Manchester June 2024

Eighty-six competitors assembled at the Wythenshawe Forum on June 23, 2024, setting the stage for a dramatic single-day showcase of speedcubing skill. Staged in Manchester, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, the gathering tested solvers across five events and eight total rounds. In the world of high-level puzzle solving, the big cubes provide an unforgiving examination of composure where every rotation matters. The large-format showdowns established an intense tone right from the outset, demanding sustained concentration under the ticking clock.

The relentless format of the 6x6x6 and 7x7x7 events offers zero safety net, operating strictly on a mean of three solves. In these demanding disciplines, there is no dropped worst time to rescue an errant turn or mid-solve lockup, meaning a single mistake across any of the attempts will immediately wreck an entire podium bid. Solvers must manage hundreds of moving pieces under extreme pressure, balancing aggressive turn speed against the catastrophic time penalty of a single counting pop or misaligned slice.

Ireland's Ciarán Beahan handled the pressure of the big cubes with supreme consistency, capturing first place across all the larger puzzles. In the 6x6x6 Cube final featuring 40 competitors, Beahan secured victory with a mean of 1:18.62, highlighted by a single of 1:16.10. Daniel Rush of South Africa followed closely in second place with a 1:26.91 mean, while the United Kingdom's Daniel Partridge completed the podium in 1:47.53, showing how exacting the mean-of-three requirement can be over three complete solves.

The 7x7x7 Cube presented a similarly tight margin for error across a field of 38 competitors, and once again Beahan proved unbeatable. His winning mean of 2:01.56, anchored by a best single of 1:57.88, put him comfortably clear at the top. Daniel Rush locked down the second step on the podium with a 2:26.52 result, while Daniel Partridge earned third place with a 2:46.53 mean. Beahan extended his mastery into the 5x5x5 Cube, taking first with a 42.73 average ahead of Rush at 54.40 and Katie Moughan in third at 58.76.

Beyond the podium battles, Manchester June 2024 served as a launchpad for remarkable individual progression and daring new event entries. Sam Leonard entered five events and recorded a first ever attempt in the 6x6x6 Cube at 3:38.18, alongside a 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 2:06.03 that was thirty-two percent faster than their previous mark. Callum Inglis also tackled five events, achieving a 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 1:59.46 to cut thirty-two percent off their prior benchmark, while recording a first official 7x7x7 Cube time of 6:12.69. Leonardo Booth notched a massive personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube of 23.01, slicing 40.5 percent off their previous best, and completed a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt in 1:16.37.

The breakthroughs continued throughout the roster across multiple categories. Isaac Tierney took on two events and brought their 3x3x3 Cube personal best down by 25.6 percent to 11.36 while logging a first 4x4x4 Cube solve in 1:53.38. Daniel Wan improved their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 24.2 percent to 10.72 and made a first 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 2:38.36. Charlie Butler cut their 6x6x6 Cube personal best by 24.3 percent down to 3:13.97, Grae Ceney took on three events to log a 16.44 personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube alongside a first 5x5x5 Cube mark of 2:40.53, and Zeke Sirju recorded a first 6x6x6 Cube effort of 3:49.47 while dropping their 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 17.8 percent to 40.93.

Mid-sized puzzles delivered equally sharp contests, with Beahan continuing his stellar run by taking the 4x4x4 Cube title. Posting a winning average of 26.65 with a fastest single of 21.68, he held off Rush, who finished runner-up with a 28.05 average, and Partridge, who placed third in 30.37. Across the entire competition, Ireland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom each walked away with five podium placements, reflecting an exceptionally balanced contest among the leading contenders across all formats.

The main event concluded with the classic 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube, bringing together 85 competitors across three rigorous rounds. In a tense finale, Daniel Partridge claimed the championship with a winning average of 7.45 and a best single of 6.24. Daniel Rush finished in second place with an average of 7.68, while Ciarán Beahan rounded out the top three with 7.96. The 3x3 results brought an exciting speed cubing finale to a memorable cubing competition, leaving participants eager for their next WCA competition as the season moves ahead.