La La Land 2024

Inside the bustling ballroom at the Hilton Los Angeles Culver City, tables hummed with continuous turning as hundreds of competitors prepared their puzzles. The venue served as the battleground for La La Land 2024 from August 31 to September 1, 2024, bringing together 234 competitors across 16 events and 36 rounds of action. With massive brackets spanning two full days in Los Angeles, California, USA, the sheer density of talent ensured that every advancement to the next round required absolute precision on the timer.

Navigating the deep fields at this cubing competition proved to be a severe test of endurance and consistency. The classic Rubik's Cube drew a staggering 230 entrants over four elimination rounds, where surviving the cut was an achievement in itself. When the final round concluded, Brendyn Dunagan emerged at the top of the 3x3 results with a winning average of 7.17 seconds alongside a best single solve of 5.97 seconds, outlasting a bracket that tested the region's elite speedcubing contenders.

Dunagan assembled an extraordinary weekend across multiple puzzle disciplines, claiming first place in eight separate categories. In the 2x2x2 Cube, which featured 194 entrants, Dunagan captured gold with a 1.51-second average and a 1.29 single. He also claimed the top spot in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 10.51 seconds, besting runner-up Dylan Govic at 12.81 and third-place Nico Harper (李有為) at 14.56. Dunagan added further victories in Pyraminx with a 2.51 average, 5x5x5 Cube with a 49.42 average, Clock in 3.19 seconds, Square-1 in 5.58 seconds, and 6x6x6 Cube with a mean of 1:26.63.

The remaining events at La La Land 2024 delivered fiercely contested podium battles. In 4x4x4 Cube, Paul Mahvi captured the title with a 28.67-second average, edging out Dunagan at 28.76 and Kate Grahame at 30.72. Grahame earned top honors in 7x7x7 Cube with an average of 2:11.59, followed by Dunagan at 2:17.25 and Michael Muething at 2:24.52. Megaminx went to Nico Harper (李有為) with a mark of 35.72 seconds, while Jack Flynn Stewart took Skewb in 3.54 seconds, ahead of Taj Bressert at 3.69 and Dunagan at 3.83.

Blindfolded events offered another arena of intense focus, demanding silent memorisation under strict time constraints. Graham Siggins dominated the category across the board, securing victories in all four blindfolded events staged at this WCA competition. Siggins recorded a winning single of 19.06 seconds in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, solved 60 out of 64 cubes in 1:00:00 in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, logged a single of 1:33.27 in 4x4x4 Blindfolded, and completed the 5x5x5 Blindfolded event with a 3:37.44 average and a best single of 3:31.41.

Away from the top of the podiums, the vast schedule provided fertile ground for competitors expanding their repertoires across new puzzles. Liam Cain took on 11 events, registering his first ever attempts at Skewb with a 5.79 single, 5x5x5 Cube at 1:48.30, and Square-1 at 1:33.14. Spencer Lam also tackled 11 events, logging debut marks of 18.55 in Pyraminx, 9:00.36 in 7x7x7 Cube, and 47.33 in Clock. Avisaar Jain contested 12 events, securing a 16th-place finish in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind while notching maiden attempts in 6x6x6 Cube at 5:40.16, Square-1 at 46.31, and Clock at 15.83. Meanwhile, Madison Stephens entered 11 events, recording initial attempts of 6.08 in Skewb, 15.98 in Pyraminx, and 2:18.66 in 5x5x5 Cube.

The journey through new disciplines continued across the tournament floor as several solvers tackled unfamiliar formats for the first time. Karen Yoneyama (米山華恋) completed 7 events, posting first marks of 9.35 in 2x2x2 Cube, 14.16 in Skewb, and 1:03.08 in Clock. Joseph Wu entered 9 events, logging debut efforts of 26.10 in Clock, 1:31.51 in 4x4x4 Cube, and 3:14.85 in Megaminx. Saul Alagona handled 8 events, registering a 5.78 in Skewb, 20.46 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, and 2:04.27 in 5x5x5 Cube. Elliot Bellman took on 10 events, making initial attempts of 17.46 in Skewb, 27.25 in Square-1, and 3:27.89 in 5x5x5 Cube.

The scale and intensity of La La Land 2024 highlighted the extraordinary depth present across Southern California speed cubing. United States competitors collected 49 podium finishes across 16 events, demonstrating sharpness across short sprints, complex big cubes, and memory challenges alike. As solvers packed away their mats and timers in Culver City, the weekend demonstrated how high the bar has risen for anyone seeking to advance deep into tournament rounds.