Go x Go Kyoto 2023

Inside the halls of the Kyoto Kodomomirai Hall on February 12, 2023, the steady rhythm of twisting plastic and ticking stackmats filled the air. Tables across the venue stayed active throughout the single-day schedule as competitors inspected scrambles and adjusted their setups. The gathering brought together a packed room of solvers in Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan, creating an intense environment where advancement required precision from the very first turn of the day.

A total of 54 competitors assembled for Go x Go Kyoto 2023, creating a particularly dense field across a focused two-event schedule. With only four total rounds staged throughout the day, the margin for error was razor thin for anyone hoping to secure a place in the finals. Every solve counted heavily toward qualification, making this cubing competition a demanding test of consistency where dozens of skilled solvers battled just to survive the opening stages.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew all 54 participants, making the journey to the final round exceptionally competitive. Sei Sugama emerged on top of the division, capturing the victory with a winning average of 8.13 seconds alongside a best single solve of 6.96 seconds. Makoto Takaoka took second place on the podium with an 8.56 average, while Tomohiro Kobayashi earned third place with an average of 8.64, highlighting how tightly grouped the top contenders remained throughout the final round.

In the 5x5x5 Cube, which featured 25 competitors across two rounds, the challenge expanded to big-cube endurance and complex edge pairing. Sei Sugama completed a sweep of the weekend titles by securing first place with a 53.01 average and a single of 51.10. Makoto Takaoka captured another second-place finish with an average of 56.36, while Yuki Nomura stepped onto the podium in third place with an average of 57.70, completing an all-Japan podium sweep across both featured disciplines at Go x Go Kyoto 2023.

Beyond the podium battles, several solvers posted notable personal breakthroughs that reshaped their standings in the speedcubing community. Takuya Kira took on both events and delivered a career-best finish of fourth place in the 5x5x5 Cube, recording a 50.00 in a first ever attempt at the event alongside an 8.15 single in the 3x3x3 Cube that was 46.6 percent faster than their previous mark of 15.25. Sota Ui also contested two events, finishing fourth in the 3x3x3 Cube with a personal best single of 7.79, an 11.2 percent improvement over their earlier 8.77, while adding a 1:14.67 personal record in the 5x5x5 Cube. Semin Kim entered one event and logged a 15.08 personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube, cutting 18.3 percent off their prior 18.46 mark.

Other competitors marked significant milestones by tackling new territory at this WCA competition. Kazumi Morimoto entered both events, posting a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube with a time of 1:51.36 and improving their 3x3x3 Cube best by 5.6 percent to 13.44. Tomoki Moriyama took on two disciplines, recording a first ever attempt of 1:57.04 in the 5x5x5 Cube alongside an 11.60 single on the standard Rubik's Cube, which was 3.7 percent faster than their previous best. Kazuhito Okamoto logged a first ever attempt at the 5x5x5 Cube of 2:10.56, while Kazue Kobayashi posted a 1:27.91 first attempt in the same event. Akatsuki Kitamura rounded out the debuts with a first ever attempt of 2:38.72 in the 5x5x5 Cube.

The overall standard of solving across the venue demonstrated the growing strength of speed cubing in the region throughout 2023. Solvers pushed the pace across both small and large puzzles, generating fast turnarounds between heats and maintaining sharp focus under strict tournament conditions. The battle for qualification spots remained fierce until the final solves were logged on the main stage.

As the schedule concluded and the equipment was packed away, Go x Go Kyoto 2023 stood as a clear showcase of local depth. With competitive 3x3 results from the preliminary rounds through to the deciding solves, the tournament tested everyone from frontline contenders to dedicated division regulars as they look forward toward the next competitive season.

2023年2月12日、Kyoto, Kyoto, Japanの京都市こどもみらい館で開催されたスピードキュービング大会の会場には、タイマーのストップ音とキューブの回転音が絶え間なく響き渡っていた。冬の京都に集結した54名の選手たちが、日頃の練習の成果を発揮する舞台となった。

今大会のGo x Go Kyoto 2023では合計2種目4ラウンドの競技が組まれた。メイン種目となる3x3x3 Cubeをはじめとするルービックキューブ競技において、最終試技までもつれ込む白熱した展開が繰り広げられた。

3x3x3 Cubeの決勝では、Sei Sugama (洲鎌星)が単発6.96、平均8.13を記録して優勝を飾った。2位には平均8.56のMakoto Takaoka (高岡誠)、3位には平均8.64のTomohiro Kobayashi (小林知広)が入り、最後の試技まで勝敗が分からない僅差の表彰台争いとなった。

5x5x5 Cube部門でもハイレベルな戦いが行われ、Sei Sugama (洲鎌星)が平均53.01、単発51.10を叩き出して2冠を達成した。2位は平均56.36のMakoto Takaoka (高岡誠)、3位には平均57.70を記録したYuki Nomura (野村優希)が続いた。

Go x Go Kyoto 2023の舞台では、順位表の数字だけでは見えない選手たちの大きな成長と挑戦があった。Sota Matsuda (松田壮太)は3x3x3 Cubeで自己ベストを7.2%短縮する9.62を記録した。Yuko Kanzaki (神崎裕子)も同種目で18.21をマークし従来の記録を5.7%更新し、Makoto Asano (淺野真)は24.05を出して4.2%のタイム短縮を達成した。2種目に出場したKazuhiro Fukada (深田和宏)は5x5x5 Cubeで1:35.00を記録し、自己記録を4.1%縮めている。

今回が初めてのWCA competitionとなった選手たちも素晴らしい滑り出しを見せた。Riku Koshizaki (越崎凌久)は3x3x3 Cubeの初試技で9.14を出し総合8位に入ったほか、5x5x5 Cubeでも1:15.68を記録した。Kento Ebina (海老名謙翔)は3x3x3 Cubeで15.00、5x5x5 Cubeで1:51.99をマーク。Luca Hagiwara (萩原瑠迦)は3x3x3 Cubeで18.70、5x5x5 Cubeで2:43.16を記録し、Yuki Kanemoto (金本悠生)も3x3x3 Cubeで11.17、5x5x5 Cubeで2:33.78という初試技タイムを残した。

2023年のシーズン序盤を飾ったこの大会では、全6つの表彰台席をすべて日本勢が獲得する強さを示した。参加した54名それぞれが各々の目標に向かって集中力を研ぎ澄ませ、記憶に残る試技を重ねた。

熱狂のうちに幕を閉じたGo x Go Kyoto 2023は、上位陣の緊迫した優勝争いと多くの選手の自己ベスト更新に彩られた一日となった。選手たちは早くもそれぞれの課題を胸に、次のシーズンや新たな大会でのさらなる飛躍を見据えている。