Hiroshima Spring 2023

Eighty-eight competitors gathered in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan on March 25, 2023, for a high-tempo day of speedcubing across five distinct disciplines and seven total rounds. From the opening turns to the late finals, the single-day gathering provided an energetic stage for both seasoned tournament contenders and an influx of emerging entrants stepping onto the official stage for the very first time. For many in attendance, the gathering served as an ideal entry point to high-level speed cubing.

The premier event of Hiroshima Spring 2023 saw 81 competitors line up for the classic Rubik's Cube across two demanding rounds of solving. In the final, Makoto Takaoka claimed the top step of the podium with a winning average of 8.38 seconds, backed by a best single of 8.04. Kohdai Kusatani followed closely in second place with an 8.76 average, while Junnosuke Takahashi locked down third place at 9.13. The deep field delivered captivating 3x3 results from start to finish.

A major storyline throughout the weekend was the sheer volume of official debuts and maiden attempts at new formats, with competitors testing their skills well beyond the standard three-layered cube. Official registration sheets recorded a multitude of firsts as athletes expanded their tournament repertoires into complex twisty puzzles, blindfolded challenges, and fast-paced dexterity side events. This expansion across multiple disciplines gave the entire WCA competition a vibrant, developmental atmosphere.

Away from the top of the standings, several competitors delivered remarkable personal milestones across a busy multi-event schedule. Tomoaki Sakuma took on two events, securing a 5th place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a massive personal best of 44.85 seconds, which was 32.4 percent faster than his prior 1:06.30 mark, while also recording his first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 13.03 seconds. Takuya Tsukagoshi tackled three events, posting his first ever attempt at Skewb in 6.18 seconds, his first Pyraminx attempt in 6.54 seconds, and shaving 11.3 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best with a 12.85-second single. Shoichi Wajima entered four disciplines, achieving a best finish of 6th in Skewb, debuting in Skewb at 5.81 and Pyraminx at 5.12, and improving his Megaminx personal best by 11 percent to 1:03.11. Takumi Kondo logged his first attempts in Skewb with 6.62 and Pyraminx with 5.45, while dropping his 3x3x3 Cube best to 13.32 seconds, a 4.7 percent improvement.

That same drive for personal advancement carried across other heavily scheduled participants. Mizuki Tsurudome competed in five events at Hiroshima Spring 2023, achieving a 5th place finish in Megaminx, lowering their Megaminx personal best by 6.7 percent to 54.85 seconds, and logging debut singles of 5.52 in Skewb and 9.51 in Pyraminx. Takuya Kira also took on five disciplines, placing 10th in Skewb while registering first-time marks in Pyraminx at 4.75 seconds, 3x3x3 Blindfolded at 1:18.31, and Megaminx at 56.27. Sota Matsuda completed four events, finishing 16th in 3x3x3 Cube while recording maiden tournament times of 1:33.18 in Megaminx, 6.51 in Skewb, and 4.36 in Pyraminx. Mahiro Tanaka rounded out a five-event day by posting debut singles of 2:35.10 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded to finish 14th, alongside a first Skewb result of 15.84.

The 12-sided Megaminx event drew 36 solvers and delivered one of the day's cleanest performances courtesy of Masayuki Hirai. Hirai secured victory with a 36.00-second average, punctuated by the day's quickest single at 33.53. Katsumi Seino claimed the silver position with an average of 50.90 seconds, and Tomohiro Kobayashi earned the bronze spot with a 52.74 mark to complete an all-Japan podium.

In the Pyraminx division, 43 entrants contested two rounds of competition. Hajime Miyazaki dominated the final round, locking up first place with an impressive 3.05-second average and a blazing 1.64 single. Takayuki Ookusa took the second podium spot with a 4.47 average, barely edging out Aoto Mashimo, who captured third place with an average of 4.48 seconds.

The Skewb bracket provided one of the closest contests of the entire cubing competition across its 29-player field. Noriyuki Okada took first place with a sub-three average of 2.99 seconds, including a 1.73 single. Aoto Mashimo earned his second podium of the day by securing second place with a 5.05 average, finishing just ahead of Finland's Niko Ronkainen, who took third place at 5.08 seconds to capture the lone international podium of the tournament.

Memory and execution were tested in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, where 20 participants tackled the challenge of solving without sight. Masato Fujiwara took the gold medal position with a winning single solve of 20.75 seconds, despite registering a DNF average. Oto Aoyagi secured second place with a 21.23-second solve, while Hirotaka Ito rounded out the top three with a time of 29.34 seconds.

With fourteen podium spots claimed by domestic competitors and one by Finland, Hiroshima Spring 2023 proved to be a vibrant showcase of regional speedcubing depth in Fukuyama. The blend of established champions delivering sharp winning averages and emerging solvers logging their earliest official milestones provided a comprehensive view of the sport's ongoing growth.

