Malang Cube Open 2023

Inside the bustling halls of the Malang Creative Center, dozens of puzzle mats lay ready as an eager crowd of solvers gathered for a full day of precision and rapid turning. The atmosphere carried the distinct rhythm of competition, where the quick snapping of plastic and the steady hum of timers defined every passing minute. Across eight official disciplines and ten rounds of play, the single-day gathering brought together fifty dedicated participants ready to test their preparation on the tournament stage.

The spotlight of the Malang Cube Open 2023 belonged decisively to Fahmi Aulia Rachman, whose commanding performances across three separate disciplines set the standard for the entire meet. Rachman showed unmatched versatility, taking his first victory in the 4x4x4 Cube with a winning average of 33.47 seconds and a best single of 32.32. Achmad Rizki Zakaria followed in second place with a 35.93 average, while Fayad Hafiz Attaqi locked down third with a 42.09 mark.

Rachman maintained his momentum on the twelve-sided puzzle, securing the Megaminx title behind an average of 53.65 seconds and a tournament-best single solve of 47.05. Zakaria again claimed runner-up honours with an average of 1:13.74, while Attaqi completed the podium at 1:18.56. Turning to 3x3x3 One-Handed, Rachman proved unbeatable once more, capturing gold with a fine 11.24 average and an 8.57 single, finishing comfortably ahead of Rifa Octavian Himawan at 15.00 and Hadyan Jade Santosa at 15.78.

The marquee classic Rubik's Cube division brought its own dramatic finish across two rounds of intense speedcubing. Hadyan Jade Santosa rose to the occasion in the final, securing the top spot with an 8.09 average and a best single effort of 6.83 seconds. Pedro Leonard Benedict took second place with an 8.75 mark, narrowly edging out Himawan, who secured third on an 8.88 average. The 3x3 results capped a brilliant showing for Santosa, who remained among the tournament's most consistent performers.

Beyond the podium battles, several participants quietly delivered remarkable individual breakthroughs away from the brightest lights. Michael (陈佳伟) delivered one of the weekend's most striking milestones, logging a Pyraminx personal best of 2.88 seconds to go 64.5 percent faster than his previous standard, while also picking up lifetime bests of 12.52 in 3x3x3 Cube and 52.21 in 4x4x4 Cube across six entered events. Muhammad Sandi Rizqi Ramadhan put together an exceptional run across five events, securing a 4th place finish in 3x3x3 Cube, an improved 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 7.94, a 42.02 personal best in 4x4x4 Cube, and a 6.66 Pyraminx best that was 30.9 percent faster.

That same spirit of ambition ran through other competitors taking on new challenges at this cubing competition. Lazuardi Maulana Fathoni took on six events and earned an 8th place finish in Square-1, registering first-ever recorded attempts of 49.35 in Square-1, 9.62 in Pyraminx, and 10.70 in Skewb. Gahyaka Fabyan Oskar competed in four disciplines, securing 14th in Skewb while logging first attempts of 11.05 in Skewb and 7.93 in Pyraminx, alongside a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 19.52 that was 14.5 percent faster. Mokhammad Mehdi Al Mahdani improved his Skewb mark to 12.17 seconds, a 23.2 percent jump, while Irkham Nur Rizki contested eight events, placing 9th in Square-1 with a Megaminx personal best of 2:30.36. Yazid Muammar secured 12th in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an 18.83 personal best, and Aulia Ahmad Adam completed his two-event schedule with a solid 16th place finish in 4x4x4 Cube.

The side events provided thrilling finishes of their own throughout the afternoon. Fayad Hafiz Attaqi showcased phenomenal versatility by winning two separate titles, starting with a dominant Skewb performance where he posted an average of 3.46 seconds and a 2.88 single, beating Fauzan Rafi Amrullah at 4.90 and Himawan at 4.98. In Pyraminx, Attaqi captured gold again with a tight 5.61 average, holding off Himawan at 5.65 and Jundi Ahmad Alwan at 5.67 in one of the closest podium margins of the day.

In the 2x2x2 Cube, Denzel A. J. Wahyudi secured the title across two rounds with a winning average of 3.26 seconds and a best single of 2.59, closely followed by Santosa at 3.38 and Himawan at 3.83. The Square-1 competition saw Muhammad Farhan Ardiapratama take first place with a 12.93 average and a 10.41 single solve, outpacing Muhammad Adib at 14.15 and Amrullah at 14.22 to round out an action-packed schedule of speed cubing.

Held on March 11, 2023, in Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia, the Malang Cube Open 2023 concluded with all twenty-four podium places earned by host-nation solvers. From commanding multi-event victories to personal milestones achieved across eight categories, the WCA competition delivered a memorable showcase of discipline and speed as the circuit looks ahead toward the next season.

Meja-meja kompetisi berjajar rapi di dalam Malang Creative Center ketika puluhan peserta mempersiapkan kubus dan mengatur konsentrasi. Bunyi putaran plastik berpadu dengan ketukan pengatur waktu Stackmat yang menyala bergantian di area pertandingan. Kota Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia menjadi pusat perhatian komunitas saat para peserta berkumpul pada 11 Maret 2023 untuk menguji ketangkasan tangan serta kecepatan berpikir dalam turnamen resmi berstandar World Cube Association.

