Halifax Favourites 2023

Fifty-five competitors gathered at Dalhousie University in the Collaborative Health Education Building on May 20, 2023, for an action-packed day of speedcubing. Staged in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, the event offered a sprawling schedule of 12 distinct events across 16 rounds. For dozens in attendance, this cubing competition served as their formal introduction to the sport, infusing the venue with fresh energy as first-time entrants stepped up to the timers alongside established regional contenders.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a bustling field of 51 competitors across two rounds of play. When the final round wrapped up, Seungmin Lee captured first place with an impressive 8.67 winning average, punctuated by a best single solve of 8.46. The classic Rubik's Cube final delivered tight competition, highlighting the high standard of regional talent in the 3x3 results while setting a rapid benchmark for the newcomers looking to make their mark on the circuit.

Short-format puzzles delivered fast turnarounds and high drama. In the 2x2x2 Cube event, Evan Meunier claimed victory with a 2.70 average and a best single time of 1.94, leading a Canadian podium sweep alongside Maxen Morrison with 3.29 and Dayun Son with 3.49. Son returned to the top of the standings in Pyraminx, taking the win with a 3.94 average over Jack Ibsen at 7.93 and Russell Ansems at 8.27. Son also secured the Skewb title with an average of 5.15, ahead of Meunier's 6.16.

Big-cube and specialty puzzles tested endurance and adaptability throughout the day. Liam Orovec emerged as a standout multi-event winner, topping the 4x4x4 Cube with a 41.41 average and seizing the 6x6x6 Cube title in 2:27.90. Nicholas McKee dominated the remaining large cubes, taking first in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 1:20.25 average and winning the 7x7x7 Cube with a mark of 4:25.41. In the Clock event, Gabrielle Morasse took first place with a 7.43 average, while Sagar Sawnani won Square-1 in 31.28.

Beyond the championship trophies, Halifax Favourites 2023 featured remarkable personal breakthroughs from competitors testing themselves across diverse formats. Omar Hoho took on three events, delivering a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube in 39.36, a first attempt at Skewb in 27.74, and a Pyraminx personal best of 10.97 that improved by 53.4 percent. Jake Nikolas Mackey entered four disciplines, recording an 8th-place finish in Skewb with an initial attempt of 11.78, while posting a 3x3x3 personal best of 33.55 and a 2x2x2 best of 6.65, which was 59.8 percent faster. Riley Haggerty placed 4th in 4x4x4 Cube with a 59.43 personal best and logged a first 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 1:58.70. Matvii Semenov placed 7th in Pyraminx with an opening mark of 5.58.

That same spirit of ambition ran through the rest of the newer roster. Yichen Yuan secured 5th in 4x4x4 Cube with an initial time of 1:01.36 and completed a first 3x3x3 One-Handed solve in 31.03. Nathan Terpstra took 5th in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a first attempt of 20.68 alongside a Pyraminx personal best of 7.36. First-timer Parker Haggerty took on four events, finishing 8th in 4x4x4 Cube with a time of 1:08.83 and logging a 4.98 on 2x2x2 Cube. Samuel Peters stepped into his first official arena by placing 5th in Megaminx with a 7:30.21 effort alongside a 6.38 Pyraminx debut.

Specialty categories rounded out the busy program with competitive single-round battles. Gabrielle Morasse picked up another title in Megaminx, logging a winning average of 1:12.47 and a best single solve of 1:02.62. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Charles Amarello secured the top position with an average of 17.03 and a best single of 15.33, outpacing a dedicated group of 11 competitors. Across all 12 events, Canadian solvers captured 30 podium places, with representatives from the United States taking 5 and Korea securing 1.

The successful gathering highlighted the steady expansion of speed cubing in Atlantic Canada throughout 2023. By combining high-stakes finals with accessible entry points for newcomers, this WCA competition proved to be an ideal stage for local talent to develop. As Halifax Favourites 2023 concluded, competitors left Dalhousie University with fresh personal bests, valuable round experience, and renewed motivation for the upcoming competitive calendar.