Harrow Autumn 2023

Harry Savage delivered a masterclass of stamina and precision at Claremont High School, clocking a blistering 53.46 single and a 56.85 average to capture the 5x5x5 Cube crown. Big-cube events demand immense mental concentration and finger endurance across extensive piece reductions, and the 64-player field faced a true test of stamina over the weekend. That triumph set the stage for an intense two days of action across September 2 and 3, 2023, as 140 competitors gathered in London, Greater London, United Kingdom for Harrow Autumn 2023.

The 5x5x5 podium showcased the strength of British speed cubing at the top level. Fabio Schwandt secured second place with a solid 59.41 average, while Sean Moran completed the top three with an average of 1:02.74. Navigating the complex reduction stages and edge pairing of the larger puzzle requires constant forward planning, and all three podium finishers demonstrated the efficiency required to maintain pace through long solves.

Beyond the grueling large puzzles, the classic Rubik's Cube drew a massive field of 133 contenders across three rounds. Savage carried his momentum directly into the 3x3 results, capturing victory with a 7.38 final average and posting the weekend's best single of 6.10. Schwandt claimed another silver with a 7.89 average, while Moran earned bronze with an 8.13 average, making the main event podium a mirror of the big-cube battle at this WCA competition.

Short-format events produced equally tight margins throughout the weekend. Jaye Sloan took top honors in the 2x2x2 Cube with a rapid 1.86 winning average, finishing ahead of Schwandt at 2.46 and Savage at 2.61. In the Skewb final, Ariel Benchetrit claimed victory with an average of 2.94, while Sam Shaw dominated the Clock competition with a 4.70 average, leading Oscar Coleman Green and Ryan Eckersley across the two-round contest.

The specialised disciplines provided remarkable versatility across the schedule. Sean Moran proved his adaptability by winning both 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 14.01 average and Megaminx with a 33.68 average. In 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, Fabio Schwandt claimed first place with an impressive 23.00 average, followed by Savage at 24.33 and Harry Owen at 29.00. Blindfolded events highlighted total memorisation skill, as Sloan won 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 17.27 single, while Ryan Eckersley conquered the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event with a 1:29.06 single.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the tournament schedule. Garv Kumar took on four events, securing a best finish of 67th in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a first ever attempt of 55.36, submitting a first Skewb mark of 10.21, and slashing his 2x2x2 personal best by 71.9 percent to 2.12. Zadok Leung completed five events, recording initial marks of 2:30.57 in Megaminx and 54.52 in One-Handed while improving his 2x2x2 personal best by 59.3 percent to 4.24. Juliette Davies entered seven disciplines, logging first attempts of 2:59.99 in Megaminx and 13.41 in Skewb while dropping her One-Handed best by 45.9 percent to 25.01. Ching Yau Trinity Yu also contested seven events, notching debuts in 5x5x5 with 2:50.32, Megaminx with 2:45.41, and Clock with 28.24.

The progress continued across a variety of puzzle categories for dedicated competitors in London. Dominic Seaton tackled nine events, achieving an 8th-place finish in Fewest Moves with a debut score of 40, logging a first Megaminx mark of 1:48.10, and bettering his 2x2x2 personal best by 30.2 percent to 1.99. Freddie Millard took on eight events, securing his first results in Fewest Moves with 49 and Megaminx with 2:14.98, while cutting 32.6 percent off his One-Handed mark to reach 38.73. Micah Rodgers posted maiden efforts in Fewest Moves with 50 and Skewb with 39.06, along with a 26.4 percent improvement in 2x2x2 to 3.77. Yaston Sanjee marked a Skewb debut of 30.60 while improving 47.8 percent in 2x2x2 to 4.74 and 11.6 percent in 3x3x3 to 26.87.

The 18 rounds of speedcubing across ten separate events delivered intense competition from start to finish. United Kingdom competitors captured 28 of the 30 total podium placements across the tournament, with China securing two top-three finishes through Mengfei Shen in the blindfolded disciplines. Harrow Autumn 2023 stands as a comprehensive celebration of solving endurance, precision, and technical mastery across every cube size and format.