Long Island Winter Solstice 2024

Parker Trager captured the premier 3x3x3 Cube title with a 6.42 winning average, spearheading a total United States podium sweep across all six events. Held on December 21, 2024, at the Best Western Mill River Manor in Rockville Centre, New York, USA, the gathering brought together 84 competitors for 11 fast-paced rounds of official play. Over the course of the day, American competitors claimed all 18 available podium positions, keeping every single trophy on home soil. Trager added a best single of 5.72 on his way to victory in the main event, setting the tone for an uncompromising standard of execution at Long Island Winter Solstice 2024.

The classic Rubik's Cube drew a massive field of 83 competitors across three tense rounds. While Trager seized top honours, the chase pack pushed the pace relentlessly. Jerry Yao locked down second place with a 6.57 average, and Ayden Dincher completed the podium with a mark of 7.22. The 3x3 results stood out as a highlight of the weekend, showcasing precision solving at the sharp end of the draw. Trager also proved his versatility by capturing the Pyraminx title, logging a winning average of 2.59 and a single of 1.61 across two rounds to best Jay Pharma, who averaged 3.13, and Dincher, who posted a 3.35 average.

In the faster puzzle categories, Zayn Khanani produced an untouchable masterclass to claim two separate victories. Khanani took the 2x2x2 Cube crown with a blisteringly fast 1.24 average and a best single of 0.97 across two rounds, outpacing Dincher, who took second with a 1.60 average, and Luigi Soriano in third at 1.62. Khanani returned to the table for Skewb, where he topped a field of 53 competitors with a 2.20 winning average and a single of 1.44 over two rounds. Dincher secured another runner-up finish in Skewb at 2.96, while Chris Chi finished third with a 3.30 average.

The remaining brackets brought technical variety to the cubing competition schedule. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Ayden Dincher converted his consistent podium presence into an outright victory, recording a winning average of 30.54 and a single of 25.58 in a direct 58-person final. Luigi Soriano finished just behind in second place with a 30.80 average, while Jerry Yao clocked 31.09 to place third. The Square-1 event saw Hassan Khanani take the title in dominant fashion, posting a 5.79 winning average and a single of 3.84 to defeat Dincher, who averaged 7.95, and Chi, who placed third with a 10.32 average.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors logged major personal breakthroughs across the scorecards. Anurag Anapindi entered five events and recorded a Pyraminx personal best of 2.62, which was 54 percent faster than their previous best mark, while also setting a 3x3x3 Cube best of 6.66 to finish 21st in Square-1. Armaan Bassi tackled five events at Long Island Winter Solstice 2024, shaving 53.9 percent off their 2x2x2 Cube personal best with a 4.78 single, while making a first ever attempt at Pyraminx with a 5.84 single and reaching 30th place in their first ever attempt at Square-1 in 21.85. Jack Laurinavicius took on six disciplines, cutting their Square-1 personal best by 48.7 percent down to 42.21, alongside a 21.5 percent improvement in 4x4x4 Cube to 58.90.

Other participants made substantial leaps in their speedcubing journeys by trying new puzzles or setting sharp personal records. Camilo Agueros contested six events, improving their Pyraminx best by 35.5 percent to 5.72 and logging a first ever attempt at Skewb in 5.98. Yili Yi registered a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with a 3.96 and improved their Skewb best by 41.5 percent to 9.13. Leon Elihu recorded a 46.7 percent drop in Pyraminx to reach a 9.02 personal best and lowered their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 40.8 percent to 5.48. Meanwhile, Alexander Martin Baum completed their first WCA competition with five events, posting a first ever attempt of 32.40 on the 3x3x3 Cube, and Ameya Srinivasan also debuted at their first WCA competition, taking 23rd in Square-1 on their first attempt with a 20.42 single.

The 2x2x2 Cube event generated an extraordinary flurry of official personal records throughout the rounds. Across the bracket, competitors consistently improved their historical times on the small puzzle, with Ayden Dincher logging a single of 1.29 and an average of 1.39, while Jay Pharma notched a 1.68 single and a 2.44 average. Can Uzun of Turkey logged a single of 1.79 and an average of 3.71. Sanjam Dash Mohanty set marks of 3.52 and 4.94, Ishan Donavalli produced a 3.61 single and a 3.91 average, Arne Richard Tillotson recorded a 4.18 single and a 7.78 average, Matthew Clark achieved a 4.43 single and a 10.55 average, and Hudson Law registered a 6.14 single and a 9.02 average.

The intense action across 11 rounds wrapped up a memorable day of speed cubing in Rockville Centre. From the commanding multi-event victories of Parker Trager and Zayn Khanani to the steady podium collection of Ayden Dincher, American solvers maintained complete command over the standings at Long Island Winter Solstice 2024. With dozens of newcomers gaining invaluable tournament experience and established solvers testing their limits in the final days of 2024, the event provided a comprehensive showcase of regional depth across every single puzzle format.