Honhui Cubing Carnival 2024

Inside Honhui Plaza in New Taipei City, Taiwan, table mats were unrolled and timers were armed on April 13, 2024, as an enthusiastic crowd gathered for a packed day of twisting puzzles. The setting bustled with energy as 104 solvers prepared to put weeks of fingertip drill routines to the ultimate test across four separate events and nine total rounds of tournament play.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed event took centre stage, showcasing the supreme dexterity and ergonomic efficiency required when half the solver's normal control is stripped away. Manipulating a standard Rubik's Cube with a single hand demands rapid table friction turns, precise pinky finger flicks, and steady composure. In this demanding arena, Yi-Fan Wu delivered a technical masterclass across two rounds of play, clinching first place with a winning average of 13.70 seconds and a stellar best single of 11.59 seconds.

The contest for the one-handed podium places remained fierce right down to the final solves. Shih-Hao Wang secured the second step on the podium by posting a 13.96 average, while Wei-Ming Zeng completed the top three with an average of 14.21. In a field of 79 competitors, managing fluid turn sequences under tournament pressure proved crucial, rewarding the athletes whose fingertip control never wavered.

Beyond the single-hand format, the classic speedcubing events generated intense drama among the large turnout. The standard 3x3x3 Cube drew 103 competitors through three rounds of action. Kai-Lun Cheng emerged triumphant, posting a winning average of 6.83 seconds alongside the round's best single of 6.09 seconds. Yi-Fan Wu added another podium finish to his day with a 6.96 average for second place, while Cian-Jyun Yang took third place on a 7.52 mark as followers tracked the 3x3 results closely.

Kai-Lun Cheng was not finished with one title, going on to double his gold medal tally by securing victory in the Skewb final. Across two rounds that featured 64 entrants, Cheng recorded a decisive winning average of 2.82 seconds and a rapid best single of 1.92. Yu-Fang Liu claimed the second spot on the podium with a 3.49 average, closely followed by Wei-Ming Zeng, who claimed third place with a 3.88 mark.

The 2x2x2 Cube produced the narrowest margin of the weekend, with Yan-Hung Lai taking the win on an average of 2.31 seconds and a best single of 1.34. Yen-An Chen finished merely a hundredth of a second behind to claim second place at 2.32, while Cian-Jyun Yang grabbed another podium spot in third with 2.50. Across the two rounds of 2x2 play, all twelve podium spots across the competition went to competitors representing Taiwan.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several solvers seized the opportunity to establish dramatic new personal milestones at Honhui Cubing Carnival 2024. Chen-Yuan Chu produced the largest improvement of the competition, shaving 82.2 percent off his previous benchmark with an 11.59 Skewb personal best, while also logging a 32.22 in 3x3x3 One-Handed and a 17.95 in the 3x3x3 Cube across his four events. Cheng-Yi Zheng posted a massive 70.3 percent improvement with a 6.12 Skewb personal best, notched a 2.33 personal best on 2x2, and completed his first official one-handed attempt with a 26.79. Yong-Teng Chen cut 45.4 percent from his previous standard to achieve a 13.09 3x3 personal best, adding debut attempts of 4.85 on 2x2 and 36.94 in one-handed.

The progress continued with Chih-Yen Lin, who took on four events, setting a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 14.01 by dropping 26.5 percent, alongside first-ever official marks of 33.88 in One-Handed and 40.52 in Skewb. Cai-Jei Lin improved her 3x3 personal best by 22.1 percent to 18.23 seconds while recording maiden efforts of 6.01 on 2x2 and 35.51 in One-Handed. Bo-Yan Chen contested four events, registering official debut marks of 20.99 in One-Handed, 6.87 in Skewb, and 4.25 in 2x2. Zu-En Chen also broadened his competitive horizons, lodging initial career times of 5.00 on 2x2, 14.60 on 3x3, and 22.04 in One-Handed.

This edition of Honhui Cubing Carnival 2024 concluded as an exhilarating showcase of speed cubing talent in the heart of New Taipei City. Whether navigating the distinct technical rigours of one-handed solving or racing the clock on the standard puzzle, competitors demonstrated exceptional focus across every round. As the 2024 season progresses, this memorable WCA competition stands as a testament to the thriving cubing competition community.

