Malaysia 15th Anniversary Championship 2024

A massive gathering of 149 competitors filled Sri Emas International School as the Malaysia 15th Anniversary Championship 2024 got underway. Staged across July 27 and July 28 in Selangor, Malaysia, the two-day tournament brought together solvers across 12 distinct events and 27 intense rounds of action. The celebration lived up to its milestone billing as the fastest disciplines delivered breathless drama on the solving tables, setting the tone for a memorable WCA competition in the 2024 calendar.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew 143 competitors through four gruelling rounds of elite speedcubing. Tee Kai Yang emerged triumphant for the home country, locking down the gold medal with a blistering final average of 6.41 seconds and a top single solve of 5.72. The final 3x3 results showed an incredibly tight finish at the summit, as China's Shuda Huang took second place with a 6.53 average, followed closely by Ziyu Ye in third place with a 6.84 mark.

Speed in its purest form took center stage in the 2x2x2 Cube, where 132 competitors battled across three rounds. Ziyu Ye of China stormed to victory with a winning average of 1.37 seconds alongside a phenomenal 1.06 single. The Malaysian pair of Ng Jia Quan and Leong Lap Tat secured the remaining podium positions, averaging 1.93 and 1.95 seconds respectively in a lightning-fast final that kept the venue captivated.

Away from the top of the podium, several competitors made immense personal strides by testing themselves across broad competition schedules. Zhuojia Zhou tackled all 12 disciplines available, recording a first official attempt of 1:15.55 in Megaminx, 3:06.22 in 6x6x6 Cube, and 3:34.92 in 7x7x7 Cube, which yielded a career-best 17th-place finish. Fellow multi-event enthusiast Garett Lim JiaQing also entered 12 events, logging first-ever tournament marks of 1:51.08 in 5x5x5 Cube, 4:30.01 in 6x6x6 Cube, and 7:16.55 in 7x7x7 Cube. Ayzaac Bin Zia completed the same 12-event program, clocking inaugural competition times of 16.43 in Clock, 1:22.10 in Square-1, and 7:43.20 on the big 7x7x7 Cube.

That adventurous spirit was mirrored across the floor as solvers expanded their competitive horizons into new categories. Cyrill Lim Jia Le took on a full 12-event weekend, posting first official marks of 2:16.83 in Megaminx, 2:52.36 in 6x6x6 Cube, and 4:36.80 in 7x7x7 Cube. Jaden Shane Tan entered 7 events, establishing maiden competitive times of 12.05 in Skewb, 45.34 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, and 2:09.50 on the 4x4x4 Cube. In addition, Kailin Zhang contested 6 events, securing initial official results of 8.61 in Pyraminx, 9.88 in Skewb, and 18.62 in Clock during an active weekend of speed cubing.

The middle-distance puzzles saw Đỗ Quang Hưng of Vietnam deliver a masterclass in efficiency, sweeping both the 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube categories. In the 4x4x4 final, Đỗ Quang Hưng registered a winning average of 22.46 seconds ahead of compatriot Phạm Đức Phước at 26.49 and Tee Kai Yang at 26.61. He followed that up on the 5x5x5 Cube by taking first place with an average of 42.86, outpacing Malaysia's Lim Hung at 45.07 and Phạm Đức Phước at 48.79.

Malaysia's Lim Hung dominated the massive big cubes, capturing victories in both the 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube events. On the 6x6x6, Lim Hung posted a winning average of 1:19.74, while Anyu Zhang of China finished second in 1:22.94 and Ivan Lew Yi Wen claimed third in 1:33.89. Lim Hung repeated his winning formula on the 7x7x7 Cube with a 1:54.69 average, once again holding off Anyu Zhang at 1:56.49 and Đỗ Quang Hưng at 2:09.06.

The side events provided further thrills as Tristan Chua Yong claimed two golds, winning Pyraminx with an average of 2.73 seconds and Megaminx in 30.39 seconds. Ziyu Ye added another title by winning Skewb with a 2.95 average, while Kangze Wang topped the 3x3x3 One-Handed field with an average of 11.94 seconds. Andrew Tan Jing Bang collected the Clock title in 5.60 seconds, and Ng Jia Quan earned the Square-1 victory with an 8.74 average.

Host nation Malaysia led the overall podium standings with 15 top-three finishes, followed by China with 8, Vietnam with 7, Singapore with 5, and Hong Kong with 1. From rapid twists on the classic Rubik's Cube to intricate big-cube solves, the Malaysia 15th Anniversary Championship 2024 concluded as a resounding success for the regional cubing competition circuit.

