Jawa Timur Open 2024

A blistering final round of 3x3x3 Cube solving reached its peak when Pedro Leonard Benedict secured the main title with a 9.34 winning average at the Malang Creative Center. Benedict held off a tight field in the marquee event, combining composure and rapid execution over three intense rounds to claim first place. His steady performances were complemented across the bracket by a tournament-best single solve of 6.11 seconds, setting the tone for an exhilarating weekend of Rubik's Cube action.

Held across February 17 to February 18, Jawa Timur Open 2024 brought 55 competitors to Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia for two days of top-tier speedcubing. The schedule featured 10 distinct events across 18 rounds, challenging specialists and all-arounders alike. Across the boards, the rapid rise of developing talent emerged as the defining story of this WCA competition, with rapid progress seen across every tier of the standings.

Benedict was pushed all the way in the headline event, where Hiroshi Yumeda took second place with a 9.53 average and Roikhan Azhari locked up third at 9.70. These tight 3x3 results demonstrated how slim the margins were among the final contenders. Even amid fierce competition, Benedict remained consistent, also picking up a second-place finish in the 2x2x2 Cube event to cap off a remarkable individual showing during the 2024 campaign.

Multi-event mastery was on full display elsewhere in the venue, most notably from Roikhan Azhari. In addition to his podium finish in the classic three-layer event, Azhari captured victory in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 36.62 average and claimed top honors in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a single time of 1:11.49, navigating the demanding memorisation challenge with poise. Azhari also added a third-place finish in Megaminx, capping off one of the busiest schedules of the weekend.

In the spotlight section of the program, massive personal leaps illustrated how rapidly developing competitors are leveling up their speed cubing abilities. Fanuel Oswald Santoso took on six events and achieved a 6th-place finish in Pyraminx with a personal best of 4.05, a massive 74.2 percent improvement over his previous 15.71 best, while also logging a 2x2x2 personal best of 2.60 that was 58 percent faster and submitting his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 2:31.40. Sean Peter Setiawan took on six events as well, posting his first ever attempt at Skewb in 14.18, his first 4x4x4 Cube mark in 1:18.39, and dropping his Pyraminx personal best to 7.99, which was 51.7 percent faster than his prior 16.53 mark. Rafel Widi Lazuardi earned 5th place in Skewb while lowering his personal best in that event to 4.37, an improvement of 31.6 percent, alongside a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 50.06 that was 43.9 percent faster. Sandy Putra Andhika entered seven events, securing 6th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, dropping his 2x2x2 mark by 42 percent to 2.53, cutting his 3x3x3 One-Handed best by 22 percent to 18.72, and reducing his 4x4x4 time by 12.6 percent to 1:02.38.

That incredible momentum continued across the roster as more competitors pushed into new territory. Dustin Sachio tackled five events, recording his first ever attempt at Megaminx in 2:10.57 and first 4x4x4 Cube result in 1:43.73, along with a 2x2x2 personal best of 5.85 that was 21.7 percent faster. Dhanika Jethro competed in five disciplines and achieved 19th in 5x5x5 Cube on a first ever attempt of 3:23.67, while cutting his 2x2x2 best by 16.4 percent to 3.06 and his 4x4x4 mark by 13.4 percent to 1:03.47. Frederick Rahmanto took on four events, logged a first attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 34.55, improved his 4x4x4 time by 22.9 percent to 1:23.85, and set a 3x3x3 personal best of 9.72 that was 12.9 percent faster. Fayyadhira Azza Syareefa Fandoyo completed two events, logging a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube in 4.03 and dropping her 3x3x3 personal best by 15.3 percent to 23.93.

The 2x2x2 Cube tournament was another high-speed thriller, won by Muhammad Fitzal Ashfa Muzakfar with an average of 2.84, ahead of Benedict at 3.03 and Lintang Mohenjodaro Chevalier at 3.14. Muzakfar had an extraordinary weekend overall, claiming second in the 4x4x4 Cube at 36.80, third in the 5x5x5 Cube at 1:24.36, and third in Pyraminx at 5.14. The 5x5x5 Cube crown went to Muhammad Zhafran Al-Allam with a winning mark of 1:17.29, besting Fayad Hafiz Attaqi who took second in 1:22.90.

