Hawaiʻi Big Island Winter 2024

A blistering 4.61 single and a 5.80 final winning average from Matty Hiroto Inaba in the 3x3x3 Cube set an extraordinary benchmark at Hawaiʻi Big Island Winter 2024. Across thirteen total rounds of action, competitors navigated multi-stage formats and direct finals that tested consistency under pressure. Held on February 10, 2024, at Hawai'i Preparatory Academy in Waimea (Kamuela), Hawaii, USA, the gathering brought together 38 competitors for a dense day of solving where advancing through each stage demanded absolute composure.

The 3x3x3 Cube featured three full stages of progression, giving 36 competitors a genuine test of endurance. By the final round, Inaba pulled clear of the field, leaving Yoji Ogura to secure second place with a 9.05 average and Germany's Kim Logoshenko to take third on 9.51. The 3x3 results demonstrated how multi-round structures reward poise, as the pressure narrowed the field down to the sharpest solvers on the island.

The 2x2x2 Cube followed a brisk two-round format where 31 competitors battled for a spot in the finals. Ezra Severson captured victory with a stellar 1.92 average, backed by a best single of 1.78. Inaba claimed the second spot on the podium with a 2.83 average, while Taitum Tanouye posted a 3.09 average for third. The rapid turnarounds in the short rounds left zero margin for error.

In the single-round showdowns, every turn carried finality with no qualifying rounds to cushion a mistake. Michael Chai proved entirely steady in the Megaminx final, winning with a 50.01 average and a 48.48 single ahead of Travis Dumaran's 1:00.65 and Evan Millsap's 1:21.89. Inaba added another gold in the single-round 3x3x3 One-Handed event, putting up a 10.68 average to finish ahead of Logoshenko's 15.55 and Tanouye's 17.80.

The mid-sized puzzles also saw fierce contests across their two-round ladders. Inaba earned his third title of the meet in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 24.15 average, while Chai took second on 38.86 and Tanouye finished third with 45.00. In the Pyraminx, Dumaran prevailed with a 3.36 winning average over Millsap's 4.18 and Logoshenko's 4.60. The Skewb bracket belonged to Taj Bressert, who logged a 4.57 average to edge Severson's 4.97 and Dumaran's 5.32.

Beyond the championship podiums, several solvers capitalized on the multi-event schedule to produce major individual breakthroughs. Bo Bluhm shaved huge margins off previous marks, taking down a Pyraminx personal best of 4.72 that was 60.8% faster than before, dropping their 3x3x3 personal best by 50.2% to 21.58, and registering a first official 4x4x4 Cube attempt at 2:58.36. Alex Saks entered five events, recording a first Pyraminx mark of 9.01 while trimming their 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 36.6% down to 1:28.92. Bennett Tice tackled all seven events on offer, earning a 12th-place finish in Megaminx and improving their Pyraminx mark by 41% to 7.00.

Other competitors made their presence felt across varied disciplines throughout the arena. Ella Rubio posted a first official Megaminx result of 2:01.26 to place 11th, alongside a Pyraminx personal best of 5.67 that marked a 32.8% improvement. Reggie Marcus Shropshire took on seven disciplines, setting a first 3x3x3 One-Handed mark of 1:11.00 and improving their 3x3x3 Cube time by 9.3% to 22.57. Anthony Carrillo logged a 4th-place Skewb finish while cutting their Pyraminx time by 29.4% to 4.91, while Damian Chen contested their first WCA competition with initial attempts in Pyraminx at 9.98 and Skewb at 17.29. Ty Ruderman also debuted, logging a 27.06 mark on the classic Rubik's Cube.

The full slate at Hawaiʻi Big Island Winter 2024 highlighted the depth of speedcubing across the islands, with USA solvers taking 17 podium spots, Germany securing three, and Japan taking one. Whether navigating multi-stage eliminations or executing under single-round constraints, competitors delivered an electric display of speed cubing excellence. As this cubing competition concluded, the diverse mix of formats demonstrated exactly what it takes to perform when every round counts.