Manhattan Mini C 2023

Brandon Lin produced the most striking result of the weekend in New York, New York, USA, stopping the timer at 29.89 seconds to secure victory in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event. The sub-30-second single capped an intense day of solving at Cre8ive Studios during Manhattan Mini C 2023, where 21 competitors gathered on December 10, 2023. Lin finished ahead of Kevin Liu, who posted a runner-up time of 33.96 seconds, while Andrew Tao took third place on the podium with a single solve of 50.44 seconds in the memory-intensive discipline.

The 3x3x3 Cube tournament provided some of the day's sharpest action, highlighting experienced talent in fine form. Henry Zhang claimed top honours on the main stage, capturing first place with a winning average of 9.44 seconds across the final round alongside a round-best single solve of 8.35 seconds. Benjamin Schmutter secured second place with an average of 10.24 seconds, edging Tao, who completed his double podium weekend by taking third place with an average of 10.43 seconds.

The 3x3 results demonstrated intense consistency among the finalists who advanced across two rounds of play. Long-standing participants showed sharp execution under tournament conditions, turning in quick turn speeds on the classic Rubik's Cube. Zhang set the benchmark early and maintained his advantage through the second round, anchoring the field in an event where small pauses often separate top-tier finishes in modern speedcubing.

In the 2x2x2 Cube, Eli Rogers set the standard across two competitive rounds, taking the title with an average of 2.21 seconds and a best single solve of 2.12 seconds. Rogers held off an international push from Israel's Yuval Segall, who claimed second place with an average of 2.93 seconds, and Indonesia's Matthew Liong, who locked up third place with a 3.27-second mark. Across the day, podium places went to three different nations, with the United States collecting seven spots, Israel earning one, and Indonesia claiming one.

Beyond the podium battles, Manhattan Mini C 2023 saw notable personal milestones throughout the order of play. Alex Hauben made a major leap in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, recording a personal best of 1:06.95 that was 66.4 percent faster than his prior mark of 3:19.34, while also taking fifth place in the event and setting a 3x3x3 Cube best of 9.45 seconds. James Wang also improved his blindfolded mark, cutting 27.4 percent off his previous standard with a personal best of 1:47.30 to finish in sixth place.

Other competitors unlocked new personal records across multiple puzzles during the cubing competition. Tomer Segall delivered a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 4.67 seconds, improving by 22.6 percent, and added a 3x3x3 Cube best of 15.14 seconds. Samuel Sharivker improved his 2x2x2 mark by 19 percent with a 3.74-second personal best on his way to a ninth-place finish, while Harrison Clark logged his first ever attempt at the 2x2x2 Cube with a 5.41 single and cut 16.3 percent off his 3x3x3 best to reach 13.60 seconds. Tygesen Yoon posted a 2x2x2 personal best of 3.08 seconds, Dylan Nickelsburg dropped his 3x3x3 single to 9.49 seconds, and Ann Li made her first WCA competition appearance, notching first attempts of 7.32 in the 2x2x2 Cube and 23.79 in the 3x3x3 Cube.

The five rounds of competition packed significant variety into a single day of speed cubing at Cre8ive Studios. With 17 competitors taking on the blindfolded puzzle and full 21-person brackets in both standard rotational events, the schedule demanded rapid transitions between events requiring contrasting solve strategies and levels of lookahead.

As the final timers stopped at Manhattan Mini C 2023, the event closed out a productive chapter of the 2023 season in the city. The blend of seasoned competitors reaffirming their capabilities and improving solvers registering personal benchmarks reflected a well-balanced WCA competition from start to finish.

With awards presented across all three events, the competitors concluded an efficient day of racing against the clock. The solid turnouts and high-tempo rounds established a strong foundation as the local community looks forward to the next season of events.