広島県福山市のまなびの館ローズコムの競技エリアには、春の訪れとともに心地よい緊張感が満ちていました。タイマーのリセット音やキューブを回す軽快な回転音が館内に響き渡り、テーブルに向かう選手たちの集中した眼差しが会場の空気を引き締めます。2023年3月25日に開催されたスピードキュービング大会の会場には、日頃の鍛錬の成果を発揮しようと多くの愛好家が集結しました。

Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japanで開かれたHiroshima Spring 2023には、合計88名の選手が参加しました。今大会では計5種目7ラウンドの競技が設定され、定番のルービックキューブから特殊な立体パズルまで多彩な種目で白熱したタイム争いが繰り広げられました。参加者たちはそれぞれの目標を掲げ、真剣な表情で各ラウンドの試技に挑んでいました。

メイン種目となった3x3x3 Cubeでは、81名のエントリーの中からMakoto Takaoka (高岡誠)が見事な安定感を発揮して優勝を飾りました。2ラウンド制で行われた戦いを制したMakoto Takaoka (高岡誠)は、決勝で記録した平均8.38、単発ベスト8.04の好タイムで頂点に立ちました。2位には平均8.76のKohdai Kusatani (草谷幸大)、3位には平均9.13のJunnosuke Takahashi (髙橋淳之介)が続いて表彰台に登りました。

ピラミッド型のパズルを操るPyraminx種目では、43名が腕を競い合う中でHajime Miyazaki (宮崎朔)が平均3.05、単発1.64の快記録を叩き出して優勝を果たしました。2位には平均4.47のTakayuki Ookusa (大艸尊之)、3位には平均4.48をマークしたAoto Mashimo (眞下蒼人)が入賞しました。コンマ数秒を争うスピード勝負が会場を大いに沸かせました。

12面体のMegaminxではMasayuki Hirai (平井雅之)が平均36.00、単発33.53という圧倒的なスピードを見せて勝利を収めました。2位のKatsumi Seino (清野克己)は平均50.90、3位のTomohiro Kobayashi (小林知広)は平均52.74を記録しています。SkewbではNoriyuki Okada (岡田典之)が平均2.99で優勝し、2位にAoto Mashimo (眞下蒼人)が平均5.05、3位にはフィンランドのNiko Ronkainenが平均5.08で入りました。

記憶力と空間把握力が極限まで試される3x3x3 Blindfoldedでは、Masato Fujiwara (藤原正人)が単発20.75をマークして見事に勝利を掴みました。目隠し状態で挑むこの種目では、2位に単発21.23を記録したOto Aoyagi (青柳吟)、3位に単発29.34のHirotaka Ito (伊藤大平)が続き、研ぎ澄まされた集中力による見事な試技が披露されました。

Hiroshima Spring 2023の舞台では、上位争いだけでなく自己ベスト更新や初挑戦に挑んだ選手たちの奮闘も光りました。Yuto Date (伊達優人)はMegaminxで自己記録を45.7パーセント短縮する1:26.90をマークし、Tomoki Moriyama (森山智樹)はPyraminxで42.6パーセント短縮の5.13、Megaminxで56.10、Skewbで4.72と3種目で自己ベストを塗り替えました。Kai Yamamoto (山本快)は3x3x3 Blindfoldedで1:11.93、3x3x3 Cubeで8.62と大幅な自己ベスト更新を達成したほか、Pyraminxの公式初挑戦で4.58を記録しました。Sho Kashiyama (樫山匠)は4種目に出場し、Pyraminxで5.74、Skewbで8.30と新たな種目に初挑戦した上でMegaminxでも自己ベストの1:03.31を記録しました。

今回が初のWCA competitionとなった選手たちも素晴らしい第一歩を踏み出しました。Rintaro Oishi (大石倫太朗)は3x3x3 Cubeで8.39、Skewbで5.28、Megaminxで1:14.37を記録し、Kotaro Sato (佐藤虎太郎)は3x3x3 Cubeの10.49やPyraminxの4.64、Megaminxの1:49.07を刻みました。Kizashi Honda (本田兆)は3x3x3 Cubeで16.20、Pyraminxで11.85、Skewbで15.62をマークし、Kento Yagi (矢木健人)も3x3x3 Cubeで18.50、Pyraminxで12.98、Skewbで9.47を揃えて大会を終えました。

一日を通じて熱戦が繰り広げられたHiroshima Spring 2023は、各選手が日頃の練習の成果を存分に発揮する素晴らしい一日となりました。88名の選手たちが見せた真摯なキュービングへの取り組みと数々の好記録は、地域における大会の確かな盛り上がりを印象づけ、それぞれが次のシーズンに向けた新たな目標を胸に会場を後にしました。