104名頂尖選手於2024年4月13日齊聚新北市宏匯廣場，在總共9輪的緊湊賽程中展開全面對決。這場名為Honhui Cubing Carnival 2024的魔術方塊盛事，匯集了來自不同地區的各路好手同場競技。在代表性的三階項目中，各地區頂尖選手經過三輪激烈廝殺，最終由Kai-Lun Cheng (鄭凱倫)以決賽平均6.83秒的優異成績勇奪冠軍，並在三輪賽事中繳出全場最快的6.09秒單次成績。

三階項目的頒獎台爭奪呈現了精彩的區域頂級高手對決。來自台灣的Yi-Fan Wu (吳亦凡)以6.96秒的平均成績緊追在後拿下亞軍，與Kai-Lun Cheng (鄭凱倫)的差距僅在毫秒之間。同為台灣選手的Cian-Jyun Yang (楊謙君)則以7.52秒的平均成績拿下季軍。這場三階項目的速度比拼，展現了高水準選手在面對高壓賽況時的極限發揮。

除了三階魔術方塊的激烈交鋒，Kai-Lun Cheng (鄭凱倫)在Skewb項目中再度展現強大實力，以決賽平均2.82秒、單次1.92秒的亮眼發揮奪下個人第二座冠軍。該項目亞軍由Yu-Fang Liu (劉語芳)以3.49秒平均成績獲得，Wei-Ming Zeng (曾唯銘)則以3.88秒平均拿下季軍，為這場Honhui Cubing Carnival 2024增添了雙冠王誕生的話題焦點。

在競爭同樣白熱化的二階魔術方塊項目中，91名選手展開兩輪競逐，頒獎台前兩名的差距縮小到了極限。Yan-Hung Lai (賴彥宏)在決賽中以2.31秒的平均成績驚險奪冠，僅以0.01秒之差險勝拿下亞軍的Yen-An Chen (陳彥安)，後者平均成績為2.32秒。Cian-Jyun Yang (楊謙君)則以2.50秒平均成績位居第三名。

單手項目3x3x3 One-Handed共有79名選手參賽，考驗著選手們單手極限操控的穩定度。在三階屈居亞軍的Yi-Fan Wu (吳亦凡)在此項目成功登頂，以決賽平均13.70秒、最佳單次11.59秒奪下冠軍。Shih-Hao Wang (王士豪)以13.96秒平均成績收穫亞軍，Wei-Ming Zeng (曾唯銘)則以14.21秒平均成績摘下季軍。

在名次爭奪之外，賽場上也記錄了許多選手的重大個人突破。生涯第41次出賽的Yen-Lei Jen (任晏磊)在四個項目中全力出擊，於二階取得第8名並以2.09秒刷新個人最佳單次成績進步7.1%，更在Skewb創下4.51秒的個人新高大幅進步85.7%。Chia-En Wu (吳佳恩)參與4個項目，在單手項目迎來生涯首次嘗試繳出22.85秒，二階以2.59秒進步40.6%，Skewb則以6.92秒進步5.9%。來自美國的Kudy Chiu (邱振傑)出戰4項，首度挑戰Skewb取得5.76秒，二階2.66秒進步32.7%，單手28.56秒進步23%。

新秀與資深選手的挑戰同樣精彩。參加過52場比賽的Yu-Shi Tzeng (曾瑀希)報名3個項目，迎來Skewb首次嘗試取得10.38秒，二階則以2.62秒刷新個人最佳並大幅提升40%。Hsiao-Lien Chen (陳孝濂)在出戰的4個項目中，首次嘗試Skewb取得9.12秒、首次嘗試二階取得5.27秒，單手項目則以29.97秒進步13.3%。首次踏上WCA認證賽事舞台的Yi-An Lin (林羿安)在4個項目中皆完成初登場，二階收穫3.31秒、Skewb取得10.35秒、三階取得16.80秒。同為首次參賽的Guan-Wei Lee (李冠暐)同樣挑戰4項，在三階創下11.54秒、二階3.17秒、Skewb11.75秒的亮眼初試成績。

本屆賽事共設有4個項目，所有12個頒獎台席位全數由台灣選手包辦。在新北市宏匯廣場進行的這場speedcubing盛會，不僅提供了高水準的競技交流舞台，也讓各路選手在2024年的賽季中展現出刻苦訓練的成果。Honhui Cubing Carnival 2024在熱烈的賽事氛圍與滿滿的突破紀錄中圓滿落幕，選手們也將帶著寶貴經驗迎向下一個賽季的挑戰。