Kailua-Kona Cubing 2023

Inside the halls of La‘i‘ōpua 2020 on May 29, 2023, the focus was absolute as competitors gathered for a packed day of competition. Timers were laid out across the venue tables while judges stood ready for a relentless schedule of solving. The gathering at Kailua-Kona Cubing 2023 brought together 27 competitors in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA, all eager to test their practice under official tournament conditions across six different disciplines and thirteen rounds of play.

The fastest puzzles of the schedule took center stage early, delivering remarkable pace in both the 2x2x2 Cube and the classic Rubik's Cube. In the 2x2x2 final, Ao Nogami of Japan delivered an exceptional performance to capture the title, registering a winning average of 1.81 seconds alongside a tournament best single of 1.09 seconds. Matty Hiroto Inaba of the United States secured the runner up spot with an average of 3.11 seconds, while Steven Wintringham rounded out the podium with a 3.26 mark.

The flagship 3x3x3 Cube event proved just as thrilling for those tracking the 3x3 results throughout the afternoon. Matty Hiroto Inaba commanded the three rounds of play, clinching the championship with a stellar 5.40 winning average and an event best single time of 4.96 seconds. Ao Nogami took second place with a final average of 7.78 seconds, followed by Japan teammate Yoji Ogura who claimed third place on the podium with a 9.69 average.

Beyond the sprint solves, Matty Hiroto Inaba continued an outstanding run across the bigger puzzles at Kailua-Kona Cubing 2023. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Inaba topped the field of 20 competitors with a 24.17 winning average and a 21.37 best single, finishing ahead of Ao Nogami at 33.46 and Elliot Hawkins at 50.69. Inaba completed the triple crown of cube events by taking the 5x5x5 Cube title with a 46.03 average and a 45.00 single, again finishing ahead of Nogami at 57.78 and Steven Wintringham at 1:52.63.

The side events provided equally tight competition among the twenty entrants taking on the Pyraminx and Skewb brackets. Steven Wintringham claimed first place in the Pyraminx final with a winning average of 2.78 seconds, edging out Elliot Hawkins who finished at 5.12 seconds and Ao Nogami who secured third with a 5.54 average. Ao Nogami returned to the top step in Skewb, winning the event with an average of 4.05 seconds ahead of Taj Bressert at 6.95 and TJ Kelly at 7.37.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several solvers delivered standout milestones across multiple rounds. Lucas Aubin achieved a major breakthrough in the 2x2x2 Cube, cutting his personal best to 2.56 seconds, an improvement of 43.4 percent over his previous mark of 4.52, while also taking fourth place in Pyraminx. Kaleo Noda took on six events during the day, achieving a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:15.73 to drop his prior time by 33.4 percent, while also logging a first official Skewb time of 8.12 seconds and a 5x5x5 mark of 2:45.66. Rydin Nakatsu cut his Pyraminx best by 30.1 percent to 5.87 seconds and recorded a first official 2x2x2 time of 9.69.

The progress continued across the venue as Joseph Carrillo recorded a 2x2x2 personal best of 7.53 seconds, improving by 29.5 percent, and completed a first career Skewb solve in 14.83 seconds. Anthony Carrillo notched a 27.6 percent improvement in Pyraminx with a 6.99 personal best, posted a first 5x5x5 result of 1:59.16, and placed fourth in Skewb. Ella Rubio lowered her Pyraminx mark by 22.4 percent to 8.44 seconds and finished seventh in 2x2x2. Darwin Williams dropped his 2x2x2 time by 20.4 percent to 6.49 seconds, and Taylor Schannon improved his 3x3x3 time by 17.3 percent to 10.55 while earning a fifth place finish in Pyraminx.

For debutants, this WCA competition served as an exciting entry point into official speed cubing. Reggie Marcus Shropshire took on six events in a first tournament appearance, recording a 24.88 in 3x3x3, a 6.34 in Skewb, and a 3:17.98 in 5x5x5. Fellow first time entrants Kiran Whitney-James Harmeling, Isaiah Shane Tabiolo, and Jaxon Hunt also logged their opening marks on the official ledger across the day.

Across 13 rounds of intense speedcubing, the United States earned 11 total podium placements while Japan secured seven. Kailua-Kona Cubing 2023 demonstrated the depth of talent on the island, from sprint specialists conquering the 2x2 and 3x3 brackets to determined competitors achieving personal milestones across every table. The successful cubing competition concluded a memorable day of solving in Kailua-Kona.