Lexing-not-a-ton of NxNs 2024

The competition hall at the Lexington Knights of Columbus hummed with quiet intensity on September 15, 2024, as rows of timers illuminated the solving stations in Lexington, Massachusetts, USA. Cubers of all backgrounds adjusted their hardware, prepared their drop mats, and lined up for inspection as judges stood ready. Eighty-three competitors gathered for Lexing-not-a-ton of NxNs 2024, ready to test their skills across seven events and eleven total rounds of high-speed solving.

The 2x2x2 Cube competition delivered an extraordinary wave of record marks across the bracket, setting an unrelenting pace for the entire gathering. Ethan Zhuang surged ahead with a winning average of 1.83 seconds alongside the day's best single of 1.22 seconds. Runner-up Levi Gibson stayed right on his heels, logging a 1.87-second average and a 1.61 single. Viktor Pearl rounded out the top three with a 2.28 average and 1.93 single, while Elijah Rain Phelps and Lichia Huang notched impressive marks of 2.34 and 2.63, respectively.

The record cascade continued throughout the 74-competitor 2x2x2 bracket, demonstrating remarkable depth across the roster. Will Russo posted a 2.72-second average with a 1.84 single, closely followed by Nikhil Soares at 2.86 and Aedan Bryant at 2.92. Sub-four consistency remained the standard as Noah Richardson logged a 3.10 average with a 2.79 single, and Saisabari Ramesh delivered a 3.14 average and a 2.27 single. The rapid times established the event as one of the fastest of the 2024 speed cubing calendar.

In the marquee 3x3x3 Cube event, Joshua Broderick Phillips claimed victory in a thrilling single-round sprint, turning in an 8.04-second average and a field-best single of 7.32. The margin at the top of the 3x3 results was razor thin, as Nikhil Soares took second place just one-hundredth of a second behind Phillips at 8.05 seconds. Phelps completed the podium in third place with an 8.14 average among the 80 competitors in the classic Rubik's Cube discipline.

Phelps returned to the stage to claim double gold across the specialty puzzles, winning the 59-competitor Pyraminx event with a 3.24 average to edge Pearl at 3.29 and Thiago Han at 3.35. Phelps also conquered Square-1 with a winning average of 7.55 seconds and a 6.54 single, holding off Canada's Bailing Hou at 7.59 and Bryant at 8.81. Meanwhile, Ramesh earned top honors in Skewb with a 3.24 average over Zhuang at 3.29, and Heewon Seo dominated Megaminx with an outstanding 31.27 average and 25.26 single, finishing well ahead of Soares at 35.02.

Clock action produced rapid solutions across the single round as Brendan Lee secured the title with a 4.29-second average and a 3.84 single, outpacing Phelps at 4.71 and Zhuang at 4.96. Across the seven disciplines, athletes from the United States collected 17 podium finishes, while representatives from India captured two and competitors from Canada and Brazil claimed one apiece, underlining the international flavor at this regional speedcubing fixture.

Away from the podium race, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the schedule. Joshua Costantini posted a massive personal best in Megaminx of 1:16.01, shaving 52 percent off his previous record, alongside an 8.98 personal best in Clock. Ethan Cohen dropped his Pyraminx mark by 49 percent to 9.52 seconds while attempting 2x2x2 Cube and Skewb for the first time. Ana Oprea cut her Skewb record by 47.9 percent down to 8.63 seconds, while Saam Mavai improved his 3x3x3 time by 42.4 percent to 20.33 seconds and logged maiden attempts in Pyraminx and Skewb.

The weekend also served as a launchpad for debut performances and heavy multi-event workloads. Noah Nichols secured a 10.69 personal best in Clock, cutting 38.7 percent, while Thomas Manni knocked 28.8 percent off his Pyraminx mark to 3.34 seconds. Sunny You tackled all seven events at the cubing competition, recording a best finish of 31st in Clock and setting first-time official marks of 12.25 in 3x3x3, 8.66 in Skewb, and 1:42.52 in Square-1. First-time WCA competition entrant Angelique Chan took on four events, highlighted by a 50th-place finish in 3x3x3 with a 16.66 single, alongside debuts in 2x2x2 and Skewb.

Julian Kim, the founder and developer of Speedcubing.app, competed across all seven disciplines at Lexing-not-a-ton of NxNs 2024. Kim earned five personal bests across the day, securing 22nd in Pyraminx with a 6.94 average, 30th in Clock with a 15.59 average, 31st in Skewb with a 9.74 average, and 32nd in 2x2x2 with a 5.21 average. He also completed his first official attempts in Square-1 and Megaminx, recording singles of 53.87 and 2:47.60, respectively, before wrapping up the day with a 22.44 average in 3x3x3.

When the final rounds concluded and the stopwatches were powered down, Lexing-not-a-ton of NxNs 2024 proved to be a vibrant display of precision and growth. From Phillips's tight 3x3 victory to the record-setting runs on the 2x2 mat, the one-day gathering highlighted the steady progression of talent across the region. With numerous personal bests recorded across eleven rounds of play, competitors left Lexington with strong momentum for the rest of the competitive season.