KSF Open 2023

A total of 48 competitors gathered at Astana Garden School on July 8–9 for KSF Open 2023, where 16 rounds of intense Rubik's Cube action came down to the wire in Astana, Kazakhstan. The classic 3x3x3 Cube final was decided on the decisive final solves of a three-round battle, as Timofei Tarasenko sealed the victory with a 6.64 average and a best single of 6.32. Chyngyz Sultanbekov took second place with a 7.62 average, while Andrey Che finished third on a mark of 7.87 in the official 3x3 results.

Tarasenko assembled one of the most dominant weekends in regional speedcubing history, picking up victories across six of the nine disciplines offered on the schedule. Beyond the main event, the Russian speed cubing standout took the top spot in 2x2x2 Cube with a 1.82 average, edging Ekaterina Kaneva who logged a 2.66 average and Asset Agabekov who posted 2.75 for third place. Tarasenko also locked down first place in Pyraminx, producing a winning average of 2.76 and a single of 2.28.

The larger puzzles showcased Tarasenko at his sharpest, sweeping the podium peaks in both 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube. He claimed the 4x4x4 Cube title with a 26.41 winning average, finishing ahead of Andrey Che on 29.15 and Anatolii Turenko on 33.41 across two rounds. In the 5x5x5 Cube final, Tarasenko secured the top step with a 52.04 average and a single of 49.01, outpacing Che who took second with 56.37 and Ivan Polkanov who closed out the podium on 59.35.

The 12-sided Megaminx contest delivered another triumph for Tarasenko, who completed his sixth gold medal of the weekend with a 33.87 average and a 32.40 single. Che took second place with an average of 43.77, while Kazakhstan competitor Daniyal Suleimen earned third with a 48.81 mark. With Russian competitors securing 22 podium positions, Kazakh solvers collecting four, and Kyrgyzstan taking one, the international field brought relentless energy across every bracket.

Away from the top step, Andrey Che took his own gold in the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, securing victory with a 10.53 average and a 9.68 best single across two rounds. Ilya Nazarov placed second on 12.18, with Tarasenko capturing third on 13.19. In Skewb, Ekaterina Kaneva claimed the title on a 3.14 average, followed by Duman Talgatuly on 3.75 and Che on 4.36. Lev Bruskov dominated the Square-1 event, averaging 9.43 with a sharp 6.66 single to win ahead of Nazarov on 12.18 and Damir Issakov on 12.76.

Behind the headline trophies, this cubing competition served as a launchpad for remarkable individual breakthroughs and milestone debuts. Aleksei Lukianov entered five events and sliced his Skewb personal best down to 9.00, an improvement of 67.3 percent from 27.52, while also posting a 29.43 personal best in 3x3x3 One-Handed that was 55.6 percent faster than his prior 1:06.25 mark and making his first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with a 4.11 solve. Odjargal Lkhagva-Orgil lowered his 2x2x2 Cube best by 66.5 percent to 4.93 and cut 24 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube time to 26.01. Leonid Tarasenko made his first ever attempt at Megaminx with 1:49.69 for 17th place, while trimming his 2x2x2 Cube best by 51.5 percent to 3.34 and his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 50.9 percent to 11.39.

Other competitors took on demanding multi-puzzle schedules and set new benchmarks. Damir Sarbassov took on six events, achieving a Square-1 personal best of 25.85 that was 18.6 percent faster than his old mark and recording his first attempts in Pyraminx with 9.24 and Skewb with 18.10. Bekarys Khibatdolda registered his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 55.99, while dropping his Pyraminx personal best by 25.2 percent to 15.08. Meirman Abdirashit tackled seven events, posting his first Megaminx attempt in 2:11.43 and improving his Pyraminx personal best by 30.6 percent to 3.31. Ibragim Amirzhanuly entered seven events in his first WCA competition, recording a best finish of 16th in Square-1 alongside maiden marks in 2x2x2 Cube at 5.15, Pyraminx at 8.03, and Megaminx at 2:30.78, while Madi Mergazy stepped up for nine events, logging first attempts in Pyraminx, Megaminx, and 5x5x5 Cube.

Across two intense days of solving in the 2023 calendar, KSF Open 2023 demonstrated the depth of the regional speedcubing circuit. From Tarasenko winning the premier 3x3x3 Cube final on the final solve to the wave of new solvers establishing official times across nine separate puzzles, the tournament provided a memorable showcase of precision and speed. The solvers leave the capital with fresh records and clear momentum heading toward the next round of competition.