Glasgow Spring 2024

A mere 0.04 seconds decided the fiercest battle of the weekend when the 2x2x2 Cube final went right down to the wire. China's Zhibo Jin secured the title with an average of 1.78 seconds, barely edging out the United Kingdom's Nicholas Archer at 1.82 seconds. Nicky Sim rounded out the breathless podium with a mark of 2.06 seconds. The high-speed drama set the tone for an extraordinary gathering of 188 competitors across 10 events and 18 rounds of intense action.

Held on March 2 and 3, Glasgow Spring 2024 brought a massive field to the University Centre Building at Strathclyde University. Speedcubing enthusiasts gathered in Glasgow, City of Glasgow, United Kingdom, to test their skills in an atmosphere full of sharp turns and fast hands. The two-day cubing competition served as a prime showcase for international talent, with podium spots shared across six different nations over the full schedule.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive lineup of 185 entrants through three full rounds, but Tymon Kolasiński of Poland left no doubt about his command of the standard Rubik's Cube. Kolasiński posted an electric winning average of 5.77 seconds to top the 3x3 results, backed by a best single of 4.88 seconds. Johnny Morello Kerlaff earned second place for the home crowd with a 7.38 average, while Alan Tan claimed third place with a mark of 7.90.

Kolasiński continued his unstoppable run across the heavier hardware, locking in a dominant triple crown in the 2024 campaign. In the 4x4x4 Cube, he took first place with an average of 22.16 seconds, well ahead of Macau's Max Kwok U Sam at 32.14 and Monty Fox at 33.31. Kolasiński then secured the 5x5x5 Cube crown with an average of 37.98 seconds, once again finishing ahead of Max Kwok U Sam at 57.22 and India's Madhav Singh at 59.79.

The weekend delivered remarkable milestones across the board, particularly for competitors taking on major challenges and setting personal benchmarks away from the podium spotlight. Thea Lancaster entered 8 events, tackling her first ever attempts at 5x5x5 Cube in 3:12.89 and 4x4x4 Cube in 1:41.39, while dropping her Clock personal best by 67.2 percent to 10.76. Charlie Ross entered three events, taking on their first 3x3x3 Cube solve in 32.32 and first Pyraminx attempt in 14.45, while slashing their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 65.4 percent down to 4.47. Alexander Tweedie recorded an opening 4x4x4 Cube time of 1:55.29, an initial Megaminx time of 3:32.23, and improved their Pyraminx best by 43.4 percent to 5.05. Junhan Wen tackled 10 events, logging a first Megaminx solve of 2:12.19, a first Square-1 of 55.71, and improved their Clock best by 41.6 percent to 10.85.

The personal breakthroughs continued across every stage of the WCA competition. Lyle Goodfellow logged initial career attempts in Megaminx at 2:53.77 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:51.09, alongside a 39.7 percent personal best drop in 3x3x3 One-Handed to 55.38. Vihan Patil took on 8 events, completing their first official attempts in Megaminx at 3:14.40 and Clock at 36.03, while improving their Pyraminx best by 31.8 percent to 4.52. Kacper Krawczyk logged initial marks in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 32.98 and Square-1 at 49.11 while posting a Pyraminx personal best of 5.10, a 29.6 percent improvement. Dario Francesco Moretti made first official attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:15.35 and Square-1 at 1:56.62 while reaching 12th in the 2x2x2 Cube with a personal best of 2.15.

One-handed solving provided another high-calibre duel as Nicholas Archer delivered a standout victory in 3x3x3 One-Handed, averaging 10.03 seconds and logging a single solve of 8.32 seconds to lead Johnny Morello Kerlaff at 13.28 and Max Kwok U Sam at 14.38. The short-format side events also saw Liam Stuart Ferreira capture the Pyraminx title with an average of 3.80 seconds, navigating through 136 competitors to take top honours.

Germany found success on the podium tables as Konstantin Jaehne won the Clock title with a 5.96 average, holding off Monty Fox at 6.20 and Ryan Eckersley at 7.09 in another close battle. In Megaminx, Amélie Dieterich claimed the top step with an average of 54.27 seconds, staying ahead of Adam Black at 56.67 and Max Kwok U Sam at 1:00.31. Blindfolded solving required total precision and memory, where Ryan Eckersley secured the 3x3x3 Blindfolded win with a best single of 22.75 seconds ahead of Jaye Sloan at 27.45 and Oliver Wheat at 52.38.

Eckersley added a second victory during the event by winning Square-1 with a tidy average of 10.48 seconds. Across all ten events, United Kingdom competitors led the medal haul with 18 total podium placements, followed by Poland and Macau with four each. With breathtaking finishes, massive fields, and outstanding demonstrations of speed cubing, Glasgow Spring 2024 proved to be an unforgettable chapter in the Scottish competitive calendar.