Iceland Open 2024

Twenty-six competitors assembled across nineteen rounds of play at Háskólinn í Reykjavík as the host nation staged an overwhelming performance across the entire schedule. Over the weekend of November 23 to November 24, Icelandic solvers secured twenty of the twenty-four available podium spots, establishing a dominant standard at Iceland Open 2024. The gathering served as a premier WCA competition for the region, highlighting both top-tier speedcubing talent and burgeoning local depth in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Leading the charge for the home delegation was Óskar Pétursson, who captured first place in every single discipline staged during the tournament. In the classic 3x3x3 Cube, which drew twenty-four competitors across three rounds, Pétursson secured the title with an average of 8.59 seconds and a tournament-best single of 7.61 seconds. Fellow countryman Ólafur Jan Bartoszek took second place with an average of 11.58, while Germany's Konstantin Jaehne claimed third with 12.63 in the final 3x3 results.

The 2x2x2 Cube featured an all-Icelandic podium among twenty-three entrants over three rounds. Pétursson paced the field with a winning average of 3.27 seconds, followed by Óðinn Logi Gunnarsson in second with 4.32 and Nathan Ingi Arnberg taking third with 4.58. The event saw strong individual single attempts, with Pétursson recording a tournament-low 1.79. Gunnarsson remained a consistent presence throughout the weekend, securing multiple top finishes across several short-format events.

Pétursson continued his golden run in the side events, claiming the Pyraminx title with an average of 4.99 seconds ahead of Iceland's Steingrímur Ari Helgason at 6.25 and Jaehne at 6.72. In the Skewb final, Pétursson took first place with a 5.75 average, while Gunnarsson took second at 6.83 and Jaehne completed the podium at 9.58. The host nation also locked down the top spots in 3x3x3 One-Handed, where Pétursson won with a 16.57 average, followed by Gunnarsson at 29.14 and Helgason at 33.59.

The big cube categories and specialty disciplines also highlighted Icelandic control. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Pétursson led with an average of 38.22 seconds, joined on the podium by Bartoszek at 54.88 and Gunnarsson at 55.50. Moving up to the 5x5x5 Cube, Pétursson finished first with an average of 1:29.74, Gunnarsson earned second with 1:56.33, and Bartoszek placed third at 2:03.28. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where memorisation and execution collide, Pétursson recorded the winning single of 3:39.16, while Jón Halldór Gunnarsson took second with 4:26.28 and Sweden's Peter Hugosson-Miller placed third with 7:05.71.

Beyond the championship trophies, the weekend was defined by remarkable personal breakthroughs across the roster. Ásbjörn Þór Albertsson registered a 66.2 percent improvement on his 2x2x2 Cube personal best, lowering it to 7.40 seconds, and also took his first ever attempt at the Rubik's Cube with a mark of 1:19.32. Birkir Sölvason dropped his 2x2x2 personal best by 46.6 percent to 12.99, reduced his 3x3x3 personal best by 33 percent down to 51.18, and took his first ever attempt at Pyraminx with a time of 16.98. Kjartan Pétur Hannesson improved his Skewb mark by 48.7 percent to 4.26 on his way to sixth place, while Þórarinn Stefánsson cut his Pyraminx personal best by 39.9 percent to 4.30 to finish eighth.

Other competitors delivered equally impressive advances on their personal records throughout the cubing competition. Wojciech Bauer of Poland competed across five events, finishing sixth in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a personal best of 36.82 seconds, which was 29.2 percent faster than his prior mark. Kári Hrafnsson took fifth place in Pyraminx with a 5.28 personal best and shaved 40.6 percent off his Skewb record to clock 6.98. Bjartþór Ragnar Sigurbjörnsson tackled seven disciplines, highlighted by a sixth-place Pyraminx finish and a 14.1 percent drop in his 5x5x5 Cube personal best to 2:04.30. Embla Guðný Jónsdóttir Bachmann posted a 16.1 percent improvement in the 3x3x3 Cube to finish with a personal best of 1:03.06.

Debutants also made their mark on the scoresheets during their first tournament experiences. Arnór Heiðar Sigurðsson completed his first speed cubing appearance by recording a time of 2:22.80 in his first ever attempt at the 4x4x4 Cube. Kristófer Leó Albertsson also debuted at the competition, registering a mark of 13.60 seconds in his first attempt at Pyraminx.

The successful execution of nineteen rounds of competition across eight events provided a comprehensive showcase of regional skill in Reykjavík. With twenty podium finishes earned by home solvers, Iceland Open 2024 stands as a definitive display of Icelandic speedcubing strength across every standard category in 2024.