Irish Championship 2023

Inside the spacious SETU Arena in Waterford, Ireland, rows of competition stations, inspection timers, and score sheets set the stage for three demanding days of speedcubing. Running from July 7 to July 9, the summer calendar reached a major competitive milestone as 233 competitors gathered under one roof. Across 16 events and 36 rounds, the energy within the venue remained focused and fast-paced, providing an ideal showcase for the discipline required at this point in the competitive year.

The Irish Championship 2023 occupied a crucial place in the 2023 season, drawing international talent alongside the country's deepest domestic contingent. Over the course of the weekend, the classic Rubik's Cube drew a massive 225 competitors through four tough rounds of action. With season standings and personal benchmarks on the line, solvers tackled everything from lightning-fast sprints to grueling high-order cubes and blindfolded tests of memory and precision.

Poland's Tymon Kolasiński delivered a masterclass across multiple categories, capturing victories in six separate events. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube, Kolasiński secured the top spot on the podium with a winning average of 5.15 seconds and a best single of 4.79. Chris Mills of the United Kingdom took second place with a 6.52 average, while Ireland's Ciarán Beahan captured third with a 7.59 average. The decisive 3x3 results confirmed Kolasiński's exceptional form as the summer season gained full momentum.

Beyond the main event, Kolasiński swept the larger puzzles and short-format challenges alike. He claimed victory in the 4x4x4 Cube with an average of 23.15 seconds, ahead of Beahan's 26.41 and Cillian Hainbach's 32.42. In 5x5x5 Cube, Kolasiński won in 40.68 seconds, with Beahan second at 46.55 and Mills third at 59.36. His dominance continued into the 6x6x6 Cube with a winning mark of 1:15.31 and the 7x7x7 Cube with a 1:58.11 average, as well as an explosive 1.82 average victory in Pyraminx.

While the top podiums showcased established international form, the heart of this WCA competition belonged to personal breakthroughs across the scoreboards. Sean Ahearne took on four events, making his debut appearances in Skewb at 17.58 seconds and Pyraminx at 9.94 seconds, while slashing his 2x2x2 Cube personal best down to 4.65 seconds, a 73.7 percent improvement over his previous 17.65. Donnacha Melia also registered major progress, entering four events and cutting his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 51.9 percent to 5.21 seconds, alongside first attempts in Pyraminx at 18.16 and Skewb at 20.47. Elijah Gillespie dropped his 2x2x2 time by 72.9 percent to 7.27 seconds and shaved 43.2 percent off his 3x3x3 standard with a 36.16 single, while tackling Skewb for the first time with a 20.09. Joanna Byik undertook five events, logging first-time marks of 3:22.10 in Megaminx and 16.91 in Skewb, in addition to improving her Pyraminx personal best by 40.3 percent to 4.08 seconds.

That drive toward new milestones continued across the floor as solvers expanded their competitive ranges. Nathan Callaghan took on nine events, logging initial career attempts in Megaminx at 2:46.63, 4x4x4 Cube at 1:37.05, and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 41.04 seconds. Donnacha Ryan entered five events and recorded inaugural attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:34.64, Pyraminx at 16.28, and Skewb at 17.20. Fionn O'Hagan put seven events on his card, debuting in Skewb with a 6.35, 3x3x3 One-Handed at 40.11, and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:44.49. Alex McCormack contested six events, logging first attempts in One-Handed with 34.33 seconds and 4x4x4 Cube with 1:44.24, while sharpening his Pyraminx personal best by 36.9 percent to 4.54 seconds.

Domestic competitors delivered exceptional highlights across the podiums throughout the Irish Championship 2023. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Kalin Doherty captured the championship title with a winning average of 1.80 seconds, finishing ahead of Kolasiński at 2.05 and CJ Furey at 2.46. Ireland's Rían Burke secured the Skewb title with a 3.52 average, while Richard Madden took top honours in Square-1 with an average of 9.58 seconds. Tao Yu claimed first place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a winning single of 32.25 seconds, leading Jonathan Dammann of France and Josete Sánchez of Spain.

Specialist categories added further depth to the program in Waterford. Chris Mills earned two event titles, taking the Megaminx victory with a 43.83 average and winning 3x3x3 One-Handed in 11.57 seconds over Beahan at 13.11 and Yu at 13.35. Cai Giesinger topped the Clock field with a 5.23 average. In the extended blindfolded categories, Josete Sánchez took both the 4x4x4 Blindfolded title with a single of 3:25.32 and 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with 19 of 21 cubes solved in 56:44, while Nevins Chan Pak Hoong won 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a time of 10:23.00.

Across the final tallies, host competitors earned 21 podium finishes, complemented by 10 for the United Kingdom, 7 for Poland, and 5 for Spain. This major cubing competition offered an ideal snapshot of high-level speed cubing at a pivotal point in the year. Solvers now carry their Waterford results, newly minted personal standards, and expanded event resumes forward into the upcoming phases of the competitive season.