Guangzhou Special 2024

Ninety-four competitors gathered on June 2, 2024, creating an intense, high-stakes atmosphere where advancing through the rounds required absolute precision. Held at Guangzhou Nanwu Middle School in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, the single-day WCA competition showcased non-traditional formats across five distinct disciplines. With 12 rounds packed into a demanding schedule, reaching a final was a formidable test of consistency. While classic 3x3 results often command the spotlight, this cubing competition proved that alternative puzzles draw exceptionally deep talent and demand relentless focus under pressure.

Guangzhou Special 2024 featured heavy turnouts across all five events, led by Pyraminx with 69 competitors and Clock with 66 entrants. Skewb followed closely with 65 participants, while Megaminx and Square-1 drew fields of 40 and 33 solvers respectively. In fields this crowded, even minor errors in early rounds proved decisive, leaving little margin for recovery. The speedcubing community in the region demonstrated its remarkable technical depth, as seasoned finalists and ambitious newcomers fought side by side to earn advancement into the medal rounds.

The Pyraminx event required three rigorous rounds of competition before Lingkun Jiang claimed the title with a winning average of 1.80 seconds, supported by the event single of 1.36 seconds. Kaixi Guo took second place on the podium with an average of 2.28 seconds, while Yang Pin Xiu of Hong Kong captured third with a mark of 2.82 seconds. The narrow spreads across the top standings highlighted how critical every fraction of a second became as the field narrowed from dozens down to the fastest podium finishers.

Kaixi Guo returned to the top of the standings in Skewb, taking victory across three rounds with a 2.00-second average and a best single of 1.52 seconds. Jiawen Liu secured the silver medal with an average of 2.37 seconds, just ahead of Shengze Tang, who took third place in 2.38 seconds. The tight battle for the remaining spots underscored the fierce parity throughout the event, where competitors who practice on traditional Rubik's Cube mechanisms adapted their turning habits to master the corner-turning puzzle.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across demanding schedules. Pinhua Peng entered four events, posting an official Clock personal best of 5.22 seconds, which improved upon a prior best of 9.11 seconds by 42.7 percent, alongside taking fifth place in Clock and logging initial career attempts in Square-1 at 29.46 seconds and Skewb at 4.73 seconds. Yanchun Zhao took on five events, achieving a best finish of sixth place in Skewb while registering first career attempts in Pyraminx at 7.91 seconds, Megaminx at 1:33.99, and Clock at 16.04 seconds. Xiwen Ruan completed five disciplines at Guangzhou Special 2024, recording inaugural competition marks in Skewb at 5.46 seconds, Pyraminx at 6.18 seconds, and Clock at 14.65 seconds.

The commitment to branching into unfamiliar formats continued across the roster throughout the weekend. Bangqi Zhou tackled five separate events, posting first-ever official results in Clock at 12.73 seconds, Skewb at 12.86 seconds, and Square-1 at 42.67 seconds. Xuewei Zhang likewise took on five disciplines, establishing debut marks of 8.17 seconds in Skewb, 8.79 seconds in Clock, and 40.58 seconds in Square-1. Jiaqin Huang rounded out an active day by competing in four events, delivering inaugural official times of 5.49 seconds in Pyraminx, 6.57 seconds in Skewb, and 1:51.11 in Megaminx.

In the Clock competition, Haoxu Ye earned the top prize with a winning average of 5.21 seconds and a fast single of 3.91 seconds over two rounds. Yening Liu took second place with an average of 5.62 seconds, while Nachuan Sun completed the podium in third at 6.21 seconds. The event was marked by strong times throughout the field, reflecting how specialized speed cubing techniques have elevated performance levels in dial-turning puzzles across China.

Square-1 saw Zhiquan Li dominate the field of 33 solvers, recording a winning average of 7.84 seconds along with a sharp single of 6.25 seconds across two rounds. Yening Liu picked up a second silver medal of the day by finishing runner-up with an average of 10.78 seconds, followed by Zhibo Xuan in third place at 11.64 seconds. The shape-shifting puzzle tested competitors with intricate realignment stages, where Li maintained clear command from start to finish.

The Megaminx contest concluded with Tian Ying Xi of Hong Kong taking the championship with a winning average of 39.02 seconds and a single of 35.72 seconds. Jinxuan Ni earned second place with a 46.10-second average, narrowly besting Zhiquan Li, who took third with 46.24 seconds after a strong multi-event day. As Guangzhou Special 2024 wrapped up in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, the competition highlighted the incredible depth across regional puzzle solving as participants look forward to the challenges of the next season.

