Keep Christchurch Quirky 2024

Eighteen competitors gathered in Christchurch, New Zealand on October 19, 2024, to take part in an action-packed day of speedcubing. Held at the St Albans Community Centre, Keep Christchurch Quirky 2024 featured seven rounds of play spread across three unique events. While solving puzzles without sight always captures the imagination of the speed cubing community due to the intense concentration, memory work, and sensory isolation it demands, this particular gathering turned its full attention to precision under pressure, one-handed execution, and lightning-quick turning.

Across every bracket of this WCA competition, competitors pushed the boundaries of their respective disciplines. The three events contested over the single-day tournament tested varying aspects of problem solving, dexterity, and timing. For the competitors traveling to Canterbury, the tight schedule meant every turn counted from the opening moments of the morning.

The premier event of the cubing competition, the classic 3x3x3 Cube, produced intense rivalry between the country's top solvers. Jasper Murray secured the championship title with a winning average of 6.52 seconds, edging out Dwyane Ramos, who took the runner-up spot with a 6.90 average. Bryn Gordon claimed third place on the podium with an average of 9.55 seconds, rounding out a dominant sweep for local talent. In the opening round of the main Rubik's Cube event, Murray had earlier logged an average of 6.26 seconds alongside a single of 5.15 seconds, setting the benchmark for the field.

The 3x3 results across the two rounds of the main event highlighted widespread speed throughout the roster. Ramos produced a 5.69 single and a 6.39 average in the preliminary round, while Gordon turned in a 7.91 single and an 8.66 average. Finn Trass advanced to fourth place overall behind a solid 8.20 single and a 9.32 average. Franklin Y. Yuan also broke through into the top tier, putting up a 9.12 single and a 9.76 average to close out a brisk afternoon on the main stage.

Beyond the championship battles, the tournament floor was defined by personal milestones and breakthrough performances. Seth Llewelyn Petty made a massive leap on the 3x3x3 Cube, taking a personal best of 33.23 seconds to finish 30.1 percent faster than his previous best of 47.52, while also taking on his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a time of 1:37.92. Sebastian Kimber also debuted in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 35.94 mark and improved his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 13.5 percent to 12.59 seconds. Ryan Lau earned a fifth-place finish in 3x3x3 Cube and lowered his Clock personal best to 6.17 seconds, a 15.1 percent improvement. Cooper Jones placed eighth in 3x3x3 One-Handed while trimming his personal best in that event by 11.4 percent down to 14.32 seconds.

Other competitors delivered equally determined outings across multiple disciplines. Finn Trass took fourth in 3x3x3 Cube and trimmed his Clock personal best by 12.1 percent to 21.97 seconds, while Daniel Fraser took fifth in Clock and cut his personal best in the event by 9.4 percent down to 5.13 seconds alongside a 7.91 personal best on the 3x3x3 Cube. Oliver Jenks took fourth in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a personal best single of 10.81 seconds. In their very first WCA competition appearances, Jigs Ibarra took 13th place in the 3x3x3 Cube with an opening mark of 16.10 seconds, and Naman Shastri completed their first career attempt with a 22.26 solve.

The specialized events offered plenty of additional drama throughout the afternoon. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed competition, Dwyane Ramos took the title across three rigorous rounds, posting a winning average of 9.44 seconds and a best single of 8.12 seconds. Jasper Murray secured second place on the podium with an average of 10.05 seconds, while Franklin Y. Yuan took third place with a 12.57 average.

Ramos completed a double-victory weekend in Clock, winning the final with an average of 4.96 seconds and logging the day's best single of 4.09 seconds across two rounds. Murray followed in second place with a 5.23 average, and Yuan collected another podium finish in third place with a 6.22 average. In all, New Zealand competitors claimed all nine podium positions awarded across the three events.

Keep Christchurch Quirky 2024 concluded having delivered seven rounds of intense competition in St Albans. From the tight top-tier duels between Murray and Ramos to the dozens of personal bests recorded across the field, the single-day meet provided a memorable showcase of speedcubing skill as the 2024 season continues.