Kejuaraan kiub Rubik di pentas kebangsaan menyaksikan detik luar biasa apabila Tee Kai Yang mencatatkan purata kemenangan 6.41 saat serta masa terpantas 5.72 saat dalam acara 3x3x3 Cube di Sri Emas International School. Acara utama itu menghimpunkan seramai 143 peserta merentasi empat pusingan yang sengit, sekaligus meletakkan Tee di puncak podium di hadapan Shuda Huang dari China yang mencatat purata 6.53 saat dan Ziyu Ye dengan purata 6.84 saat.

Kejohanan berprestij Malaysia 15th Anniversary Championship 2024 yang berlangsung pada 27 hingga 28 Julai di Selangor, Malaysia ini mempertemukan seramai 149 peserta dalam 12 acara berbeza membabitkan sejumlah 27 pusingan rasmi. Sepanjang hujung minggu tahun 2024 tersebut, komuniti speedcubing tempatan dan antarabangsa disajikan dengan persembahan berkelas tinggi daripada para peminat kiub yang beraksi di pelbagai peringkat umur dan kategori.

Acara 2x2x2 Cube mencuri perhatian ramai apabila Ziyu Ye dari China meraih gelaran juara dengan catatan purata kemenangan 1.37 saat dan rekod satu pusingan 1.06 saat. Kategori ini turut menyaksikan pencapaian masa terpantas lain, termasuk Ng Jia Quan dari Malaysia yang mencatatkan masa satu pusingan 0.86 saat serta menduduki tangga kedua keseluruhan dengan purata 1.93 saat, diikuti Leong Lap Tat di tempat ketiga dengan catatan purata 1.95 saat.

Persaingan kategori kiub besar turut menyajikan aksi yang amat menarik menerusi dominasi Lim Hung dan Do Quang Hung. Lim Hung muncul juara berganda untuk acara 6x6x6 Cube dengan purata masa 1:19.74 serta acara 7x7x7 Cube dengan catatan purata 1:54.69. Sementara itu, jaguh Vietnam Do Quang Hung memenangi acara 4x4x4 Cube dengan purata 22.46 saat serta mengungguli kategori 5x5x5 Cube melalui purata catatan 42.86 saat.

Bagi acara-acara sampingan lain, Tristan Chua Yong cemerlang dengan merangkul dua kejuaraan menerusi acara Megaminx dengan purata 30.39 saat dan Pyraminx dengan purata 2.73 saat. Dalam kategori 3x3x3 One-Handed, Kangze Wang muncul pemenang dengan purata 11.94 saat, manakala Ng Jia Quan menguasai Square-1 dengan catatan 8.74 saat, Andrew Tan Jing Bang menjuarai Clock dengan 5.60 saat, dan Ziyu Ye menambah koleksi kemenangannya dalam acara Skewb dengan purata 2.95 saat.

Di sebalik perebutan takhta utama, ribuan detik berharga tercipta di meja pertandingan menerusi kemajuan membanggakan peserta yang jarang diberi tumpuan. Saw Zi Quan menyertai sembilan acara sepanjang kejohanan dan berjaya melengkapkan percubaan rasmi pertamanya dalam acara 6x6x6 Cube dengan catatan 3:37.86, 7x7x7 Cube dengan 5:17.84, serta Square-1 dengan 1:28.00. Khor Kai Tong pula mencuba tiga acara baharu buat kali pertama iaitu 4x4x4 Cube dengan masa 1:46.69, 3x3x3 One-Handed dengan 1:21.47, dan Clock dengan catatan 20.37.

Kejia Lei menunjukkan lonjakan prestasi luar biasa apabila membaiki catatan peribadi terbaiknya dalam Pyraminx kepada 4.35 saat iaitu 71.9 peratus lebih pantas berbanding rekod lama 15.48 saat, di samping membuat percubaan sulung dalam Clock pada 18.02 saat dan Skewb pada 29.84 saat. Duncan Ong Zi Chen turut mempamerkan peningkatan 59.1 peratus dalam 2x2x2 Cube kepada 4.84 saat selain menyelesaikan Megaminx buat kali pertama dalam 5:56.94 dan One-Handed dalam 1:22.73. Semangat yang sama ditunjukkan oleh Chiew Jie Xi yang mencatat 12.72 saat dalam percubaan pertama Clock dan 33.81 saat dalam Square-1, serta Pengrui Xiang yang menyertai kesemua 12 acara termasuk percubaan sulung Megaminx dalam masa 1:10.91.

Secara keseluruhan, penganjuran Malaysia 15th Anniversary Championship 2024 mencerminkan kedalaman bakat serantau dengan Malaysia menguasai 15 kedudukan podium, diikuti China dengan lapan podium, Vietnam tujuh, Singapura lima, dan Hong Kong satu. Setiap cubing competition bertaraf WCA competition seperti ini bukan sahaja menjadi medan pertarungan masa terpantas, malah menjadi pentas penting membina asas kecemerlangan komuniti sukan minda bagi masa depan.