94名魔方选手齐聚一堂，在2024年6月2日这一天共同开启了高强度的速拧争夺。这场在Guangzhou, Guangdong, China的Guangzhou Nanwu Middle School举办的魔方赛事，共设置了5个项目与12轮次的较量。选手们需要在耐力与专注力之间保持极致平衡，在复杂的异形结构与多轴转动中展现深厚的速拧功底。

在各单项的竞逐中，多面体与特殊结构项目的技术交锋尤为激烈。十二面体Megaminx项目极具耐力考验，选手需要在十二个面上快速完成颜色归位与长步骤还原。Tian Ying Xi (田盈汐)在该项目中展现出强大统治力，以39.02秒的决赛平均成绩夺得冠军，其单次最快成绩达到35.72秒。Jinxuan Ni (倪锦旋)以46.10秒获得亚军，Zhiquan Li (李志权)以46.24秒位列第三。

Square-1项目的还原同样需要严密的几何逻辑与极高的容错率。Zhiquan Li (李志权)在两轮比拼中发挥极其稳定，最终以7.84秒的平均成绩问鼎冠军，最快单次成绩为6.25秒。Yening Liu (刘烨宁)以10.78秒的平均成绩收获亚军，Zhibo Xuan (禤志博)则以11.64秒的成绩取得季军。

短步骤与爆发力项目同样在广州的赛场上掀起高潮。在Pyraminx项目中，Lingkun Jiang (姜凌坤)一路领先，在三轮较量中以1.80秒的优异平均成绩摘取桂冠，全场最快单次为1.36秒。Kaixi Guo (郭铠希)以2.28秒获得该项目第二名，来自Hong Kong的Yang Pin Xiu (楊品修)以2.82秒位居第三。这场WCA competition不仅展现了顶级选手的稳定手法，也让现场观众领略了极限手速的魅力。

Skewb项目的争夺亦精彩纷呈，Kaixi Guo (郭铠希)延续了出色状态，以2.00秒的决赛平均成绩夺冠，单次最快达到1.52秒。Jiawen Liu (刘佳雯)以2.37秒紧随其后拿下亚军，Shengze Tang (唐圣泽)以2.38秒的微弱差距获得季军。在Clock项目中，Haoxu Ye (叶浩煦)以5.21秒的平均成绩登顶，Yening Liu (刘烨宁)以5.62秒获得第二，Nachuan Sun (孙纳川)以6.21秒获得第三。

除了领奖台上的角逐，Guangzhou Special 2024赛场上还有许多值得铭记的个人突破。来自Korea的Sung Siwoo (성시우)出战了3个项目，在Pyraminx中取得第10名的最好名次，其单次成绩2.69秒较以往的6.66秒大幅提升了59.6%，同时完成了职业生涯首次Megaminx尝试，成绩为1:11.96。Ziqiao Lin (林子乔)参与了4个项目，Skewb单次成绩达到4.15秒，比之前的6.76秒提升了38.6%，并且首次在正式比赛中完成了Pyraminx的5.41秒以及Clock的27.32秒。

赛场上的新尝试不断上演。Junhe Liao (廖俊和)参加了4个项目，Pyraminx单次取得4.90秒，比原先的6.71秒提速27%，同时首次完成了Square-1的30.00秒和Skewb的15.27秒。Jonathan Ji Xiang (項吉)出战4个项目，首次在WCA赛事中尝试了Pyraminx的3.78秒、Clock的10.11秒以及Skewb的5.68秒。Shitao Hu (胡诗涛)挑战了全部5个项目，并首次完成了Clock的14.13秒、Megaminx的1:01.54以及Square-1的57.48秒。Tengshan Liang (梁腾山)参加3个项目，首次记录了Square-1的25.09秒、Clock的13.33秒和Pyraminx的8.22秒。

整场比赛中，中国代表团选手展现了强劲的整体实力，在全部15个领奖台席位中占据13席，香港选手获得2席。从十二面体的持久周旋到魔表的精准联动，Guangzhou Special 2024为2024年度的华南魔方赛事留下了浓墨重彩的一笔，参赛选手们在速度与耐力的双重挑战中展现了非凡的竞技水平与体育精神。