Zaky Kurnia Falah produced an exceptional showing in the side events, capturing two gold medals. Falah won Pyraminx with an average of 3.88 over Hiroshi Yumeda at 4.68, then took the Skewb title with a 3.46 winning average. Falah also added a silver medal in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 16.19, finishing just behind Jundi Ahmad Alwan, who clinched the one-handed victory with a 15.71 average. Rounding out the puzzle lineup, Jermia Edonie earned Megaminx gold with an average of 1:02.27, while Muhammad Farhan Ardiapratama sealed the Square-1 title with an 11.33 mark.

All 30 podium places across the weekend were earned by domestic competitors, highlighting the remarkable depth of Indonesian puzzle solving in the modern era. From the experienced multi-event champions to the rising newcomers executing big personal breakthroughs, this cubing competition provided plenty of memorable highlights. As the final scores were tallied at Jawa Timur Open 2024, the rapid trajectory of the region's newest generation of solvers pointed toward a bright future for the sport.

Sebanyak 55 peserta berkumpul di Malang Creative Center untuk memperebutkan gelar dalam 10 cabang perlombaan sepanjang dua hari penuh tantangan. Ajang bertajuk Jawa Timur Open 2024 ini berlangsung pada 17 hingga 18 Februari 2024 di Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia. Sejak babak awal dimulai pada hari pertama, persaingan ketat tersaji di meja perlombaan dengan total 18 putaran yang dijalankan. Para peserta dari berbagai penjuru hadir untuk menguji ketangkasan tangan dan kecepatan berpikir mereka dalam kompetisi kubus rubik resmi berstandar World Cube Association tersebut.

Hari pertama menjadi panggung unjuk kebolehan pada nomor-nomor pembuka dan babak penyisihan awal. Zaky Kurnia Falah langsung mencuri perhatian di nomor Skewb setelah memastikan kemenangan dengan raihan rata-rata 3.46 detik dan catatan tunggal terbaik 3.11 detik dari dua putaran yang digelar. Di nomor Square-1, Muhammad Farhan Ardiapratama tampil sangat dominan lewat raihan rata-rata 11.33 detik dan single tercepat 7.97 detik untuk mengamankan posisi teratas. Hasil-hasil impresif pada Sabtu tersebut membangun antusiasme tinggi menjelang rangkaian babak final di hari kedua kompetisi.

Memasuki hari kedua pada Minggu, pertarungan nomor utama 3x3x3 Cube menghadirkan tensi tinggi melalui tiga babak yang mendebarkan. Pedro Leonard Benedict berhasil keluar sebagai juara utama setelah membukukan rata-rata waktu 9.34 detik dan catatan single terbaik 6.11 detik di babak final. Ia berhasil mengungguli Hiroshi Yumeda (陆天龙) yang finis di peringkat kedua dengan rata-rata 9.53 detik. Posisi podium ketiga diamankan oleh Roikhan Azhari yang menorehkan rata-rata 9.70 detik dalam perebutan gelar paling bergengsi pada akhir pekan itu.

Performa gemilang juga diperlihatkan Roikhan Azhari pada nomor-nomor lainnya sepanjang hari penutup. Roikhan sukses merebut gelar juara di kategori 4x4x4 Cube dengan catatan rata-rata 36.62 detik, mengungguli Muhammad Fitzal Ashfa Muzakfar yang mencatat 36.80 detik dan Muhammad Zhafran Al-Allam dengan 37.30 detik. Tidak berhenti di situ, Roikhan Azhari kembali naik ke podium tertinggi pada nomor 3x3x3 Blindfolded dengan catatan waktu tunggal terbaik 1:11.49, mengungguli Robbi Atsmara Haqqi dengan 1:46.81 dan Aldhi Rizaldhi dengan 2:18.74 setelah menyelesaikan kubus dengan mata tertutup penuh konsentrasi.

