Glasgow Winter - Scottish Blind Off 2024

Inside the Learning and Teaching Building at Strathclyde University, the competition floor was defined by absolute silence and intense concentration. Across tables lined with black blindfolds, timing mats, and inspection covers, solvers sat motionless as they committed complex sequences of turns and pieces to memory before pulling their masks down. The atmosphere of deliberate quiet marked a specialized weekend on the Scottish speedcubing calendar, where every second of memorisation had to count.

Held across February 17 and February 18, Glasgow Winter - Scottish Blind Off 2024 gathered 26 competitors in Glasgow, City of Glasgow, United Kingdom for two days of demanding non-visual and efficiency challenges. A total of five events and nine rounds filled the schedule, offering a distinct test from standard speed cubing tournaments. For the domestic competitors taking the stage in Scotland, the weekend provided an ideal setting to deliver standout performances in front of familiar surroundings.

Leading the way for the home contingent was British solver Jaye Sloan, who delivered a commanding performance in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Navigating a field of 24 competitors across two rounds, Sloan secured first place with a decisive winning single of 23.53 seconds. Sloan had already registered an even quicker single of 22.01 seconds during the contest, outlasting fellow countryman Ryan Eckersley, whose 31.07 single took second, and Switzerland's Ezra Hirschi, who rounded out the podium with a mark of 28.64. The event provided the fastest 3x3 results of the weekend.

The 4x4x4 Blindfolded event delivered another British triumph on the Strathclyde University stage. Ryan Eckersley claimed victory over a 20-person field across two rounds, capturing first place with an impressive single of 1:35.33. Ezra Hirschi followed in second place with a time of 2:00.07, while China's Mengfei Shen took third with a solve of 3:38.51. In addition to his victory, Eckersley produced consistent non-visual form across the schedule, including a 3x3x3 Blindfolded average of 28.41.

The marathon mental discipline of 3x3x3 Multi-Blind saw Ezra Hirschi produce a dominant showing. The Swiss competitor tackled a massive pack of puzzles, successfully solving 48 out of 54 cubes right on the 1:00:00 time limit to top the 24-competitor standings. Jaye Sloan took the runner-up spot on the podium by solving 27 out of 29 cubes in 55:29, while Germany's Willem Klose earned third place with a haul of 22 out of 25 in 1:00:00.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, the weekend was defined by major breakthroughs and personal milestones across the board. Maria Holton tackled all five events on offer, setting a personal best of 1:36.26 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded that was 35.9 percent faster than her prior mark of 2:30.27, alongside a personal best of 7/9 in 1:00:00 in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind and a personal best of 52 in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves. Hayden Wallace achieved a 26.3 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a personal best of 2:05.85 compared to an earlier 2:50.81, and completed a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 47 moves. Daniel Kidd took on a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, scoring 8/9 in 46:44 to finish 9th, while shaving 22.1 percent off his 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best down to 59.37 seconds. James McCambridge also broke the minute barrier, logging a 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best of 59.18 seconds, a 13.1 percent improvement on his prior 1:08.12.

First-time event attempts continued to highlight the depth of the field throughout this WCA competition. Sam Jones ventured into 3x3x3 Multi-Blind for the first time, registering 3/5 in 27:15, and set a personal best of 49 in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves across four events. Shiraz Malik stepped up for a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, finishing 11th with a result of 49 moves. Magnus Miłosz Birecki also took on 3x3x3 Fewest Moves for the first time in his career, logging a result of 68 moves to place 20th. Meanwhile, Alistair Miller entered five events and earned a weekend-best finish of 6th place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, clocking a single of 1:12.52.

In the 5x5x5 Blindfolded event, Ezra Hirschi secured another gold medal, posting a winning single of 2:56.68 over two rounds. Ryan Eckersley earned second place with a mark of 3:31.13, and Mengfei Shen finished third with 6:47.05. International records were also established in the arena, as Max Kwok U Sam secured a National record single for Macau in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a time of 1:10.59.

The 3x3x3 Fewest Moves discipline brought the focus back to pure rotational efficiency on the classic Rubik's Cube. Lichi Fang took first place with an impressive winning average of 23.67 moves and a best single of 23 moves across the 21 competitors. Jaye Sloan added another podium finish by taking second place with an average of 24.33, while Kai Cui claimed third place on a 28.00 average. The United Kingdom led the medal count with seven podium finishes across the weekend, followed by Switzerland with four, China with three, and Germany with one.

As the equipment was packed away, Glasgow Winter - Scottish Blind Off 2024 concluded having demonstrated the full spectrum of competitive memory solving and move efficiency. From home victories by British competitors to international record-breaking solves and personal milestones, the 2024 cubing competition served as a showcase of technical skill at Strathclyde University.