Tuan rumah benar-benar menunjukkan supremasi mutlak di Malang Cube Open 2023 dengan menyapu bersih seluruh 24 posisi podium di delapan cabang yang dipertandingkan. Sebanyak 50 peserta bertarung sengit sepanjang sepuluh babak yang bergulir tanpa henti. Dominasi atlet lokal membuktikan kedalaman bakat speedcubing di tanah air, di mana seluruh medali dari kategori utama hingga cabang sampingan sukses diamankan oleh para delegasi Indonesia.

Nomor utama 3x3x3 Cube menghadirkan pertarungan sengit yang melibatkan 49 peserta dalam dua babak kompetisi. Hadyan Jade Santosa keluar sebagai juara nomor bergengsi ini setelah mencatatkan rata-rata waktu kemenangan 8.09 detik di babak final, didukung oleh capaian single terbaik 6.83 detik. Pedro Leonard Benedict menempel ketat di posisi kedua dengan catatan rata-rata 8.75 detik, disusul oleh Rifa Octavian Himawan di peringkat ketiga lewat torehan 8.88 detik.

Fahmi Aulia Rachman tampil gemilang sepanjang perhelatan dengan memborong tiga gelar juara sekaligus di kategori berbeda. Di nomor 3x3x3 One-Handed yang diikuti 28 peserta, Fahmi memuncaki podium lewat rata-rata 11.24 detik dan single terbaik 8.57 detik, mengatasi Rifa Octavian Himawan yang membukukan 15.00 detik serta Hadyan Jade Santosa dengan 15.78 detik. Prestasi ini menegaskan kemampuan penguasaan Rubik dengan satu tangan di tingkat tertinggi.

Keperkasaan Fahmi berlanjut pada kategori teka-teki berukuran besar. Pada nomor 4x4x4 Cube, ia mengamankan posisi teratas dengan rata-rata 33.47 detik di hadapan 31 peserta, mengungguli Achmad Rizki Zakaria dengan 35.93 detik dan Fayad Hafiz Attaqi dengan 42.09 detik. Fahmi kemudian menutup dominasinya di nomor Megaminx melalui kemenangan rata-rata 53.65 detik dari 14 peserta, kembali mengungguli Achmad Rizki Zakaria yang mencatatkan 1:13.74 serta Fayad Hafiz Attaqi dengan 1:18.56.

Di luar perebutan gelar juara, cubing competition ini juga menjadi panggung pembuktian bagi sederet nama yang tampil penuh determinasi. Ahmad Aqbil Na'im menjalani debut perdananya di kompetisi resmi dengan mengikuti 8 cabang sekaligus, menorehkan percobaan perdana 2x2x2 Cube 5.58 detik, 4x4x4 Cube 1:58.72, 3x3x3 One-Handed 34.98 detik, serta finis terbaik di peringkat keempat Skewb. Ivander Christiano Kurniawan juga melakoni kompetisi perdana dengan turun di 7 cabang, mencatatkan percobaan pertama 3x3x3 Cube 14.60 detik, Megaminx 2:48.66, 2x2x2 Cube 4.18 detik, dan finis terbaik ke-13 di Skewb. I Komang Delon Janarwiguna menjalani WCA competition pertamanya di 7 nomor dengan percobaan perdana Pyraminx 10.87 detik, 4x4x4 Cube 1:07.51, 3x3x3 Cube 12.99 detik, serta hasil terbaik urutan ke-14 Megaminx. Adam Noor Falah turut menandai debutnya di 5 kategori lewat percobaan perdana 4x4x4 Cube 1:32.59, 2x2x2 Cube 5.48 detik, Pyraminx 7.77 detik, dan posisi terbaik ke-25 Pyraminx.

Perjuangan gigih juga diperlihatkan para peserta berpengalaman yang terus mengasah kemampuan mereka di setiap babak. Kenneth Nursalim melengkapi penampilannya di 4 nomor dengan capaian finis terbaik peringkat kedelapan pada cabang utama 3x3x3 Cube. Muchammad Risky Yuliansyah bersaing ketat di 6 nomor dan mengamankan peringkat kelima pada kategori Skewb. Fiqrianur Haikal tampil aktif di 7 nomor hingga menembus posisi ketujuh Skewb, sementara Kevin Kaldera yang berlaga di 3 nomor sukses merebut peringkat keempat pada nomor Pyraminx.

Fayad Hafiz Attaqi turut menyumbangkan dua gelar juara bagi kontingen tuan rumah lewat nomor Skewb dan Pyraminx. Di nomor Skewb, Fayad menjadi yang tercepat dengan rata-rata 3.46 detik mengungguli Fauzan Rafi Amrullah dengan 4.90 detik dan Rifa Octavian Himawan dengan 4.98 detik. Sementara di Pyraminx, Fayad memimpin dengan rata-rata 5.61 detik, menang tipis atas Rifa Octavian Himawan yang menorehkan 5.65 detik dan Jundi Ahmad Alwan dengan 5.67 detik.

Dua kategori lainnya melengkapi daftar juara pada ajang Malang Cube Open 2023. Denzel A. J. Wahyudi memenangkan kategori 2x2x2 Cube dengan rata-rata 3.26 detik, unggul atas Hadyan Jade Santosa dengan 3.38 detik dan Rifa Octavian Himawan dengan 3.83 detik. Pada nomor Square-1, Muhammad Farhan Ardiapratama memastikan kemenangan dengan rata-rata 12.93 detik di atas Muhammad Adib dengan 14.15 detik dan Fauzan Rafi Amrullah dengan 14.22 detik, menutup rangkaian kompetisi yang penuh dengan persaingan ketat.