Di samping persaingan podium teratas, panggung Jawa Timur Open 2024 juga menjadi saksi lonjakan performa dan langkah awal bagi sejumlah peserta. Brian Asprilla Yusdiansyah tampil menonjol dengan memangkas waktu 5x5x5 Cube miliknya hingga 38.9 persen menjadi 3:35.63 serta mempertajam waktu 4x4x4 Cube menjadi 1:18.35 dari lima nomor yang diikutinya. Wahyu Satrya Ramabekti melesat di 2x2x2 Cube dengan catatan 2.90 detik yang 33.5 persen lebih cepat dari rekor sebelumnya, di samping mencatatkan 17.21 detik di 3x3x3 Cube. Muhammad Raihan Abdillah membukukan lompatan 26.2 persen lebih cepat pada 2x2x2 Cube menjadi 2.88 detik dan finis di urutan keenam blindfolded. Aulia Ahmad Adam sukses menjalani debut pertamanya di 5x5x5 Cube dengan torehan waktu 1:59.12.

Rombongan debutan pada WCA competition ini juga mengukir catatan berharga di lembar hasil resmi mereka. Moch Fadhlan Haqqul Isyq mengawali kompetisi perdananya dengan turun di tiga nomor dan menembus peringkat ke-15 di 3x3x3 One-Handed lewat waktu 19.31 detik, di samping single 10.37 detik di nomor 3x3x3 Cube. Rafli Alinskie melakoni turnamen perdananya dengan melahap lima cabang sekaligus, mengemas waktu 4.71 detik pada 2x2x2 Cube dan 8.15 detik di Pyraminx. Rafa Nizar Ideawan menyelesaikan percobaan resmi pertamanya di 3x3x3 Cube dengan waktu 13.65 detik dan 2x2x2 Cube dengan 6.38 detik. Sementara itu, Ararya Saguna Fai merampungkan debutnya lewat tiga nomor lomba dengan hasil 18.46 detik pada 3x3x3 Cube dan 7.07 detik pada 2x2x2 Cube.

Rangkaian nomor lainnya turut menyajikan aksi memukau di meja kompetisi. Muhammad Fitzal Ashfa Muzakfar memenangi kategori 2x2x2 Cube lewat catatan rata-rata 2.84 detik, unggul tipis atas Pedro Leonard Benedict dengan 3.03 detik dan Lintang Mohenjodaro Chevalier dengan 3.14 detik. Zaky Kurnia Falah meraih kemenangan keduanya di ajang ini pada nomor Pyraminx dengan rata-rata 3.88 detik, mengatasi Hiroshi Yumeda (陆天龙) yang mencatat 4.68 detik. Pada kategori 3x3x3 One-Handed yang menuntut ketangkasan satu tangan, Jundi Ahmad Alwan keluar sebagai yang tercepat berkat rata-rata 15.71 detik.

Kompetisi ini juga menuntaskan nomor-nomor berdimensi besar dengan hasil yang solid. Muhammad Zhafran Al-Allam tampil meyakinkan di kategori 5x5x5 Cube untuk menyabet posisi pertama dengan rata-rata 1:17.29, mengungguli Fayad Hafiz Attaqi yang mencatat 1:22.90. Di kategori Megaminx, Jermia Edonie membuktikan kepiawaiannya dengan memuncaki klasemen akhir lewat raihan rata-rata 1:02.27, diikuti Fayad Hafiz Attaqi di posisi kedua dengan 1:10.19. Seluruh 30 medali podium pada gelaran speedcubing ini berhasil diraih oleh atlet-atlet tuan rumah Indonesia.

Rampungnya seluruh nomor perlombaan di Malang Creative Center menandai penutupan sukses bagi gelaran Jawa Timur Open 2024. Persaingan ketat selama dua hari telah memperlihatkan kedalaman bakat, mulai dari para pemenang podium hingga para pendatang baru yang memecahkan catatan personal. Akhir pekan di Malang ini memberikan fondasi kuat bagi perkembangan para peserta sebelum mereka kembali mempersiapkan diri menuju kejuaraan-kejuaraan berikutnya pada kalender musim kompetisi mendatang.