Manila's Blindsided 2024

The tables at the Kapatiran-Kaunlaran Foundation were arranged under bright venue lights as timers were tested, stopwatches zeroed, and puzzle covers stacked in neat rows. A focused silence settled across the tournament floor in the City of Manila, Philippines, broken only by the rhythmic clatter of plastic pieces rotating at speed. Across nine distinct events and thirteen rounds of play, twenty-nine competitors took their places on September 8, 2024, eager to test their preparation on the official stage.

The 3x3x3 Cube round delivered the closest contest of the entire gathering. With twenty-seven entrants vying across a single round where every turn carried final weight, Dale Palmares locked down the top step on the podium. Palmares assembled a winning average of 8.67 seconds and recorded a best single of 7.59 seconds. He edged past Jose Polorhenzo Aquino, who took second place with a 9.08 average and an 8.11 single, while John Axel B. Gordo rounded out the podium in third with an average of 9.48 seconds.

The classic Rubik's Cube division formed just one facet of a diverse timetable at Manila's Blindsided 2024. In the blindfolded disciplines, memory and precision ruled the schedule. Gordo captured the 3x3x3 Blindfolded crown with a sharp winning single of 34.32 seconds, besting Peru's Andres Taipe who took second at 1:00.24, and Luis Gabriel Magadia in third at 1:04.35. Magadia went on to dominate the big blind events, securing first place in 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 6:34.43 single, while Jacob Miko Tan finished second in 8:56.75 and Yuji Yoshida placed third in 16:41.00.

Magadia then completed a blindfolded double by winning the 5x5x5 Blindfolded competition with a single of 17:20.00, finishing ahead of Hans Dominic Gamboa's 25:33.00 effort. The variety continued across the side puzzles, where Jansen Alvarez claimed victory in Pyraminx with a lightning-quick 2.05 average and a 1.19 single, topping Aquino's 3.11 and Javier Ignacio's 4.19. In Skewb, Ivan Keith Cariaga sealed first place over two rounds, putting up a winning average of 3.73 seconds to beat Yoshida at 4.38 and Aquino at 4.92.

Beyond the hardware and podium steps, the deeper stories of this WCA competition emerged through personal milestones and ambitious multievent programs. Jan Michael U. Quiling took on five events across the schedule, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in 3x3x3 Cube with a 9.97 average, his first ever attempt at Clock resulting in a 16.98 single, and a personal best of 12.50 in Skewb that cut 28.2 percent off his prior mark. Seff Rylee Tilbe entered three events, recording a 22nd place in Pyraminx, making a first ever attempt at Skewb with a 9.57 single, and trimming his 3x3x3 Cube best to 18.36 seconds, an improvement of 14.4 percent.

Other dedicated solvers added further depth across the tables. Joakim Hendrich Victorino stepped up for two disciplines, earning a 12th-place finish in the 3x3x3 Cube. Robert Isaac Sanchez focused entirely on his single event, securing 25th place on the 3x3 results sheet. Angelo Sarinas contested three separate events, earning fourth place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while logging a Clock personal best of 10.12 seconds. Nicole Santos took on four events, highlighted by a sixth-place run in Clock, a Megaminx personal best of 1:22.97, and a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 10.40 seconds.

Specialized puzzles kept the pressure high throughout the afternoon at Manila's Blindsided 2024. In the Clock event, Karl Abarquez navigated two rounds to secure the title with an average of 5.12 seconds and a single of 3.27, narrowly besting Dale Palmares at 5.33 and Yoshida at 5.65. Over in Megaminx, Nicole Jnus Macalalad conquered the twelve-sided puzzle with an average of 41.08 seconds, joined on the podium by Jacob Miko Tan at 54.01 and Karl Martin Montealto at 54.52. In Square-1, Aquino added another triumph by taking first place with an 11.31 average.

Out of thirty podium positions awarded throughout the day, twenty-nine were captured by competitors representing the Philippines, with Peru claiming one. Manila's Blindsided 2024 highlighted the expansive range of modern speedcubing, offering everything from sub-ten-second standard solves to intricate blindfolded triumphs across larger cubes. As the final scrambles cleared the tables and the scoresheets were signed, the speed cubing community concluded another memorable gathering in the capital, looking forward to the tests and rivalries awaiting them in the next season.

Dalawampu't siyam na speedcubers ang nagtipon upang patunayan ang kanilang husay sa kabuuang labintatlong rounds ng matinding kompetisyon sa City of Manila, Philippines. Sa pagbubukas ng Manila's Blindsided 2024 noong September 8, 2024 sa Kapatiran-Kaunlaran Foundation, naging malinaw na bawat pag-ikot ng puzzle ay may katumbas na karangalan. Siyam na magkakaibang events ang pinaglabanan ng mga kalahok, kung saan sinubok ang bilis ng kamay, talas ng isip, at galing sa pagsasaulo sa ilalim ng opisyal na pamantayan ng World Cube Association.

