Kendeda Kubing B 2023

A blistering 4.27 winning average in Clock set the tone for an extraordinary display of veteran mastery at Kendeda Kubing B 2023. Taking place on March 19, 2023, at the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the single-day tournament gathered 65 competitors across six distinct events and 12 rounds of play. Longtime standout Tommy Cherry emerged as the central figure of the weekend, asserting his authority across multiple disciplines with sharp execution and consistent poise.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube contest served as a testament to seasoned form under tournament pressure. Cherry navigated through three rounds of standard Rubik's Cube solving to seize first place with a 7.20 final average and a round-best single of 6.19. The podium battle stayed fiercely contested right through the final solve, with Kerry Creech locking down second place at a 7.42 average and Nicolás Sánchez claiming third place with a 7.54 mark to conclude the main 3x3 results.

Cherry extended his dominant run in the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, besting a field of 52 competitors across two rounds. His winning average of 12.21, accompanied by a 10.43 single, secured top honors over Calix Tang, who finished runner-up with a 13.11 average. Sean Hartman rounded out the podium positions in third with a 14.19 mark. Alongside his Clock triumph of 4.27 over Creech at 4.88 and Daniel Mullen at 6.42, Cherry collected three gold medals on the day.

Beyond his trio of victories, Cherry collected podium finishes across the remaining events on the schedule. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Vishwa Sankar produced a winning average of 52.36 and a standout single of 49.54 to take the title, edging Cherry who finished second at 54.13, while Sean Hartman took third at 57.24. The Megaminx event saw Jared Stinson claim victory with a 40.14 average ahead of Cherry at 47.38 and Sankar at 48.78. In Square-1, Daniel Karnaukh took first place with a 7.49 average and a single of 5.66, followed by Cherry at 9.43 and Creech at 11.80.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several speedcubing competitors delivered massive personal breakthroughs across the board. Ashwath Lakshmanaswamy achieved a stunning leap in the standard cube, logging a personal best of 24.75 that was 62.1 percent faster than their prior 1:05.36 mark. Luke Chapman took on six events and dropped their Square-1 personal best to 33.44, an improvement of 54.5 percent from 1:13.56. Milo Sacks also made major strides across six disciplines, lowering their Square-1 best by 46.8 percent to 28.51 while making their first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube with a time of 2:03.76.

Other competitors marked significant milestones by expanding into unfamiliar territory and tackling new challenges at this cubing competition. Keenan Matelski entered six events, securing 15th place in 3x3x3 Cube, posting a 37 percent improvement in one-handed solving to 18.13, and logging first attempts in Megaminx at 1:59.46 and Square-1 at 24.12. Leon Luke Forrer tackled six events, recording maiden attempts in Megaminx at 1:40.80, Square-1 at 35.28, and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:03.03. Landon Tran cut 30.9 percent off their 3x3x3 single down to 12.55 while testing Megaminx for the first time at 3:01.89.

The spirit of speed cubing was equally evident among those taking their very first steps in a WCA competition setting. Joshua Mast took on five separate events in his official debut, highlighted by a first-time 25.79 in Clock and 3:47.81 in the 5x5x5 Cube. Porter Ayres also made his career debut by entering five events, recording initial benchmarks of 22.75 in Clock and 3:10.47 in the 5x5x5 Cube. These individual landmarks highlighted the deep technical engagement present throughout every round of the gathering.

When the final puzzles were locked and the scores verified, all 18 podium positions at Kendeda Kubing B 2023 went to competitors representing the United States. From dominant veteran showcases in the primary disciplines to breakthrough milestones across complex formats, the tournament in Atlanta delivered a comprehensive display of focus and talent as the competitive season moves ahead.