Sa pangunahing kategorya ng 3x3x3 Cube, ipinakita ni Dale Palmares ang pambihirang bilis upang sungkitin ang unang pwesto laban sa 27 competitors sa isang single round na labanan. Nagtala si Palmares ng nanalong average na 8.67 at pinakamabilis na single time na 7.59 upang dominahin ang Rubik's Cube division. Sumunod sa kanya sa podium si Jose Polorhenzo Aquino na pumangalawa sa average na 9.08 at best single na 8.11, habang nasungkit naman ni John Axel B. Gordo ang ikatlong pwesto hawak ang 9.48 average at 8.48 single.

Naging sentro rin ng atensyon ang mga blindfolded events sa Manila's Blindsided 2024, kung saan naging bida si Luis Gabriel Magadia matapos magwagi ng dalawang gintong medalya. Pinangunahan ni Magadia ang 4x4x4 Blindfolded sa kanyang nanalong single na 6:34.43 laban sa walong katunggali, habang nakuha ni Jacob Miko Tan (陈在元) ang pilak sa 8:56.75 at si Yuji Yoshida ang tanso sa 16:41.00. Hindi pa natapos doon ang tagumpay ni Magadia dahil siya rin ang naghari sa 5x5x5 Blindfolded na may 17:20.00 single finish, habang si Hans Dominic Gamboa naman ang sumegunda sa oras na 25:33.00.

Sa larangan ng 3x3x3 Blindfolded, pinatunayan ni John Axel B. Gordo ang kanyang husay sa memorisation nang makuha ang kampeonato sa pamamagitan ng single solve na 34.32 mula sa labing-isang kalahok. Pumangalawa ang pambato ng Peru na si Andres Taipe na may oras na 1:00.24, habang si Luis Gabriel Magadia naman ang pumangatlo sa kanyang 1:04.35. Ang ganitong mga resulta sa blindfolded solving ay nagpatunay sa mataas na antas ng konsentrasyon at disiplina na kinakailangan upang mapagtagumpayan ang bawat solve nang walang biswal na gabay.

Hindi rin nagpahuli ang iba pang speedcubing disciplines sa maghapong torneo. Sa Square-1, nagwagi si Jose Polorhenzo Aquino sa average na 11.31 at single na 9.42 matapos ang dalawang rounds. Sa Pyraminx, napakabilis na 2.05 winning average at 1.19 single ang inirehistro ni Jansen Alvarez upang talunin ang 22 competitors. Sa Skewb, nanguna si Ivan Keith Cariaga na nagtala ng 3.73 average at 3.13 single sa dalawang rounds laban kay Yuji Yoshida na nagtala ng 4.38 average.

Marami ring personal na tagumpay ang naitala sa likod ng mga opisyal na kampeonato sa cubing competition na ito. Si Zoei Principe ay nagtala ng Pyraminx personal best na 2.96, na 27.6 porsyentong mas mabilis kaysa sa kanyang dating 4.09, bukod sa pagtatapos sa ika-10 pwesto sa 3x3x3 Cube sa apat na kategoryang sinalihan. Malaking pag-abante rin ang ipinamalas ni Zian Principe sa Pyraminx matapos magtala ng personal best na 2.73, na 5.5 porsyentong mas matulin sa dating 2.89, kasabay ng ikaapat na pwesto sa Clock sa apat na events. Samantala, sa kanyang unang WCA competition, sumabak si Justin M. Lucasan sa tatlong events at naitala ang kanyang pinakaunang subok sa Pyraminx na 18.25, 3x3x3 Cube sa 14.83, at Megaminx sa 4:58.35.

Nagpakita rin ng matibay na dedikasyon ang iba pang mga manlalaro sa buong maghapon. Si Glen Goh Wee Zhuan (吴洧全) ay sumabak sa limang events at nagtala ng ikaapat na pwesto sa 4x4x4 Blindfolded kasama ang personal best na 13.47 sa Clock. Si Ayra Aiesha N. Negrillo ay lumahok sa apat na kategorya at nakuha ang ikaapat na pwesto sa Skewb. Nakipagtagisan din si Niño Francis S. Reyes sa tatlong magkakaibang laban kung saan ang kanyang pinakamagandang pagtatapos ay ika-17 pwesto sa 3x3x3 Cube.

Sa Megaminx, ipinamalas ni Nicole Jnus Macalalad ang kanyang galing nang dominahin ang dalawang rounds gamit ang winning average na 41.08 at pinakamabilis na single na 31.93 laban sa labinlimang katunggali, habang pumangalawa si Jacob Miko Tan (陈在元) sa 54.01 at ikatlo si Karl Martin Montealto sa 54.52. Sa Clock, nagwagi si Karl Abarquez sa pamamagitan ng 5.12 winning average at 3.27 best single, kasunod si Dale Palmares sa 5.33 at Yuji Yoshida sa 5.65. Ang bawat round ay nagbigay-diin sa lalim ng talento ng mga Pilipinong speedcubers.

Nagtapos ang Manila's Blindsided 2024 na nag-iwan ng magagandang alaala at inspirasyon para sa buong komunidad sa taong 2024. Sa kabuuang bilang ng mga podium finishes, humakot ang Pilipinas ng 29 habang ang Peru ay nagtala ng 1. Mula sa mga beteranong humakot ng karangalan hanggang sa mga sumubok sa kanilang pinakaunang torneo, naging patunay ang isang araw na paligsahan sa walang humpay na pag-unlad ng isport bago sumapit ang susunod na panahon ng mga kompetisyon.